The Patron Saint of Cartagena, the Virgen de la Caridad, runs this Sunday in an extraordinary procession through the streets of the city center on the occasion of the solemn mass scheduled for noon at the Alfonso XII Pier to commemorate the third centenary of his arrival in the city , as well as the first of his canonical coronation. Her throne left shortly before ten in the morning from her basilica carried by port workers, who are being relieved by numerous groups of devotees and faithful, mainly from the city’s brotherhoods.
It is the seventh time that the beautiful Marian carving has gone out in procession since it arrived by sea in Cartagena, coming from Naples and commissioned by a brother from the Holy and Royal Hospital of Charity, to become an object of devotion for thousands of Cartagena residents throughout of the last three centuries. The Virgen de la Caridad only leaves her temple in very special commemorations for the Church or for the Hospital de Caridad, almost all of them in this century.
Dock Seating
The Local Police prepares traffic cuts from early morning at the entrances to the center and the seafront
The procession began its departure at half past nine in the morning from the Basilica of Charity. It was headed by the scripts, the Quillo drum band and the Court of Honor of the Virgin, with the banner at her head. Behind him was the Governing Board of the Santo y Real Hospital de Caridad, preceding the seminarians and the clergy, accompanied by his older brother, José Vera. The throne of the Virgin was already in Caridad street at ten o’clock in the morning to go towards the Dock through the streets of Duque, San Francisco, Campos, San Miguel, Aire, Cañón and Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Mass is at twelve noon. It is chaired by the Bishop of Cartagena, José Manuel Lorca Planes before an auditorium prepared so that two thousand people can follow it seated.
After the Eucharist, the procession will begin back to the basilica, where the Virgin hopes to arrive around three in the afternoon. The itinerary is: Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Calle Mayor, Puerta de Murcia, Santa Florentina, Parque and Serreta. The Local Police prepares traffic cuts from early in the morning until the end of the events at the Puertas de San José (former Plaza Bastarreche), Calle Ángel Bruna with Muralla de Tierra, Calle Real and Plaza de la Isla.
About a thousand bearers will carry the throne in relays along the two journeys. The Virgin will be escorted by agents of the Local Police. As is tradition, the artillerymen will also carry it in one of the sections. This is done in memory of Francisco Irsino from Cartagena, who donated the image to the Holy and Royal Hospital of Charity. Irsino, who was a brother of the institution, had served as an artilleryman in the Royal Galleys at the beginning of the 17th century.
The arrival of the Patron Saint occurred thirty years after the founding of the Hospital, in 1693, so this year also marks the 330th anniversary of that moment. In addition, the church where he is worshiped was inaugurated in 1893, so the now basilica commemorates its 130 years of history. The City Council has decorated part of the route of the Virgin.
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