Esta semana Santa he visitado Alcalá de Henares y sus Procesiones de la Semana Santa Complutense. Si bien estas no se encuentran entre las más conocidas de España, el marco incomparable donde tienen lugar como es el de una ciudad patrimonio histórico de la humanidad, ofrecen un atractivo cultural añadido al sentimiento religioso que ya de por si ofrecen estas procesiones.
De todos los pasos que he visto, quiero resaltar el del la “Hermandad Sacramental del Santísimo Cristo de los Desamparados y María Santísima de las Angustias”, más conocida como la “Cofradía de las Angustias”, que salió el lunes santo 14 de abril y partiendo de la Catedral Magistral, recorrió el centro de la ciudad en completo silencio, acompañando al paso y a los penitentes el único sonido de una campana.
Como podéis ver en la imagen, el conjunto escultórico formado por la Virgen de las Angustias y el Cristo de los Desamparados que yace en su regazo, con la cruz y el sudario detrás, realizado por el artista imaginero conquense José Antonio Jiménez Langa, muestra un realismo, una solemnidad y un sentimiento realmente extraordinarios.
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I have just visited the Holy Week Processions in the charming city of Alcala de Henares, a city with historical heritage in the vicinity of Madrid. Although the celebrations in Alcala are not comparable to the most famous processions that take place in other Spanish cities, the magnificence of its downtown area adds an extra value to the solemnity and religiosity of the processions that move along its narrow streets.
Holy Week in Spain is the annual commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ celebrated by Catholic religious brotherhoods and fraternities that perform penance processions on the streets of almost every Spanish city and town during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ.
The celebration of Holy Week regarding popular piety relays in the processions of the brotherhoods or fraternities. These associations have their origins in the Middle Age, but a number of them were created during the Baroque Period, inspired by the Counterreformation and also during the 20th and 21st centuries. The membership is usually open to any Catholic person and family tradition is an important element to become a member or «brother».
In Spain, Holy Week sees its most glamorous celebrations in the South, in the region of Andalusia, while those of the center of the country, Castile, see the more sombre and solemn processions. The common feature is that every brotherhood carries magnificent «Pasos» or floats with sculptures that depict different scenes from the gospels related to the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of Virgin Mary. These floats are art pieces created by Spanish artists. Brotherhoods have owned and preserved these «Pasos» for centuries in some cases. Usually, the «Pasos» are accompanied by marching bands performing specific compositions, devoted to the images and fraternities.
In the image above you can see the “Paso” that has called my attention the most in my visit to the processions in Alcala de Henares. Without any band performance and only accompanied by the sound of a bell, the silence, together with the realism and solemnity of this “Paso” was astonishing.
