Derelict Monastery (1)
This is the monastery of San Gines de la Jara, who is said to have been the brother of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor (800 - 814 AD). Charlemagne's empire extended from the Elbe to the Ebro - and not to Cartagena. Nevertheless, this is where Gines chose to found his monastery. The site which he selected is about fifteen miles out of town, at the foot of the Sirra Minera and overlooking the tranquil blue waters of the Mar Menor. Coincidentally, others had also chosen to dwell in the same place, albeit long before the Christian epoch. Archaeologists investigating the site have found human bones which are said to be some of the oldest ever found in Europe.
Although Gines is credited with founding the monastery, it was the angels who actually built it; and they completed the job in just one night. This gesture of approval by the Heavenly Kingdom was sufficient to win the man his sainthood.
Amongst the early occupants of the monastery was a good looking youngster who evidently attracted the eye of a local maiden. When she became pregnant he was accused - and since he did not deny the sin he was duly punished and ostracised by the brotherhood. When this monk died, some years later, it was found that the he was actually a woman. This was enough to earn him - or rather, her - a place with Gines and the other saints. Thus this monastery is associated with not just one but two heroes of the Roman Catholic pantheon.
Miracles are somewhat common-place in Spain, and the monastery of San Gines de la Jara lacked that certain something - a piece of the True Cross, for example, or the remains of an apostle - which would have assured its continuing prosperity. Spain has more monks and nuns than any other Christian country, but even so there are not enough to fill the many convents and monasteries, and eventually San Gines was abandonned by the church. To be more precise, it was sold by the church - and, unfortunately, it was sold to someone unscrupulous. The new owner gutted the building of its priceless treasures and sold them to art collectors. (In case you were wondering, Spain does have laws which are supposed to prevent this kind of thing, but the maximum fine is peanuts compared with the huge sums that the despoler got for the frescoes and statuettes and other works of art.)
The monastery of San Gines is still valued by the local people, who celebrate the patron's fiesta each August with a colourful "romeria". The pilgrims make the journey on horseback or in colourful gipsy wagons. Despite its evident worth to the community the council has now given permission for a hotel and golf-course complex to be built on the site. Their one proviso is that the monastery must not be knocked down. Thus it would seem that the place is destined to become a hotel foyer.