Real y Muy Ilustre Cofradía de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Santa María
Foundation year: 1982
Canonical See: Basilica of Santa Maria de Alicante
Images:
Our Lady of Soledad de Santa Maria • Anonymous
Shield:
We find in the center a handkerchief with the three nails of Christ surrounded by a crown of thorns alluding to the solitude of the Virgin Mary after the burial of Christ. All this encompassed by the Golden Fleece and the Royal Crown, alluding to the titles granted to the Brotherhood.
Dress:
It is traditional for this brotherhood to wear a white buttoned tunic, a mask and a blue velvet sash. The corporate shield of the brotherhood embroidered on the mask, It is complemented with white gloves, black shoes and a medal of the brotherhood.
History:
The origins of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Solitude, canonically erected in the Parish Church of Santa María de Alicante, today a Basilica, date back to the seventeenth century. In the 18th century, and coinciding with the works to expand the Parish, the Baptistery Chapel became, according to the Chronicle of D. Rafael Viravens, the titular chapel of the brotherhood, where its confreres watched "in it the corpses before an altar that was erected”, until in 1897 it was moved next to the main altar whose decoration was entrusted to the painter D. Lorenzo Pericás Ferrer.
After the suppression of the processions on Good Thursday and Friday at the end of the 18th century, the parish clergy obtained, in 1819, official permission to organize "a devout Procession representing the burial of Our Redeemer Jesus." After the austere passage of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Santa María, the Municipal Corporation, the Civil Governor, the chiefs and officers of the troops, and State officials attended. The military music band and the garrison forces of the plaza closed the processional procession.
Over the years, and coinciding with the decline of Holy Week in the seventies of the twentieth century, the brotherhood witnessed a time of recession.
After having given it for many years to accompany the image of the Holy Sepulcher in the procession of the Holy Burial, the image of Our Lady of Solitude, owned by Ms. Natividad Serrano Rovira, was donated to the Basilica of Santa María after her death in the year 1956.
After several years of absence, it was on June 29, 1982 when the brotherhood was reconstituted and a year later it was able to parade again through the streets of Alicante. Following the traditional custom, the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Solitude is in charge of closing the Official Procession of the Holy Burial. The Virgen de la Soledad is guarded by the City Council's Grand Gala Escort and the Custodial Knights, closing the Holy Burial procession by the Official Presidency led by the Bishop and the Municipal Corporation.
The brotherhood has the honor of having among its members Her Majesty The Queen of Spain Doña Sofía and Her Royal Highness The Infanta Doña Margarita de Borbón.
Musical contribution to Holy Week
- Soledad Alicantina • Funeral march. Music by José Garberí Serrano and lyrics (prayer) by José Serriama. Handwritten date on the score: January 1996.
- Maire de la Soledat d´Alacant • Francisco Grau Vegara. Solemn march. Work composed in honor of the Royal Brotherhood of Our Lady of Solitude in Alicante, the city where the Holy Burial processions on Good Friday have been held for nearly a quarter of a century. Madrid February 9, 2007. "Released on March 23, 2007 by B.S.M. of Alicante in the Cathedral of San Nicolás.
- Soledad de Santa María, Mother of Alicante • José Vicente Asensi. “Solemn march. To the Royal and Very Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Lady of Soledad de Santa María. Easter 2019”.
- Camino de Soledad • Bocina, by Juan Palacios and Enrique Muñoz
Web: Real y Muy Ilustre Cofradía de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Santa María