The Holy Sepulchre

History

It revives the ancient brotherhood of the Immaculate Conception and that of the Holy Sepulchre, one founded in the 15th century by the city’s public scribes and the other in the 16th century in the Convent of Carmen at Puerta Nueva. By 1837, they appear to have moved to the Church of the Compañía, experiencing a revival in the 1930s and eventually being dissolved in 1973. A year later, a group of young people founded the current version of the brotherhood. Since 1986, it has carried out its Penitential Station inside the Holy Cathedral Church, with the Virgin of Solace joining the procession in 1995.

Temple

Parish of El Salvador and Saint Dominic of Silos (Compañía). With earlier origins, today it corresponds to the typical church model prescribed by the Council of Trent as exemplary in the Baroque period. A Jesuit temple, it surprises with its vast yet elegant dimensions, especially the impressive altarpiece of the main altar carved by Teodosio Sánchez de Rueda in 1721—a jewel of Cordoban Baroque, despite having been mutilated several times due to renovations and restorations.

The Images

Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Holy Sepulchre

The image of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Holy Sepulchre is an anonymous work from the early 17th century. Initially, the brotherhood intended to commission the Sevillian sculptor Ortega Bru to create the main image, but they ultimately adopted the ancient recumbent Christ venerated in the Church of El Salvador. It is a dead crucified Christ with articulated arms that, for unknown reasons, were fixed. Due to its characteristics, it is believed to be the work of a local artist with extensive knowledge of the Sevillian school. His face, stripped of the crown of thorns and without rays, is slightly turned to the right, with closed eyes, serene, lying down. Drops of blood fall towards the eyes, as if the body were vertical—clearly a crucified figure adapted to a recumbent form. His cheekbones are very pronounced, as are his slightly arched eyebrows. The beard is sculpted in wavy strands, showing great symmetry. The Lord currently processes in a rosewood urn, polychromed in mahogany. It is the work of Rafael Juliá Villaplana and was donated by the City Council at the end of the 19th century. The urn, supported by four onion-shaped legs, has glass panels on all four sides; the lid, pyramid-shaped and also glass, is topped with a silver cross with a coiled serpent.

Our Lady of Solace in Her Solitude

The image of Our Lady of Solace in Her Solitude is the work of the Sevillian sculptor Luis Álvarez Duarte, created around 1977. It is a candlestick image, made to be dressed, with only the hands and face carved. With a downward, introspective gaze, her face radiates solemnity. Her eyes, reddened from tears and restrained sorrow, release several tears that caress her beautiful face. Two other images process alongside her, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Mary Magdalene. Both were initially commissioned from Álvarez Duarte, but due to delays, Miguel Ángel González Jurado created them in 1995. Both are also dressed images.

Nazarene Habit

Black robe with train and face covering, with abacá belt.

Notable Insignias

• Guide Cross by Zamorano, with 18th-century pole and embroidery on the sleeve.
• Brotherhood banner with embroidery by Piedad Muñoz on purple velvet (1985).
• Simpecado made by Francisco Pérez Artes in 1998 with 18th-century embroidery and an oil painting by Luis López de Pereda on blue velvet.