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Idea Description
General Information
Description
Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the most important celebration in Seville, the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville, Spain. During Holy Week, the cofradías (meaning "brotherhoods" - an association of Catholic faithful gathering around a title of Christ, the Virgin or a saint, for the purposes of penance, glorification or welfare) process in penitence from their churches to the Seville Cathedral for a sacred ritual and back.
Processions during Semana Santa in Seville are focused on Christ's death and resurrection as an opportunity to express the faith, remorse and contrition for past sins thus achieving penance (word penance derives from Old French and Latin poenitentia, both of which derive from the same root meaning repentance, the desire to be forgiven).
Semana Santa processions are well structured, organized and scheduled. Usually there are about 60 Cofradías (brotherhoods) participating with each brotherhood scheduled to perform on one the days of Holy week. Processions start on Palm Sunday (to Easter Sunday) and continue throughout the whole week usually with 6 - 9 processions every day. Processions varies in size and duration and strictly follow the scheduled. Cofradías of La Macarena and El Gran Poder have the largest (and longest) processions.
Hermandades are fraternities (hermandad in medieval Spain was a peace-keeping association of armed individuals, nowadays, an organization of laymen for religious or in this Catholic matters) organized under the Consejo Superior de Hermandades y Cofradias de Sevilla (General Council of Fraternities and Brotherhoods of Seville) to take care of the event scheduling and coordinating it the city government.
Each procession follows strict rules as to its composition, marching order and schedule. It starts with a cross (Cruz de Guía or Guiding Cross) followed by nazarenos (brothers of the respective cofradía) wearing pointed (in a shape of cone) hoods (capirote).
The most important part of the procession is the paso - a large wooden platform covered completely with a heavy cloth. Pasos are lavishly decorated in Baroque style ornaments. On top of the platforms are scenes either dedicated to El Cristo (Christ) or La Virgen (The Virgin). Pasos are carried by costaleros - not an easy task since pasos can weight more than 4,000 - 5,000 pounds (about two tons).
Other procession participants include altar boys, musical bands, penitents (carrying wooden crosses and wearing not pointed hoods).
Historical Note
The origins of Holy Week in Seville are in late Middle Ages (from 1350 AD). Although details are scarce, it appears that the background of street processions resulted from the introduction of the Vía Crucis (Way of the Cross, the depiction of the final hours of Jesus) in Spain in 1521 by the Marqués de Tarifa upon returning from the Holy Land. He mandated that it be commemorated each year with a procession. By 1578 already over 30 brotherhoods performed penitential processions during the Holy Week. By 1604 Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara mandated for the first time all Sevillan cofradías to make a stop in the Cathedral and assigned specific time to do this (from Wednesday to Good Friday). The popularity of Holy Week in Seville in Spain in late 18th century is illustrated by the fact that it was exempt from the prohibition of flagellants' and most midnight processions in 1777. In mid 19th century the Holy Week was a popular destination for travelers and had already acquired some of its current forms. Despite a serious setback to the tradition in 20th century (the Second Spanish Republic with its anticlerical policies), Holy Week celebration in Seville firmly established itself as a universally recognized manifestation both in Spain and all over the world.
To learn more about Seville and its Semana Santa, visit Seville Traveler, one of the best travel sites to discover Seville and the perfect place to find what to do in Spain. The site is packed with tips and useful information and provides a vivid account of details related to Holy Week in Seville.
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What Makes It Special
Seville, or Sevilla in Spanish, is one of the most popular destinations in Spain and an important spiritual center. Its Semana Santa celebrations at Easter go deep into the centuries and are well known all over the world. The main themes of processions are to inspire mourning, repentance and devotion - the unique atmosphere of austerity and meditation makes the event an extremely moving experience. Uniting the devotion and an aesthetic outlook, Semana Santa in Seville has become a spectacular religious and social occasion and activity that shouldn't be missed. These amazing celebrations are an experience unique to Spain and Seville.
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Directions To Destination
By air: flights to Seville are served by San Pablo Airport (IATA: SVQ, ICAO: LEZL) located 6.2 miles (10 km) and 25 minute drive from the city center. San Pablo Airport is situated on the A4 motorway (E05) which connects Seville with Madrid and Cordoba. There is a half hourly bus service from 06:15 AM to 11:00 PM from the airport to the Santa Justa railway station (Seville, center). Bus ticket is €2.30. There are plenty of taxis at the airport. The fixed fair to the city center is about €20 (night tariff is about €23) (15 minute drive).
By train from Madrid: high-speed train (AVE), leaves every hour between 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM. It takes about two and a half hours to reach Seville. The cost of the one-way ticket Madrid - Seville is from $120 (Freedom or 2nd class) and $180 (Premier or 1st class - prices 2011). Altaria tickets are about 20% cheaper. Rail Europe is a convenient site to boot the tickets. Another useful resource for trains in Spain (offering excellent prices) is Renfe, a state-owned passenger and freight rail transport operator.
By bus from Madrid (the cheapest way to get to Seville): the round trip ticket is €17. The trip takes six hours. Buses leave 8 times a day from the bus station in C/Méndez Álvaro.
By car: Seville is connected to all major Spanish cities by excellent motorways and freeways that are up to European standards and toll-free except for the A-4 between Seville and Cádiz.
