Partly within the Sierra Nevada National Park, the village of Canjayar lies between the Sierras de Gador and Nevada. It stretches to the foot of the hillside where there are several caves, and from where it is dominated by the Hermitage de San Blas. Rich in history it was badly damaged in the 1804 earthquake. The subsequent rebuilding, together with a new prosperity due to the increased demand for dessert grapes, gave Canjayar its town-like layout.
The Parish Church de la Santa Cruz, built in the shape of a Roman cross, probably dates from the 18th century. Its tower, destroyed by the earthquake, was rebuilt in the 19th century. Traditionally, the subject of a miraculous reappearance in 1611, its cross is carried in procession on 19 April to the small chapel of Cruz Blanca on the outskirts of the village and on the following day to the Hermitage de San Blas, from where the fields are blessed.