Catholics in Seville have been left distraught by the attempted restoration of an acclaimed 17th-century statue of the Virgin of Macarena that included the effigy being given extra-long eyelashes before having to be removed due to the scale of the backlash.
The 17th-century image of the Virgin of the Macarena, one of Spain’s most famous and beloved Catholic effigies – also known as Our Lady of Hope – has survived war and more, but a “botched” restoration has given it a look akin to someone who has “undergone plastic surgery”, according to its critics, leaving many of the city's faithful distraught, <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/article/95518d9a-f944-496d-b9f3-4319112d054a"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> <em>The Times</em>.
It notes that the outcry over the restoration has been so severe that the local <a href="https://www.hermandaddelamacarena.es/la-basilica/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><em>Hermandad</em> brotherhood</mark></a> responsible for looking after the statue in the Andualusian city in southern Spain is reported to have conducted two subsequent clandestine restorations in the space of 24 hours in an attempt to undo some of the damage.
On Saturday, 21 June, the brotherhood of <em>Basílica de la Macarena</em> unveiled the restored wooden polychrome figure, which is one of the most renowned among those paraded in the city’s Holy Week “Semana Santa” processions, in its basilica after five days of restoration works.
The altered face of the statue provoked protests, complaints and tears from many brothers, reports <em>The Times</em>. “This isn’t her; this isn’t the Virgin of Seville. It’s sad. My heart is about to burst out,” a member of the brotherhood told the Spanish <em>ABC</em> newspaper. “They should have left her as she was.”
Another member commented: “I came to see her because everyone in my family has been crying all day about it.”
The local <em>Diario de Sevilla</em> newspaper commented that although the face was cleaner, “what most caught the attention, besides the clarity of her face, were her eyelashes, significantly more abundant and which, to a certain extent, changed the expression of her face, somewhat modifying the characteristic gaze of the Virgin Mary”.
The brotherhood issued an apology for the restoration and distress caused, and by Saturday afternoon had closed the basilica for an hour, after which the Virgin emerged with shorter eyelashes, “after correcting an undesired effect”.
But members of the brotherhood were still unhappy. As a result, the basilica was closed again on Sunday morning, after which the statue emerged “closer to the appearance of Our Lady of Hope before the first restoration”, according to local media.
<em>The Times</em> notes that the restoration became Spain’s most discussed topic on social media, garnering more interest than a corruption scandal rocking the Spanish government and escalating tensions involving Iran, Israel and the US.<br><br>Sevillianos are known for their devotion to and passion around <em>Semana Santa</em>, whose accompanying events are a riot of pageantry, religious fervour and artistic flare.
In 2024, the official Semana Santa poster split opinion due to its portrayal of a hyper-realistic resurrected Christ set against a stark red background, with critics of the poster saying that it made Christ look effeminate and too sensual, with some suggesting that he had intentionally been made to look “gay” to advance a political or cultural agenda.
At the time, the poster set off a debate about how far artistic licence can go within the context of religious sentiment and tradition.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/controversial-semana-santa-poster-causes-holy-week-rift-in-seville/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: Controversial ‘Semana Santa’ poster causes Holy Week rift in Seville</em></strong></mark></a>
<em>Photo: The statue of the 'La Macarena' Virgin Mary at La Macarena Basilica before a Holy Thursday procession in Seville, Spain, 14 April 2022. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
