Semana Santa

Description

Among the liturgical traditions of the province of Jaén, Alcaudete stands out for still performing the so-called "Pasos Vivientes" (Living Stations), held entirely on Good Friday.

These Pasos are re-enactments performed by the Brotherhood of the Apostles (one of the oldest, possibly dating back to the early 19th century), depicting scenes from the Passion and Death of Jesus: El Prendimiento (The Arrest), Dimas and Gestas, La Venta de Jesús (The Betrayal of Jesus), El Paso de la Verónica, and the most unique and representative of our Holy Week, El Paso de Abraham. Although unrelated to the New Testament, this is the most acclaimed and popular re-enactment of the whole of Holy Week, performed in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in front of illustrious images and liturgical Pasos such as Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, the Virgen de los Dolores, and San Elías (a prophet, another Paso characteristic of Alcaudete for not belonging to the typical liturgical Pasos, but one of the most venerated images in the whole town, as well as one of the most artistically important, being the work of Pedro de Mena).

The town holds more than thirty Pasos throughout Holy Week, beginning with "LA SENTENCIA", performed on the Saturday before Palm Sunday (known in Alcaudete as "el sábado de sentencia"), in which the Roman squadrons of the Brotherhood of Jesús Nazareno de Alcaudete re-enact the sentencing of Jesus before Pontius Pilate.