The Easter celebrations in Salamanca are highly respected, and for good reason. They are the results of the hard work by members of the cofradías (religious guilds), institutions and local residents who, year after year, anxiously await this opportunity to celebrate their faith.
Religious passion and stone work perfectly well together and create the ideal setting for the vast number of religious processions that fill the city’s streets for ten days.
In 2003 the city’s Easter celebrations were declared Of International Tourist Interest. The rich, artistic imagery and the wonderful backdrop of monuments that play host to the Easter celebrations make it an extraordinary and singular event.
More than 9,000 members of sixteen religious guilds parade through the streets carrying some 50 different carvings representing the different stages of the Passion of Christ that date back to the 15th Century. The carvings are the work of renowned sculptors such as Carmona, Benlliure and Carnicero.
The polished, centuries-old cobbled streets appear to shine at night. Silhouetted against the skyline are the two cathedrals, the Clerecía, the plateresque facade of the University, the Baroque architecture of the Plaza Mayor, the San Esteban Convent and the millennial Roman Bridge.
Amongst the processions to take place during the Passion of Christ, of particular note and perhaps the most striking is the so-called Procession of the Christ of the Good Death (Procesión del Cristo de la Buena Muerte) at the San Esteban Church.
More information available from www.semanasantasalamanca.es
