Basilica
de La Macarena
On
the northern tier of central Seville, the Basilica
de la Macarena possesses the most revered image
in Seville, "The Virgin of Hope" (Nuestra
Señora de la Esperanza) which locals
call La Macarena.
La
Macarena is the patron saint of matadors and a
favorite of Spain's gypsies. The Seville-born
matador Joselito was so taken with her that he
spent a large chunk of his fortune to purchase
four emeralds for her. When he died in the ring
in 1920, the Macarena dressed as a widow for a
month.
The
statue of La Macarena itself, thought to date
from the end of the 17th century, is attributed
to the sculptor Pedro Roldán. The beautiful,
tearful Madonna is seated in the midst of gaudy
magnificence in the cathedral.
Each
year on Good Friday, the holiest day of Semana
Santa, the fraternity dedicated to La Macarena
appears in procession, leading her image through
the city streets in mourning for the death of
her son.
The
basilica also houses a treasury displaying rare
ecclesiastical relics
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