Holy Week in Salamanca

Holy Week in Salamanca
Paso of El Cristo de los Doctrinos
Official name	Semana Santa de Salamanca
Observed by	Salamanca, Spain
Type	Religious, Historical, Cultural
Significance	Commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus
Celebrations	Processions
Begins	Palm Sunday
Ends	Easter Sunday
2023 date	April 2 - April 9
2024 date	March 24 - March 31
2025 date	April 13 - April 20
2026 date	March 29 - April 5
Frequency	Annual

Holy Week in Salamanca (Semana Santa de Salamanca) is the most important religious event of Salamanca, Spain. It is celebrated in the week leading up to Easter (Holy Week among Christians).

During Holy Week, 18 fraternities feature 24 processions of pasos, floats of realistic wooden sculptures narrating scenes of the events of the Passion of Christ, or images of the Virgin Mary showing grief. Some of the sculptures are several centuries old and were created by important Spanish artists such as Luis Salvador Carmona, Alejandro Carnicero or Mariano Benlliure. Hundreds of penitents or cofrades take part on the parades, either carrying the pasos or walking the old streets of the city with crosses, flags or candles. Thousands of people, locals and visitors attend the events.

The city of Salamanca was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. The historic center offers a unique and attractive background for this celebration. The old streets and the impressive sites and landmarks provide the perfect atmosphere for the processions.

As a reflection of its cultural, historic and spiritual importance, Holy Week in Salamanca was declared Fiesta of International Tourist Interest of Spain in 2003.^[1]