The Brotherhood of the Macarena wants to stop as soon as possible the lit controversy generated around the failed restoration and the two subsequent interventions in less than 24 hours made over its Virgin, an icon in the city of Seville. The same Tuesday, those responsible for the brotherhood met with executives of the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH) to specify their collaboration in the preparation of the report to analyze the status of the stature of the seventeenth century, according to sources of the Brotherhood to this newspaper.
Meanwhile, the Virgin has returned to her traditional dressing room, after having been from the weekend and until Tuesday exposed in veneration so that the public could observe the result of the work of “conservation and maintenance”, as the brotherhood continues to refer to the intervention that has transformed the expression of their face. The consulted sources deny that another touch -up has been carried out throughout Tuesday night and they need that the only thing that has varied is the change of touched. They explain that the process of rising from the altar was done in the presence of the brothers and that there were no IAPH technicians present at that time.
The Brotherhood has decided to go to this entity, dependent on the Junta de Andalucía, so that it proclaimed the latest interventions that have been carried out on the size and supervises the next steps to follow, a decision that has been applauded by experts as the best way to offer guarantees and transparency especially the process. In addition to the official report that will prepare the IAPH, two other prestigious conservatives, the restorer of the Museum of Fine Arts, Fuensanta de la Paz, and Pedro Manzano, have also been able to analyze the image after the three touch -ups and have offered their assessment to those responsible for the brotherhood.
Both were in the Basilica during the early hours of Monday to carry out a visual evaluation of the Virgin, although sources of the Brotherhood specify that the information they transferred cannot be considered an official document because their conclusions and the valuation of the actions that would have to be undertaken in the future was practically on-site. Manzano has confirmed to this newspaper that he was able to observe the image, but dressed and put on the altar and that he hopes to receive an official order from those responsible for the brotherhood to be able to make a diagnostic report on the status of the size, although nothing has been specified yet.
The desire of all the brothers is that the image recover its usual expression, completely transformed after the interventions to which it has been subjected in recent weeks.
The most radical was made by Professor Francisco Arquillo – responsible for the restoration of the Virgin in 1978 and the last modification of a certain draft of 2012 – also in charge of drafting the report on the status of conservation of the size, entrusted in May 2024. In that document the review of the eyelashes and the superficial cleaning of the head and hands was collected, maintaining the patina produced by the natural effect of the time of time The note published by the Brotherhood in the early hours of Monday. Arquillo determined that for that operation they would only be necessary for four days. The result caused the indignation of devotees. The eyelashes, excessively long, had completely modified the gaze of their face, and cleaning had eliminated the characteristic reddish varnish that surrounded the eyes, exposing the original polychromy.
To stop the furibly criticisms that overflowed social networks and polarized the comments of all devotees who left the basilica, the brotherhood closed the temple for a few hours at noon on Saturday and changed the eyelashes to the Virgin. This retouching increased rage because nothing had changed on his face and demonstrated improvisation by the brotherhood. During the night, the brotherhood called a young imaginer who returned the reddish color to the contour of the macarena’s eyes, bringing her closer to the previous image.
Even so, this new intervention, with precipitation and nocturnality and of which the brotherhood did not give any explanation, further ignited the moods of the brothers and faithful that on Monday concentrated at the gates of the Basilica to transfer that outrage to the Government Board of the Brotherhood, which was gathered at the time to address the crisis. That conclave lasted nine hours and concluded with the IAPH assignment of the report on the situation of the stature and resignations of the main responsible for the heritage of the Brotherhood, the butler and the prioste.
Resignations that have not fully calmed the spirits, at a time when the brotherhood is immersed in an electoral process to choose a new older brother. Therefore, the current Governing Board wants to close as soon as possible the nefarious chapter of the restoration that has completely changed the look of its owner. When the reports are transferred to the brothers to vote for the next steps to follow to try to recover the image of the Virgin who is recorded in the prints and tiles of the streets of Seville but, above all, nest in the heart and retina of their devotees.