The town of San Javier recovers its Holy Week processions, which were common until the Civil War, when the destruction of the images interrupted a tradition that is now resumed with the push of the parish priest Juan Prieto and the Brotherhood of San Francisco Javier. The Mayor, José Miguel Luengo and the Councillor for Culture, David Martínez, today expressed the Town Hall’s support for this initiative together with the parish priest and representatives of the Brotherhood, during the presentation of a Holy Week. The initiative is premiered with three thrones, in a Procession of Silence that will leave the parish church at 22:00 on Maundy Thursday.
«We are living historic times», said the parish priest of San Javier, Juan Prieto, for the recovery of the processions in San Javier and the presentation of a new image, that of the Dolorosa, just out of the workshop of the sculptor José Antonio Martínez, who lives in Madrid, which will be presented on Friday 31 March, on the Nazarene Night. The Councillor for Culture, David Martínez explained that the image will be carried by the men of the Brotherhood from the Sacred Heart School, accompanied by the San Javier Symphonic Band, to the church where it will be handed over to the women, who will be in charge of carrying the Virgin in procession.
The Nazarene Night, which is a celebration of Holy Week, will be followed by the procession on Maundy Thursday. A procession of silence led by Infantes de Javier and announced by a band of deaf drums in the darkness of the streets which will only be illuminated by candles and torches. The procession will be led by the Nazarene, which survived the Civil War, followed by «an image that will be moving», announces the parish priest in reference to the newly created Dolorosa, and will be closed by the Crucified Christ, an image from the end of the 16th century, recently restored at the Autonomous Community’s Restoration Centre. The silence will be interrupted along the route by choral music and saetas, as well as the Auroros de Torres de Cotillas, who will accompany the image of the Virgin, announced the mayor of Culture, David Martínez. The traditional Stations of the Cross on 7 April will close the religious programme.
As part of the religious programme, the Department of Culture has programmed a concert of sacred music by the Patnia chamber choir, which will take place next Saturday at 20:30 in the church of San Francisco Javier, and the theatrical performance of «Mary of Magdala», by the San Javier theatre group, also in the church, on Sunday at 20:30h. The Mayor of San Javier, José Miguel Luengo thanked the work being done by the Parish and the Brotherhood «for the recovery of a tradition such as this Easter procession which we are sure will become a cultural and tourist resource for the municipality and therefore a public attraction». José Miguel Luengo also thanked the Murcian painter Saura Mira for having created the Holy Week poster with a watercolour of the Cristo de las Ánimas which can be seen in the church of San Javier.