Realejo
HISTORY:
Throughout the ages, the Barrio Realejo was an important Jewish quarter and called Garnata al-Yahud (Granada of the Jews) by the Moors when they arrived in Granada in the 8th century. During the years of Moorish rule, Jews lived relatively peacefully but following the Christian conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, the Jews were expelled, the Jewish quarter was destroyed and the barrio was renamed El Realejo.
One of the most important squares in the Realejo is the Campo de Príncipe located on the site of the former Muslim cemetery was located. The square was built in 1497 for the wedding celebrations of Isabel and Ferdinand's son Juan although he was actually married in Cantabria. The focal point of Campo de Príncipe is the jasper and alabster statue of Cristo de los Favores. This was paid for by the residents of El Realejo Alto and was installed in 1640. Between 1679 and 1682, the entire province of Granada was devastated by the Bubonic Plague. Fortunately, the Realejo was the area which was least affected and this was attributed to the fact that the residents would pray before the statue. Such was the devotion to the statue that Archbishop Fray Bernardo de los Ríos Guzmán declared that anyone who prayed to the Cristo de los Favores by saying an Our Father and an Ave María would be granted 40 days of pardon. Nowadays, every Holy Friday crowds gather silently around the statue at 15:00 to ask for three wishes.
Many of the walls in the Realejo have been painted by the graffitti artist "El Niño de las Pinturas".
IMPORTANT BUILDINGS IN REALEJO:
Casa de los Tiros:
This house is located at the beginning of the Barrio Realejo in the Calle Pavaneras. It was originally owned by the Marquis of Campotejar, who was forced to donate the Generalife gardens and the house to the state in 1929 following a long, legal battle. This was the where the first Granada tourism office was located but nowadays, there is a museum charting the history of Granada throughout the 19th century. For more information about opening times, etc. click here.
For a map of the area, click here.