Caravaca de la Cruz, Semana Santa 2012

Caravaca de la Cruz, Semana Santa Programme 2012

Semana Santa in Caravaca is an intimate celebration held on a local level, not on the grand scale of some of the other cities within the region, but is charming in its intimacy and with its own personality.

Visitors who have witnessed both the enormous, impressive processions of the major cities, and the more intimate, and personal experience of a Caravaca Semana Santa have said that although impressed by the sheer scale of lines of marching Nazarenos, the experience of being pressed up against the walls of the houses so the tronos can squeeze past, scenting the flowers, feeling the swish of silk and the ragged breath of the costaleros carrying the pasos up the narrow walkways is somehow more realistic and personal, somehow more meaningful.
And with Caravaca as a Holy City, this is a poignant experience for Catholics.

Caravaca has six brotherhoods, or Cofradias, each easily distinguishable by the colours of their robes and capirotes, who parade on specific days of the Semana Santa week:

Los Moraos (Paso Morao)of our father, Jesus of Nazareth, Nuestro Padre, Jesus, Nazareno who carry the restored  scene of  Jesus carrying the Cross, Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene and Saint Veronica. They wear purple and parade on Tuesday, Wednesday and Good Friday.

Los Azules,(Paso Azul) the blues, Our Lady of sorrows, La cofradia de la Virgen de los Dolores, founded in the mid 19th century. The blues carry two pasos and take part on Wednesday and Good Friday.

Los Blanco,(Paso Blanco) the whites, who are the oldest of the Cofradias, their roots go back in the 16th century and wear the white of St John the evangelist. They carry the images of St john the Baptist and san Juan of Letran and take part on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Good Friday and on the Wednesday carry the image of our lady of light, with Our Lady surrounded by hundreds of candles.

Los Coloraos ,(Paso Encarnado) the reds carry images of the crucifiction and parade on the Wednesday and Good Friday.

Los Negros, the blacks with brown and cream robes who participate on Good Friday and carry images of Christ crucified.

The week before Semana Santa the tronos are exhibited in the Antigua Iglesia de la Compania..

Viernes de Dolores, Good Friday 30th March
At 10pm, the Via Crucis follows the stations of the cross around the streets, with the Cofradia del Santisimo Cristo de los Voluntarios carrying the image of Christ. Starts at the Cuesta del Castillo, enters the Basilica of the vera Cruz, and finishes in the Parroquía of El Salvador.

     11.30pm Solemn procession of the blues,(paso Azul) with the image of Ntra Sra de los Dolores,  from the Iglesia de la Compania, via calles Mayor, Gregorio Javier, Atienza, Vidrieras to the Ermita de Santa Elena “Estación de Penitencia“ where there is an encuentro with the image of  Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, continuing via the Plaza Caballos del Vino, La Cruz, Cuesta de la Cruz to the Parroquia de la Purísima Concepción, “Estación de Penitencia“ where there is an encuentro with the Seños del Prendimiento continuing along the streets of calles Glorieta, Poeta Ibáñez, Plaza de Santa Teresa, Cuesta de las Herrerías, Rafael Tejeo and back to the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía.

 Domingo de Ramos,( Palm Sunday) April 1st
11am. Procession of the palms and triumphant entrance of Jesus on a donkey, from the Church of El Salvador. Procession via the streets of calles Glorieta, Maruja Garrido, Gran Vía, Puentecilla, Plaza del Arco to the Parroquia del Salvador where mass is celebrated
7pm Pregón and mass, presided by the Bishop of Cartagena

Martes Santo, 3rd April
10pm, from the Iglesia de la Compania
Solemn procession of the Oracion del Huerto
The "Oracion del Huerto y Ntra Sra de la Consolacion y lagrimas del Santo sepulcro( Paso Morao) (2)accompanied by the musical group of Nuestro Padre Jesus.
San Juan Evangelista and San Juan de Letran (Paso Blanco)(2)
     From Iglesia de la Compania in a circular route, via calles Mayor, Gregorio Javier, Atienza, Vidrieras, Canalejas, Poeta Ibáñez, Plaza de Sta. Teresa, Cuesta de las Herrerías, Rafael Tejeoand back to the  antigua Iglesia de la Compañía.


