Valme pilgrimage in Dos Hermanas
The Pilgrimage of Valme is the great pilgrimage of Dos Hermanas to the hermitage of Cortijo de Cuarto. The Virgin travels among carts covered in paper flowers, galleys, horsemen and thousands of pilgrims on a journey that identifies the Nazarene city.
Celebration date
The pilgrimage is celebrated every third sunday in october. The services and preparations take place during the previous days, but the round trip pilgrimage takes up Sunday.
Pilgrimage Sunday is not necessarily a public holiday. The City Council usually proposes the following Monday as a local holiday; This condition depends on the work calendar approved for each year.
Route and main places
The day begins in the parish of Santa María Magdalena, in Dos Hermanas. From there, the procession advances towards the Royal Sanctuary of Cuarto, in the Cortijo de Cuarto next to Bellavista, already in the municipality of Seville. After the events and coexistence around the hermitage, the group returns to Dos Hermanas.
Also check out the festivals of Dos Hermanas.
Origin and history
The devotion is related to the tradition that attributes to Ferdinand III an invocation to the Virgin during the conquest of Seville in 1248. The Gothic image of Our Lady of Valme, dated to the 13th century, is kept in Santa María Magdalena, while the old hermitage of Cortijo de Cuarto preserves the pilgrimage site.
The modern pilgrimage was celebrated for the first time in 1894. It was conceived as a country day to transport the image from Dos Hermanas to its old chapel and remember the tradition of Valme.
Wagons, galleys and flowers of Valme
The Virgin's cart, drawn by oxen, heads the most recognisable element of the procession. She is accompanied by Brotherhood carts and private galleys, as well as horsemen and pilgrims on foot. Carts and galleys are decorated with curled tissue paper flowers, crafted by hand and combined into geometric designs known as Valme flowers.
Vísperas y jornada romera
- Pregón, quinario, besamanos y otros cultos previos.
- Community work to prepare and decorate carts and galleys.
- Mass of pilgrims and departure from Santa María Magdalena.
- On the way to Cuarto with the Virgin, carts, galleys, horsemen and pilgrims.
- Religious acts and coexistence in the surroundings of the hermitage before returning.
The schedules, the number of vehicles and the mobility and safety measures are published for each edition and should not be considered confirmed without the corresponding official programme.
Bien de Interés Cultural
In 2022, the Regional Government of Andalusia registered the Valme Pilgrimage in the General Catalog of Andalusian Historical Heritage as Bien de Interés Cultural, with the typology of Activity of Ethnological Interest. The recognition covers places, practices and expressions linked to the pilgrimage in Dos Hermanas and Seville.
Organisation and participation
The Pontifical, Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Lady of Valme Coronada and San Fernando organises the services and pilgrimage with municipal support. Groups of carters, galley families, horsemen, parish, neighbors, public services and visitors participate.
Sources
- BOJA: declaration of the Valme Pilgrimage as an Asset of Cultural Interest.
- Dos Hermanas City Council: agreement with the Brotherhood of Valme and background of the pilgrimage.
- Cultural Agenda of Andalusia: celebration and tour of the Valme Pilgrimage.
- Regional Government of Andalusia: heritage and ethnological values of the Valme Pilgrimage.