Holy Monday in Marbella: The Leganitos neighborhood pays homage to Christ Bound to the Column

The Brotherhood of the Holy Christ of the True Cross, Holy Christ Tied to the Column, and Most Holy Virgin Blanca processed on this Holy Monday with the Sacred Titles through the neighborhood of Leganitos, featuring a procession that included the departure of two thrones and the participation of about 600 people including bearers, penitents, and musicians.

The departure of the Holy Christ Tied to the Column took place at 20:41 hours, a throne carried by 52 bearers who skillfully maneuvered around the column at the entrance of the Holy Christ's hermitage, in a square filled with faithful and to the sound of the Band of trumpets and drums of the Most Holy Christ of Redemption from Benalmádena, which played the Royal March.

The first saeta to the Christ was not long in coming, and the flamenco singer Armando Mateos sang one in the style of seguidillas this Holy Monday, preceding the departure of the Virgin Blanca. The procession moved down the upper neighborhood of the city, consisting of 190 penitents wrapped in green tunics and white capirotes and sashes.

Outside the hermitage of Holy Christ, an enthusiastic crowd gathered to watch the images of Christ and the Virgin pass by, one of the most emotional moments being the exit from the Holy Temple, due to the narrowness of the door and where there is also a column. This complicates the passage of the large thrones, where the bearers “have to step out and drag with wheels,” noted the elder brother, Antonio Martín.

Almost half an hour later, 48 throne bearers did the same to lift the throne of Most Holy Virgin Blanca, to the chime of the Musical Association La Lira de Pizarra. The procession was made up of 200 penitents dressed in white tunics and green capirotes and sashes.

This is the second year that Martín faces a Holy Week as Elder Brother, after being part of the brotherhood for four decades, a festivity he faces with “great excitement and always looking to the sky,” he pointed out. “I think this year is going to be better than the last because we are premiering the entire golden throne of Christ,” he valued on a night when the rain respected the celebration of Holy Week.

One of the most special moments of the procession was the descent down Ancha Street, as “it is a bit steep and from Plaza Puente Ronda you can see the whole procession coming down which is very beautiful,” explained the elder brother, where another saeta was sung.

The procession continued towards the Church of the Incarnation to perform the Station of Penance, Martín recalled that the Brotherhood of the Holy Christ is the only one that enters the holy temple during its route. Previously, the bearers maneuvered to parade the thrones between Remedios street and the corner with Virgen de los Dolores, one of the most beautiful scenes of Holy Week in Marbella, where the Sacred Titles meet the balcony of the Virgin. The descent through Aduar street is also noteworthy due to the narrowness of the road.

As new features this year, there is precisely the change of the procession route through some streets of Leganitos, which has been expanded, and this time it goes up from Atarazanas towards Salvador Rueda street and descends through San Francisco and Alcantarilla towards Aduar. “We had never passed by the Civil Guard door and we wanted to pass,” the elder brother mentioned, highlighting that it is “a better and more feasible route for the thrones.”

Also as a novelty, the throne of Christ is “completely gilded” with gold leaf in certain parts such as the corners or the buttresses. Likewise, the Virgin has worn a new military-style belt in this Holy Monday procession and carried a flower in her hand donated by a family, in addition to new flags.

“Let everything go well, may it not rain, and let us enjoy,” was Martín's wish hours before a processional cortege, which received praise and an ovation from a devoted public that gathered in the streets of the city center and the upper neighborhood.