Brotherhood of the Seven Last Words and of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos

Processional Floats

Author: Talleres de Arte Granda, Alcalá de Henares
Date: 2014

Iconography: Most Holy Christ of Burgos

Seven Lantern Crosses
Seven lantern crosses made of gilded metal structures supporting a framework of colored and textured glass. At the center of each cross appears one of the Seven Last Words spoken by Christ on the Cross. They were manufactured in 1902 by Casa Quintana of Zaragoza.

Most Holy Christ of Burgos
Replica created in 2014 by Talleres de Arte Granda of Alcalá de Henares. Like the original 14th-century image, it is covered in leather and articulated at the head, arms, and legs. During processions it is escorted by the Civil Guard, a distinguished corps twinned with the Brotherhood.

Until 2013, the Brotherhood processed the Christ of San Esteban of the “Descalzos” of Villamar (a copy of the Christ of Burgos, popularly known as the Christ of San Esteban de los Olmos), commissioned in 1920 by the Marquis of Murga from the Burgos artist Fortunato Julián.

Our Lady of Golgotha, Comfort of the Pilgrims
Image created by the Sevillian sculptor Juan Manuel Montaño Fernández in 2025. This articulated image was acquired primarily for the Act of the Descent from the Cross, when the Christ of Burgos is placed in His Mother’s lap. During the rest of the year, it is displayed for veneration in the chapel of the Archbishop’s Palace.

History

Founded in 1986 in the Parish of San Fernando Rey, during the pastorate of Fr. Baldomero Santaolalla Echevarría. The founding members were 20 women and 27 men.

Its Statutes were approved on March 12, 1986, during the episcopate of Archbishop Teodoro Cardinal Fernández, and amended in 2009 under Archbishop Francisco Gil Hellín. In 2017, the Brotherhood moved its headquarters to the Burgos Cathedral, where the Metropolitan Chapter appointed Alejandro Millán Cuesta as Abbot.

The habit consists of a purple hood and tunic, with white cape, cincture, and gloves. The Brotherhood’s medal is a cross with four equal arms on a purple background, featuring a white circle with the number 7 and the words “Cofradía” and “PALABRAS” around it. The ends of the arms are finished with red and blue panels bordered in gold. The same medal is also valid with the image of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos on the reverse. The emblem may likewise consist of the described cross, with the image of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos attached to its right side, both surrounded by golden crowns of thorns.

It is noteworthy that this was one of the first brotherhoods known to process with women wearing the habit and possibly the first in Spain to have a woman serving as Prioress.

The Brotherhood is twinned with the following institutions and associations:

• Burgos Civil Guard Command.

• Royal Brotherhood of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos (Burgos).

• Town Council of Cabra del Santo Cristo.

• Brotherhood of the Slavery of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos (Cabra del Santo Cristo).

In 2018, at the Brotherhood’s request, the military musician Francisco José Boyer Gómez composed the funeral march “Santísimo Cristo de Burgos.”

Purpose:

• To revitalize and encourage the Christian life of its members in the light of the mystery of the Cross and the divine-human message of the Seven Last Words of Jesus.

• To foster fraternity and Christian charity.

• To give the greatest solemnity and splendor to the liturgical celebrations held at its headquarters and in the city of Burgos.

Principal Events:

Holy Tuesday: Blessing of habits and imposition of medals on new members, followed by the Procession of the Seven Last Words, with reflections on each. The processional images include the Lantern Crosses and the Most Holy Christ of Burgos, carried on the shoulders through the historic center of the city.

Good Friday Morning: Ceremony of the Descent from the Cross of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos in the Plaza de Santa María (Cathedral).

Good Friday Afternoon: General Holy Burial Procession, with the Lantern Crosses and the image of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos carried on the shoulders.

September 14: Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross and of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos: Septenary and procession with the image of the Most Holy Christ of Burgos carried on the shoulders.