Miercoles Santo. Holy Wednesday, April 4th
 At 10pm from the Iglesia de la Compania, procession of the Prendimiento.
     Cristo del Prendimiento y Cristo de la Columna (Paso Encarnao), Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno  and the Verónica (Paso Morao), San Juan Evangelista, San Juan de Letrán y Nuestra Señora de la Piedad (Paso Blanco)
     
     From the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía, along the streets of calles Mayor, Gregorio Javier, Atienza, Vidrieras, Canalejas, Poeta Ibáñez, Plaza de Sta. Teresa, Cuesta de las HerrerÍas, Rafael Tejeo and back to the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía.
On the Wednesday night los blancos, paso blanco , carry the image of our lady of light, which is probably the most beautiful of all the weeks images, surrounded by white flowers and candles.

Jueves Santo, Holy Thursday, 5th April
8.00pm from the Iglesia de la Compania
     Solemn procession of the white virgin. María Santísima de la Vera Cruz, Santa Madre de Amargura y Esperanza, paso of the Hermandad de la Virgen Blanca, via the streets of calles Rafael Tejeo, Santísimo, Maruja Garrido, Gran Vía, Puentecilla, Plaza del Arco, Mayor and back to the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía.

12 midnight
Solemn procession Penitencial del silencio.
The silent, torchlit procession,in which the street lights are all extinguished and the penitents march in silence through the streets, with only torchlight to guide them.
This is probably the most atmospheric of all the processions, thick with atmosphere.

From the Antigua Iglesia de la Compañía: Solemne Procesión Penitencial del Silencio. with the paso of the Santísimo Cristo de los Voluntarios,via the streets of calles Mayor, Gregorio Javier, Atienza, Vidrieras, Canalejas, Poeta Ibáñez, Plaza de Santa Teresa, Cuesta de las HerrerÍas, Rafael Tejeo, Mayor and into the Parroquia del Salvador.

Viernes Santo, Holy Friday,  April 6th April
11am Solemn procession of the Encuentro.
     Once the parade arrives at Plaza del Arco, the "sermon de las siete palabras" is celebrated, and following this the act takes place of cutting Jesus down from the cross of his crucifiction.

     11:00 from the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía: Solemne Procesión del Encuentro. With the pasos participating of the Señor del Balcón (Paso Encarnao), Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, La Verónica and Cristo Crucificado (Paso Morao), San Juan Evangelista and San Juan de Letrán (Paso Blanco), Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Paso Azul)
     Following a route via calles Rafael Tejeo, Santísimo, Maruja Garrido, Gran Vía, Puentecilla, to the Plaza del Arco,where the sermon of the seven words is held, following which the solemn act of cutting down Jesus takes place, after which the Cofradía de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, carries Christ, the Cristo Yacente, to the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía.

9pm Solemn procession del Santo Entierro.
     The images of Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia (Paso Encarnao), San Juan Evangelista and San Juan de Letrán (Paso Blanco) Nuestra Señora de las Angustias (Paso Azul), El Santo Entierro (Paso Morao), Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Paso Negro) form the procession.
     
     Following the route of calles Mayor, Gregorio Javier, Atienza, Vidrieras, Canalejas, Poeta Ibáñez, Plaza de Santa Teresa, where the Stmo Cristo de la Misericordia (Paso Encarnao) returns to the Parroquia de la Concepción, and the remaining cofradías, via the  Cuesta de las HerrerÍas, Rafael Tejeo to the antigua Iglesia de la Compañía,from there the Santo Entierro and Nuestra Señora de la Soledad go on to the Parroquia del Salvador, where the  Entierro de Cristo en su Capilla, the burial of christ inside his chapel takes place, under the watchful eyes of the Santa Madre, his Holy Mother.