Basilica de la Macarena, Seville
Interactive satellite map of the Basilica de la Macarena (center marker).
For a larger view, see our Seville Map or Google Earth download.
On the northern tier of central Seville, the Basilica de la Macarena possesses the most revered image in Seville, "The Virgin of Hope" (Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza) which locals call La Macarena.
La Macarena is the patron saint of matadors and a favorite of Spain's gypsies. The Seville-born matador Joselito was so taken with her that he spent a large chunk of his fortune to purchase four emeralds for her. When he died in the ring in 1920, the Macarena dressed as a widow for a month.
The statue of La Macarena itself, thought to date from the end of the 17th century, is attributed to the sculptor Pedro Roldán. The beautiful, tearful Madonna is seated in the midst of gaudy magnificence in the cathedral.
Each year on Good Friday, the holiest day of Semana Santa, the fraternity dedicated to La Macarena appears in procession, leading her image through the city streets in mourning for the death of her son.
The basilica also houses a treasury displaying rare ecclesiastical relics.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Basilica de la Macarena; Basilica of the Macarena; Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza |
| Type of site: | Parish church; Catholic shrine |
| Faith: | Roman Catholic |
| Status: | Active |
| Dates: | Statue: 17th century |
| Location: | Puerta de la Macarena, La Macarena, Seville, Andalusia, Spain |
| Phone: | 95-490-18-00 |
| Hours: | Basilica daily 9am-1pm and 5-8pm; treasury daily 9:30am-1pm and 5-8pm |
| Cost: | Basilica free; treasury 2.70€ |
Getting There
Difficult to reach by public transportation, the church is best approached on foot or by taxi going along the outer ring from Colón to Torneo to Resolano Andueza.
Sources
- Personal visit (April 3, 2007)
- Frommer's Seville, Granada, and the Best of Andalusia
(2005).
- The Rough Guide to Spain 11
(2004), 304.
