Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses has called for Catholics in the city of Seville to unite and forgive following the recent restoration of a famous statue of the Virgin Mary, which caused upset and consternation among many when it was unveiled on 21 June.
Some Catholics in the Andalusian city have been left distraught by the restoration of an acclaimed 17th-century statue of the Virgin of Macarena, known locally as <em>La Macarena</em>, that included the effigy being given extra-long eyelashes. Due to the scale of the backlash, the statue was quickly removed and underwent two subsequent restorations in the space of 24 hours in an attempt to placate its critics – but the distress and upset continued.
Archbishop Saiz Meneses, who is the archbishop of Seville, put out a message on <em>X</em> in which, writing in Spanish, he cited the English poet Alexander Pope, saying that “to err is human, to forgive divine, to rectify is of the wise".
He added: “Mary Most Holy of Hope Macarena wants us united, as brothers and sisters, as her children, looking to the future, walking in truth and goodness."
The Virgin of Macarena, which depicts a sorrowful-looking Virgin Mary – also known as Our Lady of Hope of Macarena – is one of Spain’s most famous and beloved Catholic effigies. It has survived war and more, but the restoration gave 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>.
The newly restored Marian statue featured longer eyelashes that many complained altered Mary’s previously sorrowful expression to one of "consternation", <a href="https://www.osvnews.com/spain-archbishop-calls-for-unity-following-outcry-over-botched-restoration-of-marian-statue/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a> <em>OSV News</em>.
It notes that the statue’s once flushed red face also appeared noticeably paler, further upsetting some faithful after they visited the Basilica of the Macarena to see the restoration firsthand. While changes were immediately made to the statue after the initial outcry, to try to rectify the issue, some devotees believed the damage was beyond repair.
Much of the anger over the restoration was directed at the Confraternity of the Macarena, which is responsible for looking after the statue. Confraternities, also known as brotherhoods or fraternities, are voluntary associations of laypeople that promote specific works of Christian charity or piety within their communities.
Following the backlash, <em>OSV News</em> reports, the confraternity tweeted a statement on June 21 asking for forgiveness and stating that the “unintended aesthetic alteration” caused by the eyelashes and facial colour had been corrected.
But some Sevillianos remained angry at the confraternity for ordering the restoration in the first place, with many feeling that the restoration work was unnecessary and also not for the Confraternity of the Macarena to decide to do.
“The Virgin of La Macarena belongs to the people of Seville, not to the confraternity," Juan Manuel Miñarro, a retired professor of sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Seville, told the <em>El País </em>newspaper<em>.</em> "She is not a personal possession, and that’s why it’s very delicate to touch anything that affects the image’s aesthetics."
The complaints prompted a second statement from the Confraternity's governing board on 24 June, again asking forgiveness “for the moral and devotional harm” caused by the restoration work, <em>OSV News</em> reports. The board noted that it is consulting additional specialists to examine the statue and that the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage will oversee the review.
The board also stated that its steward and head sacristan, who were charged with the statue’s care, had submitted their resignations, which will be “effective upon resolution of this incident".
Sculpted by an unknown artist in the 17th century, the statue is known as the patron saint of matadors and is highly venerated in Seville. The Marian statue has five teardrops on the Virgin's face, and is carried every year on Good Friday as part of the city's famous <em>Semana Santa</em> processions.
<em>OSV News</em> notes that devotion to La Macarena is so great that in 1963, Pope St. John XXIII issued a papal bull granting a request by the Catholic Church of Seville to hold a canonical coronation ceremony in which a crown of gold was placed on the statue.
<a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/catholics-in-seville-reduced-to-tears-by-botched-virgin-mary-restoration/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><strong><em>RELATED: Catholics in Seville reduced to tears by botched Virgin Mary restoration</em></strong></mark></a>
<em>Photo: The statue of the Virgin of Macarena before its restoration (screenshot from semana-santa.org).</em>
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