Virgin of Hope of Macarena
Virgin of Hope of Macarena | |
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bullfighters, Gitanos, tailors, embroiderers and liver donors. | |
Attributes | Our Lady of Sorrows holding a handkerchief, rosary and five emerald brooches |
The Virgin of Hope of Macarena (
The image is also known for local folklore, most notably its discolored cheek allegedly caused by a bottle of wine thrown by a drunken
The feast of the image is celebrated in Spain on 18 December and was granted a
History
The image's genuine authorship is unknown and widely disputed; often by art schools who wish to claim ownership of both its artistic style called Encarnacion. A similar image of the Virgin Mary and crucified Jesus was certainly in existence by 1654 by santero artist Pedro Nieto. Religious images of this type was a result of baroque reforms between 1670 and 1680 by the Confraternity of Macarena.
The scholarly attribution of the image is to the artist Pedro Roldán or one of his protégés in his workshop. Three other famous sculptors and their schools place claim on the image. Over time, the image fell into disrepair, but was officially restored in March 1881 by Emilio Pizzaro de la Cruz, who created new arms and hands; it was restored again in 1883.
By the early 20th century, the famous gold-embroiderer Juan Manuel Rodríguez Ojeda, a member of the brotherhood of the Macarena devoted his work to the image as a gesture of thanksgiving. Between 1899 and 1900, the image began to showcase a mantle made of gold embroidery, French wire bullion and gold-plated tin, popularly referred to as a "mesh cape".[5]
By 1908, a canopy of red velvet was added to protect the image from weather conditions, and was restored in 1964. Various crowns and accessories were repeatedly redesigned in 1938, 1953 and 1963.
A new cape was made in 1930, which was unique because the color emerald green was also used along with gold tones. King Alfonso XIII of Spain promoted its devotion by issuing a regal document on the image after being inducted into the fraternity in 1904. In the same year on 11 April, Cardinal Eustaquio Ilundáin y Esteban once again blessed the image and its new cape.
Folklore recounts an alleged tale of a
The image was granted a canonical coronation on 27 March 1913 by Cardinal Enrique Almaraz y Santos, who added the five emerald brooches donated by the bullfighter El Gallo. A similar coronation was also repeated in 1964 by the Archbishop of Seville.
Arson attempt
During the Spanish Civil War, anti-clerical arsonists entered on the early dawn of 18 July 1936 attempting to destroy the images inside the Macarena church and its oratory. Out of fear, the people stole the images of Lord of Judgment and Lady of the Rosary and hid them under the warehouse underneath the church steps. Historically, religious images that are threatened by war or famine are often secretly buried underground for safekeeping. The Macarena image was stripped of its vestments and taken anonymously to one of the members of the Confraternity for safekeeping. Due to the warring factions at the time, the confraternity was expelled and was forced to move into the Church of the Annunciation.
Details of the image
The image belongs to an anonymous sculptor dating back to 1680, and measures 175 centimeters. It is a mannequin style image made of
Canonical coronation
Religious images of widespread devotions are often venerated in Spain through papal-designated ceremonies called
Because recreating this image is considered very costly and painstaking, images of this title is often seen rare and limited. Other sanctioned copies under this particular Marian title alone have also been reproduced in other pious
References
- ^ "Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza" (in Spanish).
- ^ Images of Our Lady of Sorrows are often portrayed in dark blue or black; yet the Virgin of Macarena has never worn a full black ensemble except during the funeral of matador bullfighter Joselito.
- ^ "Del toro al infinito: LUNES SANTO: LA ESPERANZA MACARENA DE LUTO POR JOSELITO". 29 March 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "ABC SEVILLA (Sevilla) - 30/05/1964, p. 59 - ABC.es Hemeroteca". hemeroteca.sevilla.abc.es. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ "Conocer Sevilla - Sevilla Informacion - Grupo Arte Sacro". www.conocersevilla.org. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "La Esperanza Macarena en Uruguay. José Andrés Borreguero Fustero". ArteSacro.org. 7 July 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
Bibliography
- Las cofradías de Sevilla en la modernidad; ISBN 84-472-0509-6
External links
- Media related to Esperanza Macarena de Sevilla at Wikimedia Commons