Controversy over the restoration of the image of the Great Power of Almeria: “It is not my Virgin”

The restoration of the image of María Santísima del Mayor Dolor y Traspaso, Marian leader of the Brotherhood of the Great Power of Almería, has sparked a heated controversy in the Andalusian capital, with many faithful believing that the work has been surpassed and that the image has lost its original expression. Social networks have been the scene of this public debate, in which many parishioners have expressed their indignation at what they consider to be a radical alteration of the image. “This is not my Virgin,” some critics point out. The restoration was carried out by the author of the work himself, the Sevillian imager David Valenciano Barrios, and the eyebrows, eyes, mouth and nose have been retouched. and even the shape of the face, which was more angular before. Even the number of tears and their arrangement have changed. The Marian sculpture, blessed in 2005, was removed for renovation and has just returned to worship. The brotherhood itself has shared images of the restoration work on its social networks, causing astonishment among many faithful who do not recognize the image. After the controversy, the Brotherhood of the Great Powers itself has decided to disable comments on Instagram and Facebook, thus trying to avoid the wave of criticism. The Virgin, however, is still exposed to worship in her church. The “trial by fire” this Saturday, September 14, when the “renewed” Marian image will appear in the rosary in the afternoon, after the 8 p.m. mass, with the following route: Tejar, Paterna del Río, La Vega, Bilbao, Vinaroz. , Manuel Sánchez, Téjar and San Pío X.

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