HOLY WEDNESDAY
Ancient and Fervent Brotherhood and Confraternity of Penitents of Our Father Jesus of Health in His Three Falls, the Most Holy Christ of Health and Mary Most Holy of Sorrows. |
Historical Background
The Brotherhood of Sorrows was founded on 20 June 1744 at the former Monastery of Belén of the Discalced Mercedarians, with the Most Holy Christ of Health and Mary Most Holy of Sorrows as its principal sacred images. The present-day brotherhood maintains a direct link with this historic tradition of devotion.
These developments reflect a gradual process of consolidation in which parish life, religious worship and the brotherhood’s public presence have reinforced one another. Its current canonical seat is the Church of San Lucas, at Calle Ánimas de San Lucas, 13, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), which remains the focal point of its religious services and devotional activities.
The brotherhood makes its annual penitential procession on Holy Wednesday, as part of the Holy Week celebrations in Jerez. Its history also highlights the importance of its principal sacred images and the successive conservation and restoration efforts that have helped preserve its distinctive identity. The history of the brotherhood can therefore be understood as a combination of religious devotion, institutional continuity and adaptation to the changing circumstances of each period.
Sacred Images
Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Salud en sus Tres Caídas (Our Father Jesus of Health in His Three Falls) was created by Ramón Chaveli Carreres and depicts Christ falling for the third time while carrying the Cross on the way to Calvary. The brotherhood’s official title also includes the Santísimo Cristo de la Salud (Most Holy Christ of Health), an anonymous 18th-century sculpture traditionally attributed to Diego Roldán, and María Santísima de los Dolores (Mary Most Holy of Sorrows).
The brotherhood’s full official name is “Antigua y Fervorosa Hermandad y Cofradía de Nazarenos de Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Salud en sus Tres Caídas, Santísimo Cristo de la Salud y María Santísima de los Dolores”. This title brings together the different devotions that form the basis of the brotherhood’s religious life and reflects the particular role each plays within its spiritual identity.
The images of Christ and the Virgin Mary traditionally form the focus of contemplation on the Passion and the mysteries of Christ, while the brotherhood’s other sacred dedications complement its spiritual heritage. The artists responsible for these sculptures, their dates of creation, historical attributions and subsequent restorations help place them within Jerez’s rich tradition of religious processional sculpture and contribute to their distinctive artistic characte
General information
Home Church: Iglesia de San Lucas, calle Ánimas de San Lucas, 13, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Pictures / more info (Spanish)