Getting around Seville
Seville has a great public transportation system. Local buses (Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla (TUSSAM)) run frequently and in their routes cover the majority of the city. You can purchase bus cards at any news stand. 10 single trips cards cost €1,50 (the card itself) + €6,40 for 10 trips without transfers (or €7 with). There are tourist cards for one (€5) or three (€10) days plus €1,50 (the card itself). A tram system is running from the San Sabastian Bus Station to the Plaza de Nueva but is expanding North and West into Triana.
Bikes are available throughout the city with special docking stations that allow you to take a bike and go wherever you need, then drop it at another docking station when you arrive. Bikes week pass costs €5, which allows the first half hour free. Subsequent hours are a euro each. Scooters are available for rent for €30 for a day and €120 for a week - a drivers license is not necessary.
Seville has metro system divided into three zones. Tickets are €1.35 for a single zone or €4.50 for all 3 zones and unlimited trips (valid only one day). The metro runs from 6:30 AM-11:00 PM on weekdays, and late departures are available on Fridays and Saturdays until 2 AM.
Note: all prices above are 2011.
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Best Time To Go
When it comes to the Holy Week in Seville, there is only one time to come - the week when Semana Santa takes place or, more precisely, the week leading up to Easter. What complicates planning is the fact that Easter is a moveable feast.
Originally, the date of Easter was set after the ecclesiastical full moon (also known as the Paschal Full Moon) following the northern hemisphere's spring equinox (which is according to Christian church is March 21). This decision was made by the First Council of Nicaea (a council of Christian bishops convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine I to attain consensus on important for the Christian Church issues) in 325 AD. The actual computations of the date are rather complex since they must determine the date of the ecclesiastical full moon (which is not the same as astronomical full moon!). The result is that Easter can take place between March 22 and April 25. Accordingly, the Holy Week moves in time from year to year.
Here is a calendar of Holy Weeks in Seville from 2011 to 2022:
- 2011: April 17-24
- 2012: April 1-8
- 2013: March 24-31
- 2014: April 13-20
- 2015: March 29 - April 5
- 2016: March 20-27
- 2017: April 9-16
- 2018: March 25 - April 1
- 2019: April 14-21
- 2020: April 5-12
- 2021: March 28 - April 4
- 2022: April 10-17
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Where To Stay
We recommend:
- Casa 1800 (Rodrigo Caro, 6, Casco Antiguo, 41004 Seville), four-star hotel, rates from €140 (prices are 2011) per room per night (VAT and service charge included). The hotel is located in a restored 19th century mansion next to Seville’s cathedral. There are 24 rooms in the hotel.
- AlmaSevilla - Hotel Palacio De Villapanes (Santiago, 31, Casco Antiguo, 41003 Seville), five-star hotel, rates from €170 per room per night (VAT and service charge included). The hotel is located just 400 yards from the Casa de Pilatos (an Andalusian palace and prominent landmark in Seville), and half a mile from Seville Cathedral. Hotel has 50 rooms.
- Apartamentos Puerta Catedral (Alemanes, 15, Casco Antiguo, 41004 Seville), three-star hotel, rates from €120 (VAT and service charge included). Puerta Catedral apartments and studios located in central Seville. Hotel has 10 rooms.
Research and book hotels in or near Seville, Spain
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Activities
Useful Visitor Information and Tips
Average temperature for March is 70.2°F (21.2 °C), for April: 72.9 °F (22.7°C). The average rainfall in March is 3.5 inches (90 mm), and in April is 2.2 inches (57 mm). As you can see, the Holy Week period in Seville coincides with very pleasant weather (in summer, especially in July and August, the temperature can be unbearable). Still, we would recommend to pack an umbrella and a jacket since despite good average weather, Seville can be cool and rainy during the Easter season.
Holy Week, or Semana Santa is a very popular event and Seville's biggest celebration of the year. People from all over Spain and the world come to enjoy the celebrations. The event attracts people regardless of the religious traditions. Because of influx of visitors to the city, make all your reservations well in advance. Also, be prepared for higher than usual prices in hotels and restaurants.
- La Madrugá, the early morning of Good Friday is the most important moment during the Holy Week when several largest brotherhoods (El Gran Poder, La Macarena, La Esperanza de Triana and Los Gitanos) as well as some smaller (El Calvario and El Silencio) set off for their processional penitence to the Seville Cathedral. Make a reservation for an apartment where you can watch the procession. You don’t want to miss this extraordinary spectacle.
- Arrange your schedule around the processions. The schedule of the processions can be found in newspapers, tourist literature or offices. To take the most of the event, equip yourself with a map. Combined with the schedule it will help you identify places and times to see the processions you are interested in. Keep in mind that processions consist of from several hundred to 3,000 participants and may last from several hours up the whole day. It may take from half an hour to more than an for a procession to clear one particular location on its route.
- Find a good observation point. It might be an apartment close to the Seville Cathedral.
- Watch processions at night. It looks magical, with candles and essences burning in the dark, and the music from the bands playing all over the city.
- Processions may be canceled (or interrupted) in case of rain for logistic reasons and to preserve sculptures and relics many of which are of great artistic value and considered to be masterpieces of spiritual, cultural and historic importance. Canceled or interrupted processions are usually not resumed.
- When in Seville, visit its Cathedral (Plaza Virgen de los Reyes), one of the biggest Gothic cathedrals in the world (build from 1401 to 1506). Entrance fee is €8.
- While planning your trip, explore the possibility of attending the Seville Spring Fair (Feria de Abril) usually taking place two weeks after Easter. There many ways to enjoy the life during this event which is akin a huge party.
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Additional Information
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