PALM SUNDAY
| Illustrious and Lasallian Brotherhood and Confraternity of Penitents of Christ the King in His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Our Lady of the Star and Saint John Baptist de La Salle. |
Historical Background
The brotherhood has a strong Lasallian identity and developed around the School of La Salle-San José. The image of Christ the King was blessed in 1950 and made its first procession in 1951. The acquisition of the image of Our Lady of the Star in 1962 helped establish the brotherhood’s present-day identity. The Virgin made her first procession in 1969.
Its current canonical seat is La Salle San José School, at Calle Porvera, 21, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz), where it continues to play an active role in the religious life of the local community.
The brotherhood makes its annual penitential procession on Palm Sunday, forming part of Jerez’s traditional Holy Week celebrations. Its foundation and subsequent development, the blessing of new sacred images and successive restorations reflect different stages in an unbroken tradition of devotion. Together, these milestones illustrate the brotherhood’s evolution from its origins to the present day, while preserving the sacred dedications that remain at the heart of its religious identity.
Sacred Images and Patron Saints
The image of Cristo Rey (Christ the King) was created by Tomás Chaveli Gibert and blessed on 19 March 1950. The image of Nuestra Señora de la Estrella (Our Lady of the Star) is a Dolorosa, or Sorrowful Virgin, created by Sebastián Santos Rojas. It was acquired and blessed in 1962.
The brotherhood also honours Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, reflecting its close ties with the Lasallian educational tradition.
The brotherhood’s full official name is “Ilustre y Lasaliana Hermandad y Cofradía de Nazarenos de Cristo Rey en su Entrada Triunfal en Jerusalén, Nuestra Señora de la Estrella y San Juan Bautista de La Salle”. Its principal sacred images embody the brotherhood’s central devotions and provide the religious focus of both its regular worship and its public processions. Where a sculptural group depicting a scene from the Passion of Christ, is present, the image of Jesus is accompanied by other figures that bring the Gospel episode to life. In simpler compositions, attention is focused more directly on the expression and symbolism of the principal image. The image of the Virgin Mary, where present, conveys the sorrowful, maternal or glorious character associated with her particular dedication, while the brotherhood’s other patron saints and sacred figures enrich the spiritual significance of the ensemble.
General information
Home Church: La Salle San José School, at Calle Porvera, 21, 11403 Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz)
Website: http://www.laborriquita.es/
Pictures / More info (Spanish)
