Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena (Lucena Association of Brotherhoods)
Annual events
Since its foundation in 1944, the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena has not only served as the coordinating body for Lucena’s Passion and Glory brotherhoods, but also taken on the mission of keeping the confraternity tradition alive throughout the entire year. To this end, it organizes a regular calendar of events that shape the religious, cultural, and social life of the city, constituting true milestones of participation and fellowship among brotherhoods, confraternity members, and devotees.
One of the most awaited moments of Lent is the presentation of the official Holy Week poster, which each year offers a new artistic interpretation of Holy Week in Lucena. Beyond its aesthetic value, the poster is a symbol that announces and calls people together, awakening the anticipation of confraternity members and the general public alike as the great days approach. Alongside the presentation of this poster and the recognition of the artist –whose work is selected through a public competition– the winner of the “Detalle de Pasión” photography competition is also honoured, as the image is used to illustrate the Agrupación’s announcements throughout the current year. The Sociedad Didáctico Musical Banda de Música de Lucena (Lucena Music Society Band) usually takes part in this event.
Presentation of the 2025 Holy Week Poster –Archive of the Agrupación de Cofradías
Holy Week Proclamation 2025 – Archive of the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena
Cofrade Award Ceremony 2025 – Archive of the Agrupación de Cofradías
Another of the events that brings together brotherhoods members and devotees every Lent is the presentation of theofficial Holy Week publications: the long-stablished Torralbo magazine —founded in 1982 and now regarded as a leading informative and educational source— and the Official Holy Week Programme, which details the religious worships, processions, and events, becoming an essential guide for both locals and visitors alike. Alongside both publications, the printed edition of the previous year’s Holy Week Proclamation is also presented, distributed by the Agrupación de Cofradías since 1989. The Hermandad de Tambores de Lucena (Brotherhood of Drummers of Lucena) usually takes part in this event.
For several decades now, the Holy Week poster of Lucena has been chosen through a competition held specifically for this purpose, with the prize being awarded to the winner during the solemn presentation ceremony of the artwork. In addition, the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena organises a second competition to select the winning work for ‘Detalle de Pasión’, an artwork which subsequently is used to announce the institution’s official events during the current Holy Week.
Particular importance is also given to the Holy Week Proclamation, which takes place on Passion Saturday. Since 1953, this event has become established as an occasion of deep emotion and significant cultural importance Delivered since 1983 in the Major Church of St. Matthew the Apostle, with the participation of the Sociedad Didáctico Musical Banda de Música de Lucena, the proclamation is not merely a speech, but a testimony of faith –a poetic and heartfelt exaltation of Holy Week in Lucena that definitively opens the doors to the Great Week. Prior to this event, the Manolo Ramírez Brotherhood Award is presented, established in 1982 in memory of the man regarded as Lucena’s “first exemplary confraternity member”. This award recognises every year those who stand out for their continued dedication to the world of religious brotherhoods, serving as a public tribute to the commitment and selfless devotion that sustain Holy Week.
The Agrupación’s annual calendar also includes liturgical occasions of great significance. TheMisa del Cofrade (Confraternity Mass), celebrated during Lent, brings together all the brotherhoods around the altar and symbolises the unity of the confraternity community. It is held in the Major Parish Church of St. Matthew the Apostle and presided over by the Adviser Priest and Espiscopal Vicar of the Campiña.
Around the month of September, the Mass for the Opening of the Confraternity Year is celebrated, marking the beginning of a new year of life and commitment within the brotherhoods. Every year, a different church in Lucena is chosen to host this celebration.
Finally, every8 December, the Agrupación honours its Patroness, theInmaculada Concepción (Immaculate Conception) — the institution’s titular image—, with a Solemn Mass and accompanying acts, including the praying of the Holy Rosary, which highlight the institution’s spiritual dimension and its deep-rooted Marian devotion. The celebration concludes with the traditionaltribute and floral offering at the monument to the Inmaculada Concepción de la Virgen María erected by the Agrupación de Cofradías in the Llanete de San Agustín, opposite the Iglesia Conventual de San Martín de las Madres Agustinas Recoletas (Conventual Church of St. Martin of the Augustinian Recollect Sisters).
Presentation of Torralbo 2025 – Archive of the Agrupación de Cofradías
Immaculate Conception Events – Photography: Jesús Cañete Fernández
Mass for the Opening of the 2024 Confraternity Year – Archive of the Agrupación de Cofradías
In addition to these, a variety of conferences, seminars, training sessions, book presentations, presentations of the Agrupación’s Gold Medal, and exhibitions are held throughout the year, although not on a recurring basis. In addition, the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena regularly attends the events and religious worships organised by the town’s Passion and Glory brotherhoods and confraternities and, on occasion, those held throughout the province and city of Córdoba, as well as the events and liturgical celebrations convened by the Diocese of Córdoba. Likewise, it is present at all the processions of the Passion and Glory brotherhoods and confraternities throughout the year. Particularly noteworthy is its participation in the Official Procession of the Santísimo Entierro de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo (Most Holy Burial of Our Lord Jesus Christ), held on the afternoon of Good Friday.
Through this programme of events –encompassing cultural, educational, liturgical, and symbolic dimensions– the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena keeps the spirit of the brotherhoods alive throughout the year, ensuring that Holy Week and the confraternal tradition are not merely a one-off occasion, but a true spiritual and social heritage that accompanies the town in its daily life.
