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History of the Caves
The management of the Glicinia is very proud to introduce to you, if you are not already aware, of all the benefits of living in a “casa cueva”, a house cave. At the same time, we invite you, the traveler, through chosing this type of accomodation, to take the opportunity to reflect on what it meant and what it means to be a “trogoldite”, a cave-dweller.
When speaking of the benefits of this style of living, one will be hard-pressed to find anything but. We have preserved this form of living quarters as above all a tribute to those who previously inhabited this region. These poeple, who due to lack of sufficient economic means, lived difficult lives and were therefore forced to bore into the side of the mountain in search of refuge from the elements. These were the same tactics employed by the “homoerectus” or stoneage man, more than a million years ago. This latter, however, was the more clever of the two, having chosen to make him home in already existing caves, thus eliminatin the great task of doing it himself.
You should be aware of the fact that these caves, like the ones that still remain in Granada, were hollowed out by axe and pick methods in a time in which sophisticated machinery and tools were absolutely non-existent. These people, as we have said, were simple folk without any means whatsoever to construct for themselves what was said to be at the time “a house worth living in”; that is, one that serves its basic purpose of providing shelter, but also is a home about which one could feel a certain amount of pride. The creation was the fruit of extremely strenuous labor, having to carve out the side of the mountain and then make trip after painstaking trip to dispose of the unnecessary debris.
Without a doubt, from our perspective, these people were very intelligent, simply because they took full advantage of their common sense, which according to the age-old Spanish adage is the “less common of the senses”. Those who opted to live in this manner were often times regarded as persons of questionable social status and were assumed to do so out of raw economic necessity. This falsehood continued until the 1900s and has just now begun to fade. The interest in “cave-dwelling”, however, has been reborn in the Granadinan towns of Guadix, Purullena, Gorafe, and Galera, where agricultural and domestic artifacts dating back to the time of Roman civilization have been unearthed.
The floor-plan of the “house caves” includes a large foyer or sitting room from which the other rooms branch off. These rooms can serve many potential purposes, such as a kitchen, mudroom, or above all, a bedroom. The ambiance is such that one will be easily lulled by Morpheo, the god of sleep, into a tranquil state of complete relaxation and rest.
Due to ists microclimate, the caves offer a constant year-round temperature of approximately 23 degrees celsius in the summer to 17 degrees in the winter months. These reading can be verified by the traveler with the use of the thermometer found in the entryway.
There are two large benefits of chosing this form of accomodation that should not be overlooked. The first of which is being able to save a significant amount of money on heating or air-conditioning bills, courtesy of the natural appearance of such features. Just as important, is also the simple pleasure of being able to enjoy such a non-conventional housing, as there are hotels to be found in all parts of the world, but very few “house-caves”. One could also foresee in the near future when being in accordance with Mother Nature will be of the utmost importance.
In more recent times, the great arch found at the entryway was constructed in the first decade of the twentieth century. This approximate date is known to be accurate due to the fact that the granfather of an elderly town citizen was the one to actually build it. The management of the Glicinia finally finished the cave’s complete renovation. • Not to be overlooked is the unfortunate circumstance that in the city of Granada, with the exception of the now traditional neighborhood of Sacromonte, only a marginal percentage of these caves have survived. This is the result of the shortsightedness or pure neglect by public enterprises. A private interest has recently been taken, however, in caves such as the Glicinia.
Te name glicinia is derived from a plant that graces this world as a creeping vine, whose blossoms adorn the “Carmenes Granadinas”. These are houses of Arabic inspiration that, due to a high wall, are completely isolted from the outside world, creating an inner one in which the gardens and water pools unite to create colors, shades, and corners of tranquility. The blossoms of the glicinia, though having a relatively short life-span, while in seasons offer a spectacle of sensation. Their appearance annouces to us the explosion of springtime, with its signature increased hours of daylight and sunsets full of color. From its birth, the beauty of the glicinia entwines with objects already present, giving a fresh, pleasant feel to the house.
In closing, the management of the Glicinia has attempted to recapture the world of senses left by our Arabic ancestors, who were the only ones to participate in the creation and later recreation of this intimate world in which la glicinia, becomesone with the landscape, the water, and the silence.
