The Pregón of Lucena is one of the most emotional and highly anticipated events on the city’s religious brotherhood calendar. It serves as the spiritual gateway, announcing the imminent arrival of the Passion Week It is traditionally held on Passion Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, and serves as a heartfelt tribute to the faith, traditions, and deep-rooted cultural heritage of Holy Week in Lucena. Prior to the event, a ceremony is held to present the ‘Manolo Ramírez’ Brotherhood Award, which is granted each year to an exemplary member of the local religious community. 

Organized by the Agrupación of Cofradías of Lucena, it has been held at the Main Parish Church of St. Matthew since 1983. Although it did not have a fixed frecuency during its early years, it has been held uninterruptedly since 1978, with the sole exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For several years now, the event has been enhanced by the musical notes of the ‘Sociedad Didáctico Musical Banda de Música de Lucena’ (The Lucena Musical Society Band). 

The proclaimer, appointed annually by the Agrupación, is a prominent figure from the religious, cultural, or social sphere who mainteins a strong bond with Lucena and its Holy Week. Through his/her voice, emotions, and life experiences, he/she offers a literary, devotional, and personal journey that resonates with all the people of Lucena. The Pregón thus becomes a living testatment to popular religious devotion and a tribute to collective memory: to the sounds, scents, and images that fill our streets every spring, always with a special reference to Lucena’s unique ‘Santería!.

Regarding the printed editions of the Pregón, the first to be published were those delivered by Francisco Sánchez González in 1963 and by José Luque Requerey in 1972. In 1983, the proclamation delivered by Luisfernando Palma Robles was published, and in 1988, the Agrupación unified the proclamations from the 1984-1988 period into a single volume. Since 1989, the proclamations delivered annually on the eve of Holy Week have been published and distributed alongside the Torralbo magazine,, thanks to the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena, which is responsible for their editing and publication.

Over the years, many prominent figures have had the honor of announcing our Holy Week Below is the complete list of those who have undertaken this heartfelt and solemn responsibility.

The Proclaimers of Holy Week in Lucena

1995. Miguel Ángel López Burgos, introduced by Agustín Antrás Roldán.
1996. Manuel Gutiérrez Molero, introduced by Agustín Torres Pérez.
1997. Gaspar Villa Fernández, introduced by Francisco López Salamanca.
1998. José Antonio Vigo Aguilera, introduced by Agustín Antrás Roldán.
1999. Antonio Crespillo Guardeño, introduced by Jerónimo Jiménez García.
2000. Fray José Arenas Sabán, introduced by Abundio Aragón Moreno.
2001. Magdalena Rueda López, introduced by Antonio José Prieto Gómez.
2002. Pedro del Espino Gómez, introduced by Julián García Saravia.
2003. Juan González Palma, introduced by José María Morillo-Velarde Seco de Herrera.
2004. Mercedes López Cuenca, introduced by Lourdes María Fuentes Castro.
2005. Agustín Antrás Roldán, introduced by Francisco Delgado Alonso.
2006. Fray Gabriel de la Dolorosa Calvo, introduced by José Rodríguez Delgado.
2007. Antonio Molina Contreras, introduced by Antonio Rafael García Oliveros.
2008. Lourdes María Fuentes Castro, introduced by Francisco Javier Reyes Ávila.
2009. Jesús Gutiérrez Molero, introduced by Sierra Ciriza Gutiérrez.
2010. Antonio Rafael García Oliveros, introduced by Antonio Molina Contreras.
2011. Luis Burgos Morillo, introduced by Pedro del Espino Gómez.
2012. Juan Carlos Jurado García, introduced by Manuel Gutiérrez Molero.
2013. Miguel Muñoz Egea, introduced by Rafael Ramírez Ponferrada.
2014. Fernando Zurita Huete, introduced by Francisco López Salamanca.
2015. María del Carmen Franco Arroyo, introduced by Manuel Franco Arroyo.
2016. Aurelio Fernández García, introduced by Juan Carlos Nieto Villa.
2017. Francisco Javier Reyes Ávila, introduced by Juan Carlos Jurado García.
2018. José Luis Roldán del Valle, introduced by Rosario Valverde Herencia.
2019. Antonio Palacios Herruzo, introduced by Jesús Manuel Coca López.
2020. It was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021. Rafael Ramírez Ponferrada, introduced by Juan Jiménez Sánchez.
2022. Manuel Roldán Fernández, introduced by Daniel Ropero Morales.
2023. Francisco Barbancho Espada, introduced by Juan Jiménez Sánchez.
2024. José Antonio Luque Delgado, introduced by Miguel Ángel de Abajo Medina.
2025. Juan Pérez Guerrero, introduced by Antonio Alba Nieva.
2026. Jaime Verdú Orellana, introduced by Jaime Verdú Martín 

Retrieved from: Notas para la historia de las cofradías lucentinas (Francisco López Salamanca – 2022)

Historial Archive of the Lucena Holy Week Proclamation Covers