Holy Week in Badajoz is presented as a captivating melting pot of spirituality, history, art, color and austerity, achieving the distinction as a “Festival of National Tourist Interest” in 2011. This event goes beyond its religious nature to become a testimony vibrant with the opulent history, exceptional art, tangible devotion and deep tradition that characterize the city.
The lineage of the Holy Week of Badajoz dates back to the 16th century, with more than forty brotherhoods that have paraded through its streets over the years. Today, eleven of these brotherhoods, each with its own narrative, display monuments and works of art in the most picturesque corners of the old town. This laudable effort is carried out thanks to the discreet work of the costaleros, who assume the crucial responsibility of carrying the steps.
The festival begins on Friday of Sorrows and culminates on Easter Sunday, with each day marked by unique and emotional processions. Highlighting Holy Thursday, one of the most significant events occurs with the departure of the Patroness, the Virgin of Solitude.
The veneration of this Virgin dates back to 1664, when she arrived in Badajoz and was placed in the hermitage of the Convent of San Onofre. The fame of the sanctuary transcends borders and has been favored by several papal privileges. Currently, the Virgen de la Soledad resides in her own hermitage, a place of worship for locals who pray at any time of the day or night.
The Brotherhood of Our Lady has a centuries-old history and is the most prominent Brotherhood in Badajoz, with the “unique” image of the Virgin of Soledad as its holder. In the 1940s, it had more than 2,700 brothers, and was even authorized to go out in procession during the Republic, when these events were prohibited.
On the afternoon of Holy Thursday, the Plaza de la Soledad and its surroundings are filled with people from Badajoz to witness the departure of the Virgen de la Soledad. The steps of the Christ of Patience and the Holy Christ of Ecce-Homo lead the way, followed by the moving presence of the Virgin. The bearers overcome the difficulties to remove it from the hermitage, a moment awaited by thousands of devotees who experience joy and emotion.
The Virgin parades on a step of exquisite artistic taste, carrying an Italian Madonna carved in Naples between 1660 and 1664. Her unique character and personality radiate a clean and maternal feeling, making this parade one of the most special moments of Holy Week in Badajoz, where art and religion converge in an extraordinary way.
