PASO DE LA SANTÍSIMA VIRGEN DE LA PIEDAD

HISTORICAL REVIEW

During brief periods of time in the 40’s, 60’s and 70’s, the Virgen de la Piedad, property of the family Vicente-Toda, walked in the processions of the Holy Burial and of the Calvary in the bosom of different Brotherhoods, as the Magdalena, the Preciosísima Sangre and the Virgen del Primer Dolor. It is in 1989, after fifteen years without walking, when the Brotherhood Jesús Prendido gets the family’s authorisation in order to the Santísima Virgen de la Piedad walks in the procession of the Holy Burial on Good Friday in the evening, fact which would be made in 2001.
The Brotherhood Jesús Prendido asked several times to the Central Board of Brotherhoods of Easter from Jumilla the foundation of the Brotherhood La Santísima Virgen de la Piedad, license which was not made until december 1995, being the Confraternity’s President Pedro García Simón.
In 2002 the family Vicente-Toda decides not to cede any more its image to the Brotherhood, reason that hampers the Brotherhood to take part in the parades of that year. In 2003 and 2004 the Brotherhood will walk with a new image of its property made by José Ángel Palacios. In 2005 the image Santísima virgen de la Piedad is definitely replaced by a carving of the Murcian young sculptor Arturo Serra Gómez.

CANONICAL HEADQUARTERS

Canonically erected in the Santiago’s Main Church.

DISTINGUISHED INSIGNIAS

Pennats: two ancient pennants or little standards of the brotherhood Virgen del Rosario are being restored for taking part in the procession of the Holy Burial together with the Santísima Virgen de la Piedad. It is about two pennants embroidered in gold thread on white fabrics with the Mary’s logo as central element.
Music: the image is accompanied by a classic music chamber group, with predominance of violins and violas. The processional march ‘Virgen de la Piedad’ is a work by Silvio Crespo from Jumilla.
Light: nazarenes carry illuminated torches of wax in purple colour which provide a very characteristic ambience.

ICONOGRAPHY

It represents the Virgen María with young features, standing and her back lightly leaned on the cross which, behind her, it appears already empty. She has the glance low, short hair, wears a black tunic and her arms are folded on her breast for holding with her hands a long white shroud with rests of blood which she seems to cling to it and which not reach to cover the feet. The shroud acts as a metaphor of the Son’s body that the Mother cling to her chest, it is the shroud which changes this Solitude in a true Symbolic Pieta. The Virgen’s face transmits not the poignancy of sorrow not the sweetness of the tenderness but a resignation before the consummate fact with the eyes lost in past.

AUTHOR

The carving is owed to the gouge of the Murcian sculptor Arturo Serra Gómez, born in 1970 and graduated in Fine Arts by the San Carlos Fine Arts Faculty from Valencia.

THRONE

The throne is the result of recovering all the silversmithing from the ancient throne of Jesús Prendido that was made by the Valencian silversmith Mr José David Orrico, recovering and putting in value a part of the Confraternity’s history. The new throne is composed of table and base where the golden goldsmithing is placed on bottom of purple velvet, illuminated by four golden candelabra with six arms and new silversmithing details which have been added for completing and enriching the andas. The throne was realised in the workshop “Bronces Riopar” in 2008.