Shiny silver for Verónica in Orihuela

The brothers will no longer have to use the mythical Milan eraser to restore its neatness to the throne that Manuel Orrico made in the 50s for Verónica. Blackened by the passage of time and humidity, this work has just passed through some goldsmithing workshops in Torralba de Calatrava (Ciudad Real) and is already shining to dazzle the public and penitents in what will be this Tuesday the second time that El Perdón jumps to race separately from Ecce Homo.

The black vestas brotherhood is now approaching its centenary, which is expected in 2027. On the occasion of this anniversary, the president and former covered knight, Manuel Franco, hopes to have all the thrones in perfect condition. With Veronica, there are already three of his four thrones recently restored. The last one to undergo repairs was that of the titular image, Our Father Jesus of the Fall, and previously the passage of El Calvario. Only the throne of María Santísima del Perdón would remain to be plastered, who, on the other hand, has already had her silk-embroidered cloak restored by masters from Lorca. The restoration of the throne has required very meticulous work. Made up of a multitude of pieces, they had to be numbered one by one in an investment of hours and hours of expert work and an economic effort of many thousands of euros. The cleaning was carried out in several phases until it was finished with a protective varnish.

“We know that in a few years we will have to act on the same throne again,” Franco assumes, explaining that the work was carried out in the middle of the post-war period. “At that time there was a lot of shortage and the materials that were chosen were not exactly the best,” he summarizes. Without going any further, the president of El Perdón points out that, since 2005, the year in which he became president of the brotherhood, the throne has had no less than three interventions. The first of them by the same son of Manuel Orrico.

Irreplaceable tires

In the latter, the renovation, however, has been comprehensive. Among other things, the carriage and chassis that move the step have been replaced with a much lighter aluminum one. “Before, it had the chassis of a very heavy truck and the tires, if they punctured, had no possible replacement because they were no longer manufactured because they were so old,” says Franco.

Likewise, the step has gained in spectacularity by recovering the green lighting, the distinctive color of the brotherhood that carries this step within El Perdón. An intense tone that now once again illuminates the sides of the throne and the pedestal on which stands the image of Veronica and her cloth designed by her recently named favorite son, the caricaturist Manolo Ortuño. Also a brother of El Perdón, he remains closely linked to the brotherhood, to whom he still designs Christmas cards for him.

Thus, the departure of El Perdón this Holy Tuesday is expected at 7:30 p.m. Once again, in the absence of The Convocation, the four horns and heralds will make way on a day in which the probability of rain decreases compared to previous days.