Blog Basilica of the Macarena

In the world there are interesting architectural constructions, one of them being the well-known Basilica of Santa María de la Esperanza Macarena. Also called Basilica de la Macarena, this Catholic temple is located at number 1 of Bécquer Street, in the neighborhood of San Gil, which in turn belongs to the Old Town of Seville in Spain. It is a beautiful and interesting building that is worth knowing and visiting.

History of the Basilica de la Macarena

The Basilica de Macarena, in theory, dates from before 1936 and was used for the veneration of the Virgin of Esperanza Macarena. However, that same year this building that was located in the parish San Gil was fiercely burned, having to raise a new building. This same one was initiated in 1941, being the then archbishop of Seville, the person who would bless the land where it would be built and where the first stone of the temple was placed.

Completed in 1949, now the building is the headquarters of the Brotherhood of Esperanza Macarena. In addition, they perform their penance stop in the Early Morning of Good Friday since, inside, lie the images of Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Sentencia and María Santísima de la Esperanza Macarena.

Brief description of the Basilica de la Macarena

Like all catholic buildings of the time, the Basilica de la Macarena consists of very representative and differentiable structural parts.

1.- The chapel and the dressing room of La Macarena, where you can see the figure of the most venerated Virgin of the town. This neo-baroque style and the altarpiece of the high altar that contains the aforementioned figure that, curiously, no one knows who made it. The only moderately concrete data we have of the image is that it dates from the late seventeenth century or the beginning of the eighteenth century.

The whole set has an average height of 12 meters and is arranged in two bodies and attics that hosts different allegories of the three Christian theological virtues. For its part, the decoration of the virgin's dressing room was made by Fernando Marmolejo Camargo as well as the silver embouchure of the dressing room.

2.- The dressing room and the chapel of the sentence, destined directly to the religious worship of our father Jesús de la Sentencia. Therefore, this section of the chapel has the image of dress made by Felipe Morales about the year 1654. It is placed right on an altar made about 1951.

It has a Baroque inspiration and is composed of a body with three streets, which preside over the central street of the Lord's dressing room. The whole complex is topped by a beautiful relief of the Virgen del Pilar that turns out to be the patron saint of Hispanidad.

3.- The Altar of Hispanidad, altarpiece of the temple that is located right at the foot of the wall of the Epistle. This altarpiece comes from the profound gratitude felt by the brotherhood towards the South American people for the large amount of donations they contributed to the reconstruction of the structure.

The altar is preceded by a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which, in turn, is preceded by other virgins of the Spanish-speaking, such as the Virgin of Coromoto who is the patron saint of Venezuela.

4.- The Chapel of Rosario, the last curious site of this basilica that is located to the right of the main altar. Here is the image of the Virgin of Rosario with the baby Jesus, both holders of the Brotherhood of La Macarena. This previously mentioned image is the center of a procession that takes place in the town on the last Sunday of October.

Museum of the Basilica de la Macarena

One of the fundamental reasons why visiting the Basilica of La Macarena in Seville, is to appreciate the museum that lies inside. It was inaugurated in 2009 and has new spaces and avant-garde designs worthy of being lived by Catholics and recurring visitors. These new facilities have 800 square meters and hosts a fairly complete view of Holy Week in Seville.

There is much to see in this small historical building in Seville that, sincerely, you can not miss.