According to tradition, on May 3, 1232, the Moorish king Ceyt-Abuceyt and his subjects became Christians upon witnessing the Miracle of the Apparition of Santa Cruz. In this apparition, a fragment of the True Cross was lowered from heaven so that priest Gines Perez Chirinos (a prisonor at the time) could say mass. The Catholic church recognizes the fragment at Caravaca as the Vera Cruz, a title for the cross found by Saint Isabel, the mother of Constantine.
Caravaca is one of the six recognized Holy Cities by the Vatican, having been recognized as such by Pope John Paul II in 1998. Caravaca is a historic pilgrimage site, and home to the Cross of Caravaca, a piece of the True Cross (Vera Cruz).
The pastor of Caravaca has offered to say a special mass for Notre Dame students, and will allow all students to kiss the Vera Cruz.