Holy week

At midday, when the sun shines strong, and coming from the eighteen century church of St. Cecilia, the fraternity of the Christ of the Remedy and the Virgin of the Anguish begins its annual procession. Two wonderful groups of sculptures as symbol of the death for love and the pain suffered by a mother. Order, light, color, simplicity, severeness and good taste are concepts defining with accuracy more than 800 brothers taking part at the procession.

Procession's dress: White robe and violet pointed hood with a black scapular for the Christ's penitents. Black robe and violet pointed hood with white scapular for the Virgin's penitents.

History:
This brotherhood was reorganized at september, 19th, 1844, but the fraternity of the Virgin of the Anguish existed, due to some documents found, since september, 4th, 1690. Both fraternities merged at 1959.

Procession's elements:
Golden Toisón (an spanish high distintion) given as gift by D. Antonio Ríos Rosas, polititian and writer of the 19th century. The crown of the Virgin of the Anguish dates from the 19th century as well as the Divinity's symbol carried by the Christ of the Good Death, laid on her mother's knees. The cloak of the Virgin of the Anguish is made of black velvet embroidered with gold and fine christal at the 20th century. The Virgin's banner consists of an 19th century oil painting sorrounded by a golden embroidered velvet frame.

Carrying Platform Throne of the Christ:
It was made by the St. Antonio's workshop of Ronda at 1989, made of oak wood carved with a Renaissance style. The silver work of the platform consists of eight squares representing different scenes of Jesus' Passion. There can be also seen four big candelabra at the corners also made of silver by the sevillian artist Manuel de los Ríos.

The sculpture group, consisting of the Christ of the Remedy, the Virgin of the Protection, St. John and Mary of Magdala is made by Antonio Castillo Lastrucci.

Carrying Platform Throne of the Virgin:
It is a platform throne in a baroque style made of golden carved wood at the Salesian School of Seville at 1929. Its main characteristic is the fact of having lots of moldures causing several profiles and generating lots of movement. The corner's candelabra of candles were made at the Hernandez workshop of Ronda.

Since 1917 the fraternity of the Christ of the Remedy is considered to be the brotherhood of the shopkeepers.

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The Good Friday's evening makes the people bo to the historic quarter of San Francisco. An impressive funeral comes crossing the arab walls of the city. The procession of the Holy Funeral, the Virgin of the Loneliness, Christ's Resurrection and the Virgin of Loreto has begun. The silence is deep and felt when wonderful wood carved and goldened case carrying the sculpture of Christ, dead, comes, only broken by the sound of funeral bells announcing the procession. After the Christ platform throne, the Virgin, alone, full of Pain, and covered by a severe black canopy.

It is the official procession of the city of Ronda. This is the reason why at its itinerary is formed a parade consisting of members of the city council, the church and the other fraternities of Ronda. The first existing documents concerning this broterhood dates from 1574, but we think that it was founded earlier, being the oldest fraternity of Ronda.

Nowadays it has got 1.100 brothers.

Procession's dress:
Black robe with sparto grass belt and white pointed hood at Christ's section. Black robe, pointed hood and gloves at the Virgin's section.

Procession's elements:
It is remarkable the gold embroidered canopy of the Virgin, as well as the also gold embroidered cloak, work made by don Salvador Sánchez Carrasco. It is also remarkable the Christ's banner, consisting of an ancient oil painting set into a velvet embroidered frame.

Carrying Platform Throne of the Holy Funeral:
It is a really wonderful work, considered to be one of the best of Spain at this kind of Throne. It is a glazed baroque style wood carved and goldened case. It was made by the artist of Madrid Alfredo Lerga at 1940 and has got a total weight of 3800 Kg. Its 8.5 m. lenght, and 3 m. width give to it a very solemn aspect. At the 19th century, the Duchess of Parcent, a great beneficient for this fraternity, made the case of the funeral richer by means of adding several noble woods and silver.

Carrying Platform Throne of the Virgin:
It is a wood carved platform Throne with the same designer as the Christ's one. It has got 54 silver candelabra and two back corner candles lightening group, made of silver by Cristóbal Martos and the workshop of Angulo. The gold embroidered black canopy is held up by 12 silver bars made by the Marin brothers of Seville.

Sculptures:
The image of the Christ is made by the Art's workshop of Olot.
The Virgin of the Loneliness is made by an anonimous author coming from Castille.

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The Good Friday's night arrives and, while the fraternity of the Holy Funeral comes back to its St. Francisco's quarter, at the centre of Ronda, and from the upper zone of the Merced's Convent,the fraternity of the Virgin of the Loneliness begins its procession. The itinerary of this broterhood, sever and silent with the only music of one little drum making rithm to the Virgin's platform throne, makes a strong contrast with the wonderful light that seems to be at the Virgin's face. Another remarkable moment comes when the procession arrives to its end with an explossion of light and fire at the steep stairs of the Merced's Convent.

Procession's dress:
Black robe, pointed hood, socks and shoes with a white belt. The fraternity's arm coat is embroidered at the pointed hood.

Carrying Platform Throne:
The only platform throne belonging to this fraternity was made by the Cooperative Ciudad del Tajo and dates from 1992, but the wood carved work were made at 1952 by Ronda's artists Antonio y Juan Hernández. It is a nice baroque style wood carved and goldened platform throne, with a nice candle's lightening group at each throne's corner.

Procession's elements:
Rosary made of jet at the Virgin's hand. The knife located at the Virgin of the Loneliness' chest. The thuribles are probably the nicest of Ronda's Holy Week. The flag and the banner, embroidered by the Clarises' nuns. Four candles lightening made of carvered wood by the sevillian artist Antonio Ojeda Roldán.

The oldest documents refering to this fraternity are a brotherhood's rules dated at 1721. At 1953 arrives to Ronda the sculpture of the Virgin, work of the sevillian artist Sebastián Santos Rojas, who maded it at 1952.

The fraternity has got 430 brothers.

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