The Abadía del Sacromonte sits perched on Granada's hillside like a watchful guardian, marking where the Mozarabic pilgrimage route descends from the Sierra Nevada into the city. I've always found there's something theatrical about approaching it—the way it overlooks the famous Sacromonte neighborhood below, with its cave dwellings and flamenco history.

What makes this 17th-century abbey fascinating isn't just its architecture, but the extraordinary story behind its existence. In 1595, workers discovered what they believed were the relics of San Cecilio, supposedly a disciple of Saint James, along with mysterious lead tablets inscribed in Arabic. The find caused such a sensation that locals erected over 1,200 crosses around the area. Today, only five remain.

The abbey was built around the sacred caves where these relics were found. You can visit these Santas Cuevas, reinforced chambers that believers considered martyrdom sites. The caves are enclosed by a brick wall decorated with curved battlements, stars, and the founder's coat of arms from 1598. Inside, wax figures brought from Rome in 1843 represent the early Christian martyrs.

But here's where the story gets genuinely intriguing. Modern scholarship has revealed that those 16th-century lead tablets were likely an elaborate forgery—possibly the work of two Morisco scholars trying to prove that Arabs had participated in Spain's early Christianization. This was their desperate attempt to legitimize their place in Spanish society during a period when Moriscos faced expulsion.

The Vatican eventually declared the documents false and heretical in 1684, though curiously, they confirmed the authenticity of San Cecilio's bones. So pilgrims still come each February 1st for the saint's feast day, complete with processions and the kind of family celebration that involves considerable drinking.

The abbey now houses a museum displaying some of these controversial documents. Walking through its halls, you're essentially stepping into one of history's most sophisticated fake news operations. Whether you're interested in Spanish religious history, the Morisco experience, or just appreciate a good historical mystery, this place delivers on multiple levels.

An audio guide helps unpack the complex layers of history here, though honestly, the abbey's story is so convoluted that even experts continue debating details centuries later.