5th September 2025. – The Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena yesterday, Thursday, presented a special edition of its ‘Torralbo Magazine’ in the Hall of Mirrors at the Círculo Lucentino, published to mark the celebration of the Great Passion Procession (Magna) “Lucena Lives the Passion.” The event brought together representatives of the Agrupación de Cofradías, civil and ecclesiastical authorities, representatives of fellow confraternity and brotherhoods from Córdoba and Puente Genil, as well as numerous members of brotherhoods and confraternities, ‘santeros’, and members of the general public.
The Secretary of the Agrupación de Cofradías, Jaime Verdú Orellana, opened the event with a few words that captured the sense of anticipation surrounding the historic occasion to be held on 27th September: «The Great Passion Procession is here. It feels as though the day has arrived, it feels as though the hour has come… and yet, in Lucena, the moment has already arrived». Verdú highlighted the dedication of the participating brotherhoods, together with the commitment shown by the Glory confraternities, emphasising the Great Passion Procession’s ability to bring together the entire province around a shared faith and tradition.
Rafael Ramírez Ponferrada, Head of Publications and editor of this landmark publication, then took the floor, stressing that «with this special edition of ‘Torralbo’, the Great Passion Procession (Magna) truly begins». He expressed his gratitude to the institutions, contributors and the large editorial team whose efforts made possible a magazine that, for the first time, has been produced in an expanded format, distinct from its usual Lenten edition.
Ramírez explained that the publication includes institutional forewords, an extensive historical article by the chronicler Francisco López Salamanca on the development of Holy Week in Lucena, a detailed overview of the participating brotherhoodds and confraternities and ‘cuadrillas’ ―featuring, exceptionally, photographs of every ‘santero’, drummer, ‘torralbos’, ‘porrillas’ and ‘marcaores’―, photographs of the participating processional thrones, profiles of the five musical bands taking part, and a series of reflective articles presenting the Great Passion Procession (Magna) as a landmark event in its own right, alongside advertisements from the sponsoring companies. In Ramírez’s words, «This edition is intended to become both a visual and a written record of an event that will mark a before and after in the confraternity history of Lucena».
A total of 1,200 copies of this collector’s edition have been printed. The magazine will be available from today, Friday, at almost all stationers and tobacconist across the town. Exceptionally, and to enable visitors living outside Lucena to obtain a copy, an exclusive online reservation form has been made available for those residing outside the town.
INFORMATION LEAFLET AND OFFICIAL SIGNAGE
The event also saw the presentation of the information leaflet produced by the Agrupación de Cofradías, sponsored by Gestoría Aras. The leaflet includes a timetable of the procession routes, a map showing the official procession route, a list of the participating images and the identified churches, together with useful information accessible via QR codes linking to the website. A total of 5,000 copies have been printed and will begin to be distributed in the days leading up to the Great Passion Procession (Magna) through the town’s Tourist Information Offices, hotels and businesses in the historic centre.
Free copies of the official poster for the Great Passion Procession (Magna), created by the local artist Víctor Manjón-Cabeza, are also available in two sizes, courtesy of the Agrupación de Cofradías. They are available from the Tourist Information Office (Palacio de los Condes de Santa Ana) and the Ciudades Medias Visitor Centre (Castillo del Moral). In the coming days, the Agrupación de Cofradías website will publish a technical map prepared by Lucena Town Council, providing information on parking facilites, traffic restrictions, public toilets and other useful information for visitors.
NEW OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE AGRUPACION DE COFRADÍAS
Finally, Clara R. Baum, Communications Director for the Great Passion Procession (Magna), took the floor to officially present the Agrupación de Cofradías’ new website (www.semanasantalucena.com), conceived as «a meeting place and an open gateway to understanding a tradition that cannot be contained in a leaflet or a photograph». The project lead explained that this digital resource represents a key step in the journey towards securing National Tourist Interest status for Lucena’s Holy Week. It provides reliable and accessible information on the Great Passion Procession (Magna), the town’s Passion and Glory confraternities and brotherhoods, the Agrupación de Cofradías, Lucena’s Holy Week, ‘santería’ —recently recognised as a Site of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural, BIC)— as well as the town’s cultural heritage and tourist attractions.
The event, which featured musical performances by the Hermandad de Tambores de Lucena, concluded with an address by the President of the Agrupación de Cofradías, Antonio Díaz Serrano, who expressed his gratitude to everyone who had contributed to the organisation of the event, with particular thanks to the Organising Committee, the officers of the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena, Lucena Town Council, and Córdoba Provincial Council, the event’s principal sponsors. He also praised the dedication of the participating Passion and Glory brotherhoods and reaffirmed the historic significance of the publication: «This special edition of Torralbo is far more than a magazine; it is both a record and a legacy of what we will experience together on 27th September. Lucena will showcase to the world a unique tradition and a living heritage that lie at the very heart of our identity».
Díaz also noted that more than 60% of the available seats in Plaza Nueva, the focal point of the Great Passion Procession’s (Magna’s) official route, have already been reserved. He also highlighted the programme of events leading up to 27th September, including the transfer processions of the images that will not set out from their canonical churches on the day itself, the opening of churches to allow visitors to view the enthroned images, and the Jubilee Mass to be celebrated on Friday 26th September, presided over by the Bishop of the Diocese of Córdoba.
