Cartagena, Your Active City
THE CITY
The whole of this Brotherhood is Pontifical, Royal and Illustrious Brotherhood of our Father Jesus in the Painful Paso of the Capture and Hope on the Souls Salvation. It was founded on the 13th June 1747 (during the reign of Fernando VI de Borbón), before Diego Jose de la Encina, Inquisition Commissioner and priest in Santa Maria de Gracia. This church was being built and the Brotherhood acquired a chapel in construction, finished in 1760. Its first Major Penitent was Francisco Zabala. Its first name was Brotherhood of Our Father Jesus in the Paso of the Capture and the saint Zeal of the Souls Goodness.
In 1750 the Pope Benedict XIV gives his recognition and indulgences for papal bull in Santa Maria L’Magiore in Rome.
In the year 1755 our Brotherhood fraternized with the Royal Brotherhood of our Lady of Hope from Madrid. From 1772 on, its coat of arms has two intertwined anchors, symbol of hope; with a blind lantern in its centre, symbol of the Capture; and crowning it, the Royal Spanish Crown. In 1783, the California Brotherhood had the honour to have among our Penitents the King Carlos III de Borbón, who promoted important works in the city. The current name of the Brotherhood comes from the year 1788.
As the tradition says, soon after the Brotherhood was made up, some sailors coming from the Nueva España Viceroyship joined us. They have contributed to the expeditions in 1768 that Viceroy Carlos Francisco de Croix, Marquess of Croix, sent to California. This is the reason why they were called “Californios,” which was made extensive to the rest of the Brotherhood up to now. Recent searches note down that this name was taken later than 1848, when Mexico let California to USA. The name is based on the comparison established between the golden, silver and mercury mines and the magnificence of the California Brotherhood.
The chapel. The Penitents acquired the place where they built the Headquarters and the Chapel, taking advantage of the building of Santa María de Gracia Church. The chapel works finished in 1760. It has polygonal shape and has several niches where there are passional images of the Brotherhood. The Paso of the Capture is the main representative of the Brotherhood. (In 1780 they acquired and built another chapel detached to the current to be devoted to the Virgin of the Pain sold nine years later to the Santa María de Gracia Church.
In those times, the main goal of the Brotherhood was to beg with a silver dish to pay their expenses. They used to go serenading the “mortal sin,” warning about the danger of dying while in the state of sin. Marriage costs of poor people and of those living together was another aim of the Brotherhood. Women in danger of becoming sinners were also helped by the Brotherhood. They also paid the funerals and burials of Penitents, most of them buried in their Chapel with their robes of leave this for the Brotherhood.
The main Paso of the Brotherhood is the Capture which represents the moment when Jesus is caught by two roman soldiers in the Gethsemane Orchard.
Most of the California imaginery of the 18th century was done by Francisco Salzillo which disappeared in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. After the war, they were substituted by new ones by the sculptor Mariano Benlliure y Gil, José Sánchez Lozano y J. García Talens.
Nowadays, the Brotherhood is composed of fifteen squads:
The California Brotherhood organises the processions on ‘Dolores’ Friday night, Palm Sunday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday.
Its current Major Penitent is Juan Guillén Manzanera, being Honorary Major Penitent the King Juan Carlos I de Borbón. The Squad of 73 aircraft regiment of Artillery, with Headquarters in Cartagena, has the Brotherhood Honorific Regiment title. Its flag was donated by this Brotherhood. It has links to the Navy, the Merchant Navy and the National Police, through different squads.
