The
paso of El Cachorro is housed in the
church of Ntra. Madre y Sra. del
Patrocinio en su Dolor y Gloria in Triana, on the left side of the
Guadalquivir River. As I was in the area one day I decided to pay it a visit. Interestingly,
the name actually means ‘cub’ or ‘puppy’. This in itself already made me
curious and after a little digging on the internet I got what I expected, a
good, juicy legend.
The
statue was made by Francisco Antonio Ruiz Gijon who was the best sculptor of
the time. He was said to have had serious trouble finding inspiration for this
holy job. He drew hundreds of sketches and made many clay models but he wasn’t
satisfied. He was so obsessed with it that he slept in his workroom and
eventually drove himself into illness.
One
night he got up and decided to go for a walk. He suddenly heard somebody
screaming and shouting. He started running towards the sound and when he
arrived he saw a man lying on the floor, stabbed with a knife, just giving out
his last breath. That man was a famous gipsy singer and womaniser who was
nicknamed ‘El Cachorro’. His agonised face made such an impression on Ruiz
Gijon that he shaped the face of Jesus after him. The statue turned out to be
so realistic that many people came to admire it.
The
reason why this is one of the famous statues is not only the legend and the
amazing sculpting but also its age. Some of these pasos are centuries old, this
one for example was made in 1689. This makes them VERY valuable therefore they
are never taken out if there’s a chance of a hint of rain that day. If it
rained on these statues the paint would all come off and their restoration is
nigh impossible. (Not to mention that all the nazarenos would be in a sorry
state as the shape of their pointy hat is given by a rolled up cardboard!)
Because
of this the paso of El Cachorro hasn’t made it out for years. Let’s hope it
will be different this year. If you'd like to visit it, go to Calle Castilla, 182. Check the opening hours before you go!
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