The Descent

Brotherhood of the Most Holy Christ of the Descent, Holy Mary of Refuge, Saint John the Evangelist, and Our Lady of the Good End.

History

Brotherhood founded in the parish of Campo de la Verdad in 1937, making its first processional outing on Holy Thursday the following year. It was not until 1985 that the image of the Virgin of the Good End was incorporated.

Temple

Parish of Saint Joseph and the Holy Spirit. The church in the neighborhood of Campo de la Verdad has three naves separated by columns, some of which originate from the former Great Mosque of the city, with their capitals standing out. Currently, the large Baroque altarpiece is notable, along with several sculptural pieces placed in its side altars, as well as the old “Guiona Cross” which is preserved year-round in this temple.

The Images

Most Holy Christ of the Descent

The image of the Lord was made in 1937 by the Valencian sculptor Amadeo Ruiz Olmos, making its first processional outing two years later.

It is the central figure of a sculptural group representing the moment Jesus is taken down from the Cross by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, members of the Sanhedrin, positioned on either side of the Lord. The image is made of solid wood, with the torso slightly arched to the right, causing the left arm to hang limp while the right remains nailed to the cross, as do the feet.

He wears a simple loincloth engraved with the artist’s name and the year the work was completed. Originally, the Cross was flat, but in 1944 it was replaced with a tree-shaped cross made by the same Ruiz Olmos and, in 2001, by the current one, also tree-shaped, created by José Carlos Rubio Valverde. The image was restored in 1992 by Miguel Ángel González Jurado.

At the base of the scene are five additional figures, including a sorrowful Virgin, Holy Mary of Refuge, accompanied by Saint John the Evangelist. At the opposite end are the three Marys: Saint Mary Magdalene, Mary of Salome, and Mary of Cleophas. All of these images, along with those of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, were crafted by the Cordoban sculptor Miguel González Jurado.

Our Lady of the Good End

The image of Our Lady of the Good End is the work of the Seville-based artist Manuel Hernández León, who sculpted both the hands and the face around 1979. Shortly after, the Morillo Brothers created the current hands.

The Virgin has a dark complexion, with a distant, pain-filled gaze, and six tears on her face. She wears a silver-gilt crown by Alfonso Luque Morales, debuted in 1987.

Nazareno Habit

White tunic, red face cover and sash. Those in official roles wear a white cape with red lining.

Notable Insignias

• Processional cross and lanterns in alpaca silver, made by Alfonso Luque.
• Old banner embroidered in gold by the Filipense Mothers (1946).
• Brotherhood banner designed by Fray Ricardo and embroidered by Piedad Muñoz (1996).