MACARENA

Since 1949, this church has housed one of the most venerated religious images by Sevillians, the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena, a carving that previously spent almost three centuries in the parish church of San Gil Abad, until it was burnt down on 18 July 1936.

Universally known as “la Macarena”, as it is found in the district of the same name, the truth is that all Sevillians feel great devotion for this Virgin.

Did you know? “The Virgin of the Macarena arrived in Seville by “ricochet”, as legend claims that a merchant who arrived from Italy and was bound for the New World, was about to embark on a ship docked in our Port of Seville, when he suddenly felt unwell and was taken to the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas. There the merchant, who was suffering from a serious illness of the time, was cared for by the nuns of the hospital until he died.

When the family of the dead man could not be found, his belongings were handed over to the nuns. His only possession was a small bag in which, when opened by the nuns, they found the bust of a beautiful Virgin, which would become well known in the neighbourhood, due to its dedication and the district where it was located: Ntra. Sra. de la Esperanza Macarena.

It is said that this merchant travelled to the New World with the stated objective of selling this sublime bust, and that miraculously, he stayed in Seville.”