Transfer of the Most Holy Christ of Mercy

Early morning of Passion Saturday

The recent but significant surge in popular devotion to the Holy Christ of Mercy led the Brotherhood of the Samaritan Woman to organize this small transfer from the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, where it is venerated, to the Holy Week Museum, from where it will participate in the Good Friday Penitential Procession. Beyond the transfer itself, the procession is conceived as a visit by the image to the Assumption neighborhood, the oldest in Cieza, along a route that seeks out very old and steeply accessed areas of the town. All the usual elements of processions (throne, music, flowers and lighting) are omitted to create an atmosphere of complete contemplation, in which anyone can approach the Christ and carry it for a stretch directly on their shoulders. Upon the image's arrival at the 'House of the Saints' it is enthroned on the float of The Lance.

Departure time: approximately 12:00 am (Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption).

Arrival time: approximately 2:00 am (Holy Week Museum).

Route: "Plaza Mayor", "Hoz", "Barco", "San Bartolomé", "Placeta del Santo", "La Parra", "Plaza del Comisario", "Rincón de los Pinos", "Pinos", "Bartolo Lopo", "Desamparados", "Cabezo Nueva", Corner of the "Cantón", "Buitragos", "Empedrá", "Barco" and "Cánovas del Castillo".

Order of procession: Members of the Samaritan Brotherhood in civilian clothes, four candle-bearing members, the image of the Holy Christ of Mercy carried directly on the shoulders of devotees and the general public.

Unique features and suggestions: Undoubtedly, the sheer austerity of this procession sets it apart from all others. The only sound is the bell that precedes the procession, announcing the arrival of the Christ figure, one of the masterpieces of its creator, José Antonio Hernández Navarro, along with the occasional recitation of the prayer written for the image. The possibility for any resident or visitor to approach and carry the image lends a popular flavor to the solemnity that pervades the procession. One must certainly wait for it along the narrow, steep streets of "Cabezo de la Era", untouched by other Cieza processions, which, in the silence and darkness of the night, offer a scene seemingly from another era. Over the years, the procession has become a tradition, despite the unusual day and hour. It is always attended by a large number of the most enthusiastic Cieza processionists, regardless of their brotherhood, giving the procession a familiar and welcoming character. The enthronement of the image, accompanied musically by the song dedicated to the Most Holy Christ of Mercy, is of intimate and emotional romanticism, a fitting end to the first -and long- processional night of Holy Week in Cieza.

Image by Enrique Centeno.
© Board of Passionate Brotherhoods of Cieza

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