The town of San Roque in Cadiz celebrates this Friday, May 29, the 43rd anniversary of the so-called ‘Miracle of Guadiaro’, an event that marked the religious and popular memory of the neighborhood. The commemorative acts include a Eucharist and the extraordinary procession of the Virgin of Sorrows, an image that, according to tradition, remained miraculously unharmed after the collapse of the parish church in 1983.
The event that gave rise to devotion
On May 29, 1983, the old parish church of Guadiaro hosted the First Communion of 52 children, accompanied by their families. At the end of the ceremony, the attendees left the building to celebrate the moment. Moments later, the roof of the church collapsed and the entire structure fell. Surprisingly, there were no casualties or injuries. Among the rubble, the faithful found the image of the Virgin of Sorrows and the sanctuary lamp intact, which was interpreted as a sign of divine protection.
Restoration and authorship of the image
In the last quarter of 2021, the Brotherhood of Santo Entierro and Dolorosa decided to restore the carving of the Virgin, commissioning the work to the Sila Restauración workshop. Restorer Marina Muñoz led an intervention that included an exhaustive historical analysis. Thanks to this work, the author of the image was identified: the religious image maker Antonio Eslava Rubio (1909-1983), whose authorship was unknown even to the parish priest. The study confirmed that both the Virgin of Sorrows and the Christ Yacente arrived in Guadiaro in 1970, coming from the Santo Entierro of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, being copies of the original images from that town.
Before the restoration, the carving had damage from woodworm, deterioration in the joints, and loss of paint layer. The intervention, completed on February 12, 2022, focused on cleaning and consolidating the original polychrome, without altering its historical appearance. The image was returned to worship with the approval of the faithful.
Festival program
The events this Friday will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the celebration of the Eucharist in the parish of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, headquarters of the Brotherhood of Santo Entierro and Dolorosa. Then, at 7:00 p.m., the procession of the Virgin of Sorrows will take place, which will run through the streets Francisco Amado, rotonda Ciro Gil, Tránsito, Posada, Nueva, Aguas Marinas —where neighbors will perform a petal shower—, Nueva, Carretera, Francisco Amado and end at the parish. As a peculiarity, the image will be carried by a mixed crew of men and women, unlike its procession on Holy Week. The procession will be accompanied by the communion children and the May Cross.
The Brotherhood organizes these acts with the collaboration of the San Roque City Council, which each year joins in the celebration of this endearing anniversary.
Original source: www.101tv.es (published on May 28, 2026)
