Valencia Tourist Guide 2018

H O L Y G R A I L

Ask for València’s events calendar in our tourist offices

CHAPEL OF THE HOLY GRAIL

A LAKE OF CONCERTS. BERKLEE

Valencia, with its Holy Grail , is one of eight so-called holy cities in the world.

VAL ÈNC IA , A C I T Y OF MUS I C AND URBAN FEST IVALS

At times, great treasures are kept inmodest and unassuming places: the Chapel of the Santo Cáliz in València Cathedral is one such place. Since 1916, this small Chapel has carefully safeguarded one of the most revered and prized relics within the Catholic Church: the Holy Grail . Before being brought to València Cathedral in 1424 by Alfonso the Magnanimous, this venerated artefact had travelled a long route, over the course of several centuries, marking out what has become an interesting pilgrimage route. Upon entering the Chapel of the Santo Cáliz, a serene silence, the aroma of incense and the dim light entering through a stained-glass window pervade the room, affording an even greater sense of mystery to the celebrated

relic. Practically embedded behind the altar, its majesty can be viewed through the glass case in which it is housed. Archaeological and historical data relating to the relic’s past, before reaching València Cathedral , suggest that it was the chalice used by Jesus during the Last Supper. Two Popes have corroborated its authenticity and have made use of it in two masses: Pope John Paul II, in 1982, and, subsequently, Pope Benedict XVI , during the 5th World Meeting of Families, in 2006. In 2016 the Vatican announced the celebration of the first jubilee and it will be repeated every five years, the next being in 2021. Book your place on the Route of the Grail and Religious Art at www.visitvalencia.com and tourist offices.

There are over 30 urban festivals programmed for different neighbourhoods of the city throughout the year where you can enjoy the most daring and transgressive proposals of music, performing arts and literature. There is also an excellent programme of opera at Palau de Les Arts, and classical music at the Palau de la Música, with an outstanding season of symphonic concerts. València is also home to a pool of reputed musicians trained in the province’s conservatories who play with 500 music bands, many of which participate in the International Music Band Contest, held in the city every spring. This excellence in musical training and creation is culminated by the prestigious American Berklee College of Music, which chose València to locate a campus in Europe, Berklee València, due to the excellent conditions available and the city’s musical tradition.

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