Seville online ES - Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Seville - Andalusia, Spain.

Holy Week in Seville, Spain

Semana Santa (holy week - easter) has been one of the most important celebrations in Seville for centuries. It may have it's origin as far back as the 14th century!

During holy week the Cofradías (Brotherhoods or Fraternities) process in penitence through the, many narrow, streets of the city, from their church to the Cathedral for a sacred ritual and back, taking the shortest possible route, as decreed in the rule of the ordinances in the 17th century. In these processions they carry floats with the representations of Christ and Mary.

Accommodation for Holy Week

You should book your hotel or apartment for holy week in Seville with more than three months in advance to make sure you find lodging to your liking.

Also, it's worth to plan a stay during the beginning of the week, since from thursday on it is holiday in Spain and the city gets (over)crowded. The chances to find flights, good lodging and enjoy better views over the processions and the city itself are considerably higher from sunday to wednesday.

Holy week/Semana Santa 
2013: March 24 - 31

April fair - Feria de Abril
2013: April 15 - 21

Holy week: day by day

Starting on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), and ending on Domingo de Resurrección (Easter Sunday), there are almost 60 brotherhoods that pay the religious visit to the Cathedral of Seville.

Routes of the floats:

Domingo de ramos
Lunes Santo
Martes Santo
Miércoles Santo
Jueves Santo
Madrugá
Viernes Santo
Sábado Santo
Domingo de Resurrección

Many sevillians wait unpatiently for this yearly event, as they do for the April fair - 2012: April 23 - 29

Processions and floats

Most brotherhoods carry two floats:

a float with a Christ, representing the distinct stages of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

and a float with a Dolorosa (Mary the Virgin in pain) under a canopy.

Some brotherhoods even carry three floats, like the so-called: El Amor, La Cena, San Benito, or la Trinidad, others have just one like Santa Marta, La Quinta Angustia, la Soledad de San Buenaventura, or la Soledad de San Lorenzo.

Resuming, in the eight days of Semana Santa, a total of almost 60 brotherhoods, carry their 116 floats from their church to the Cathedral and back, in the company of around 60,000 brothers participating in their different appearances:

• Nazarenos (Nazarenes)
• Penitents
• Costaleros (float carriers)
• Acolytes

The number of spectators may rise up to the impressing number of one million people during the most important moments of Semana Santa for the sevillians.

The early morning of Good Friday which is when the brotherhoods of el Silencio, el Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, La Esperanza de Triana and los Gitanos set off for their processional penitence to the Cathedral of Seville.

Nazarenes and Penitents

Floats with a Christ

Floats with a Virgin