While Jesús de Medinaceli gathered crowds in one part of the capital, the Christ of the Halberdiers received the devotion of Madrid residents and the homage of the Royal Guard, the corps for which he is the patron. The image, which usually resides in the Castrense Cathedral Basilica, began its journey from the Royal Palace after a private ritual.
The carving of the Christ, created by Felipe Torres Villarejo in 2007, was moved to the Royal Palace on March 31 for the occasion. After the procession, it will return to its temple until next year. The preliminary ceremony, held behind closed doors, precedes the opening of the Puerta del Príncipe, where thousands of faithful await.
With exceptional punctuality, the Puerta del Príncipe opens before which thousands of devotees wait. With rigorous order, the different accompanying sections appear, with the confraternity members wearing granite blue tunics of the Royal Guard, with a granite red collar, a red cincture with tassels and an embroidered shield; a granite red capirote with a shield in the center; black shoes and socks, white gloves.
The sober musical accompaniment of the fife and drum section of the Royal Guard Music Unit precedes the Christ's float, carried by forty-four bearers. For more than four hours, the procession winds through the streets, highlighting the emotional encounter with the Virgin Mary Immaculate Queen of Angels, a carving by Francisco Romero Zafra from 2022, in front of the Castrense Cathedral. This encounter, previously held in the Plaza de la Villa, requires precise maneuvers and culminates with the applause of attendees and a shower of petals.
The congregation of the Christ of Faith dates back to the first half of the 17th century. Although the tradition of the halberdiers was lost after the Civil War, it was refounded in 1997 by members of the Royal Guard. The procession resumed on April 18, 2003, allowing the halberdiers to keep alive a religious history spanning four centuries.
