Seven processions and a concert to experience the long-awaited Holy Week in Madrid

After two blank years due to the health crisis, the Holy Week celebrations return to the streets of Madrid.

The historic center of the capital is filled with the public to enjoy the concerts, the saetas and the processions typical of these dates.

The presence of the brothers in their colorful costumes, the sound of trumpets and drums, the smell of wax and the images of the steps of great historical and artistic value once again mark the atmosphere of

.

From April 10 to 17, in addition to the processions that will tour the capital, other parallel cultural events will be held that include concerts of sacred and classical music, a cycle of saetas that will host the Lope de Vega House Museum and the Courtyard of the Theater of the Abbey and a tamborrada as the final touch of the celebrations in the Plaza Mayor (see the complete program here).

and a concert that you cannot miss if you want to live Holy Week in Madrid to the fullest.

Palm Sunday

Procession of La Borriquita.

The first entourage to tour the streets of Madrid is that of

, which leaves on Sunday, April 10 (4:00 p.m.) from the Almudena Cathedral (Bailén, 10) to its headquarters in the Church of San Ildefonso (San Ildefonso Square).

The images of Our Father Jesus of Love, Saint John the Evangelist and Mary Most Holy of the Annunciation, accompanied by a band of bugles and drums, represent the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Arenal Street, San Martín Square, Callao Square, Carmen Street, Tres Cruces Street or Gran Vía are part of the itinerary.

That same afternoon (7:00 p.m.) the Brotherhood of Nazarenes of the Holy Christ of Faith and Forgiveness and Mary Most Holy Immaculate leaves, known as the

because it was founded in 1983 by a group of university students gathered in the crypt of the Pontifical Basilica of Saint Michael.

From there the procession begins and ends with the images of the Christ of Faith and Forgiveness (carving of the crucified Christ, the work of Luis Salvador Carmona from the 18th century), of the Immaculate Mary Mother of the Church and of the Archangel Saint Michael.

The itinerary runs through the streets of Madrid de los Austrias (Plaza de la Villa, Calle San Nicolás, Calle Noblejas, Plaza de Ramales, Plaza de Santiago, Calle de la Independencia...).

Christ of Faith and Forgiveness, of the Brotherhood of Students.

Holy Thursday

Three important brotherhoods process this day at almost the same time.

The brotherhood and brotherhood of

is one of the most popular outside the center and it left its headquarters for the first time, in the Calasancio College (General Díaz Porlier, 58), in 1945. The 180 cm size carved in wood of Nogal, the work of Mariano Benlliure in 1994, is the only image in Madrid that goes out in procession twice during Holy Week (also on Good Friday).

Start your tour at 7:00 p.m.

and crosses the main streets of the Barrio de Salamanca (José Ortega y Gasset, Conde de Peñalver, Juan Bravo, Príncipe de Vergara...) until returning to school.

At 7 p.m.

Jesus El Pobre

one of the oldest brotherhoods (its origin dates back to 1940) and with greater devotion of the capital.

The parade through Madrid de los Austrias is headed by the Musical Group of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno

(Sevillian style), which performs the well-known processional march

in the Plaza de la Villa.

Step of the Virgin of the Macarena.

Another important event on this day is the procession of

(at 8:00 p.m.), of the Sevillian-inspired brotherhoods that venerate these two images of great devotion in Seville.

They leave from the Royal Collegiate Church of San Isidro (Toledo, 37) and, among others, go through the streets of Duque de Rivas, Concepción Jerónima, Segovia la Nueva square, Villa square, Señores de Luzón street, Santiago street , the Plaza Mayor..., until returning to the collegiate church of San Isidro.

Holy Friday

Two of the most popular processions in the capital also coincide on this day: that of

and that of Cristo de los Alabarderos.

The first leaves from the Basilica of Jesús de Medinaceli (Plaza de Jesús, 2) at 7:00 p.m.

The carving, a Nazarene Christ from the beginning of the 17th century, is one of the images that arouses the greatest devotion in Madrid and the throne that carries it weighs 3.5 tons and reaches four meters in height.

Plaza de las Cortes, Carrera de San Jerónimo, Plaza de Canalejas, Calle Sevilla, Calle Alcalá or Plaza de Cibeles are some of the routes through which this throne passes.

The brotherhood of

, made up of officers of the Royal Guard, has its headquarters in the

the former church of El Sacramento (Sacramento, 11), and carries the carving of the crucified

( image of Felipe Torres Villarejo from 2007) through the Puerta del Príncipe of the Royal Palace (7:00 p.m.).

From there it goes through Plaza de Oriente, Calle Bailén, Calle Mayor, Plaza de la Villa and Calle Sacramento, among others, until it reaches the Cathedral Church of the Armed Forces.

It is one of the most colorful processions due to the colorful uniforms of the brothers, who parade to the rhythm of fifes and drums played by the Music Unit of the Royal Guard.

Christ of the Halberdiers.

Concert and drumming

Another of the classics of Holy Week is the

(Arenal, 13), which this year celebrates its 15th edition.

On Monday, April 11, at 6:30 p.m., Maestro Carlos Paterson, organ professor at the Valencia Superior Conservatory, will conduct a recital in which works by César Franck, Alexander Guilmant, Max Reger, Olivier Messiaen and Charles Marie will be performed. Widor.

More information here.

On Easter Sunday (April 17), at 12 noon, the

.

There, after a parade that starts at the Carboneras Monastery in Plaza Conde de Miranda, the drum sections of the Jesús de la Soledad Brotherhood before the Denials of San Pedro and San Lamberto de Zaragoza and that of the Royal and Illustrious Congregation de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and Desamparo de Madrid will put an end to the Holy Week celebrations with their thunderous beating of drums.

Gastronomy

After the solemn moments of the processions, you have to recharge your batteries, and what better way to do it than trying the typical products of Madrid and Easter.

You can start with a

.

Those of La Campana (Botoneras, 6) and Los Galayos (Botoneras, 6) are famous.

If you want something more avant-garde, at La Terraza del Santo Domingo (San Bernardo, 1) they offer a version with bao bread and squid rings with red chilli ali oli.

Bao bread with squid tails and red chili ali oli from the Terrace of Santo Domingo.

For those who prefer something sweet,

is the traditional snack par excellence for these dates.

Always faithful to the recipe of a lifetime, the centennial store La Mallorquina sells this sweet (3 euros each) in any of its pastry shops (Puerta del Sol, 8; Velázquez, 39; Glorieta de Toledo and Moraleja Green).

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