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Feature News | Tuesday, April 18, 2017

La Macarena of Seville processes through Miami's streets

Traditional Spanish devotion also includes the Christ of Medinaceli

English Spanish

MIAMI | For several years now, the commemoration of the Lord's Passion at Corpus Christi Church has ended with a procession with the "Macarena" and the Christ of Medinaceli, devotions dating to the 17th century in Seville and Madrid, Spain, respectively.

"La Macarena" is the Virgin of Hope of Macarena, a reference to the district in the city of Seville that bears that name. It’s where the Confraternity of Macarena began and still has its headquarters. With 13,000 members, it is said to be the largest religious confraternity of Seville, where the procession takes place in the early morning hours of Good Friday.

The Christ of Medinaceli is an image of Jesus the Nazarene, also known as the Lord of Madrid. It evokes the moment of the Passion when Pilate introduces Jesus to the crowd. The original image dates from the first half of the 17th century. Its name harks back to the chapel where it was housed, on land donated by the Duke of Medinaceli. Today, the image resides in the Basilica of Jesus of Medinaceli in Madrid. There, the Christ of Medinaceli is taken in procession on the afternoon of Good Friday.

Some years ago, the Confraternity of the Christ of Medinaceli and the Virgin of Hope of Macarena was constituted in Miami, based at Corpus Christi Church. The local copy of the image of the Nazarene was made in Seville in 1998, and blessed by Miami’s late auxiliary bishop, Agustín Román, that same year.

Each year on Good Friday, more than 1,000 people gather at Corpus Christi for the procession, with both images passing through the neighborhoods surrounding the church. The procession begins after the Service of the Passion of the Lord.  

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