The Curious Story of the Amphorae with the Symbol of the Three Cultures Found in Frigiliana

From this Thursday until Sunday, August 31, Frigiliana celebrates the 18th edition of its Festival of the 3 Cultures, an event ... expected to draw more than 40,000 people to enjoy the cuisine, musical performances, lectures, and the unique atmosphere where Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions merge. However, very few are aware of the existence of three 18th-century vessels still preserved in the municipality of Axarquía, which bear the symbols of these three great monotheistic religions.

Coinciding with this coming of age of the massive event, the Frigiliana Town Council has enriched its historical and cultural heritage by recovering a new jar that carries the symbolism of the festival: the Christian Cross, the Star of David, and the Crescent Moon.

María Concepción Fernández Martín donated a first vessel to the Town Council in May 2021

Several decades ago, the Smith family purchased a house known as Casablanca, located in the area of Cerro de la Coscoja, from a renowned antique dealer in the area. As its owners have recounted, touring the house for the first time was "quite a discovery".

Among the finds, there appeared a vessel decorated with the symbol of the three cultures. This piece also contained "valuable information" that has helped to clarify "the mystery" surrounding the so-called jar of the three cultures. The first of these jars was found in El Torreón and now belongs to the Town Council thanks to the donation by María Concepción Fernández Martín in May 2021.

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The new jar is particularly significant because it includes a name and a date, possibly of the potter who made it, as well as the date of its creation. "This was made by Agustín García 1737," can be read on the large ceramic piece.

Julie Smith, daughter of the Smith family, passionate about history and working in a museum in Dublin, felt that this piece should return to the town of Frigiliana. With a generous gesture, she decided to donate the Jar of the Three Cultures to the Town Council, where it can be admired in the council courtyard during the festival days and, subsequently, in the Frigiliana Museum.

The Frigiliana Town Council has expressed in a statement their "most sincere thanks to the Smith family for their generous donation and their deep sense of heritage, as well as to Ana Ortiz, whose mediation has made it possible for this second jar of the Three Cultures to become part of the municipal heritage".