A restoration job of a sacred statue in Seville, Spain sparked protests after devotees described the makeover as “botched”.
The 5ft 9in wooden effigy of the Virgin of Hope of Macarena had her eyelashes extended, her skin tone tweaked and her nose adjusted in restoration work carried out by its usual restorer, 85-year-old Francisco Arquillo Torres.
He has since laid low following backlash from devotees and locals who protested in June outside the Basilica de la Macarena where the statue is displayed.
The Virgin Mary effigy before it was restored
The 17th century figure made from pine wood and cypress is one Spain’s most famed effigies and is annually paraded through Seville during Semana Santa or Holy Week.
The Virgin Mary is one of a series of processions that take place during Easter to commemorate the Passion of Jesus Christ celebrated by Catholics.
Devotees have rejected the new made-up Virgin Mary claiming that she is “not my Macarena”.
“Her expression is different. What they’ve done to her is unjust,” one local told Spanish newspaper, El Pais.
Following outrage over her appearance, Pedro Manzano, who has been heralded as the city’s “doctor to the divine”, has been called in to repair the restoration.
The Virgin Mary statue after restoration
Crowds of angry worshippers lined the streets outside the Basilica calling for the leader of the Brotherhood of the Macarena, the group which oversees the Virgin Mary’s appearance, to step down.
“It’s a big responsibility, there’s nothing more dangerous than this job,” Mr Manzano said in an interview with The Times.
Shortly after the protests in June, the brotherhood shared a statement on X apologising for the failed restoration and acknowledged that the replaced eyelashes had caused “an undesired effect”.
“The Brotherhood apologizes to brothers and devotees for this incident, emphasizing that its aim has been, is, and will always be to preserve in the best possible conditions the greatest heritage possessed by the Macarenos, their Sacred Titular Images, and especially the Most Holy Virgin of Hope,” it wrote on X.
The botched effigy has been likened to a 19th century Spanish fresco painting which was destroyed after a DIY restoration attempt in 2012.
The ‘Ecco Homo’ or ‘Behold the Man’ painting was created by Elias Garcia Martinez and hangs in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza in Spain.
Cecilia Gimenez, a dedicated volunteer of the church, decided to ‘restore’ the painting as she was upset the image had been damaged by years of moisture decay.
However, her artistic endeavour resulted in the religious painting being changed almost beyond recognition – delicate details of the face and beard were painted over, an ill-fitting tunic added and his head shape changed considerably.
The painting looked so different, Spanish jokesters at the time renamed the painting revamped work ‘Ecco Mono’, or ‘Behold the Monkey’.
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