Virgin of Hope of Macarena

Virgin of Hope of Macarena
Location	Seville, Spain
Date	18 December
Witness	Pedro Roldán, Joselito el Gallo
Type	Marian art
Approval	17 February 1963, during the Pontificate of Pope John XXIII
Shrine	Basilica of Macarena, Seville
Patronage	People of Seville, bullfighters, Gitanos, tailors, embroiderers and liver donors.
Attributes	Our Lady of Sorrows holding a handkerchief, rosary and five emerald brooches

The Virgin of Hope of Macarena (Spanish: Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena^[1]), popularly known as the Virgin of Macarena or simply La Macarena, is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a pious 17th century wooden image of the Blessed Virgin venerated in the Basilica de la Macarena in Seville, Spain. The Marian title falls under a category of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorating the desolate grievance and piety of the Virgin Mary during Holy Week. The image is widely considered as a national treasure by the Spanish people, primarily because of its religious grandeur during Lenten celebrations.

The image is also known for local folklore, most notably its discolored cheek allegedly caused by a bottle of wine thrown by a drunken Protestant rebel at her face which pious legend also claims has never been able to be removed. Its popularity among the masses is often highlighted in the five Rose-Emerald brooches attached to her dress given by the famed bullfighter José Gómez Ortega, also known as Joselito, and the historical fact that the image has only worn an entirely black vestment ensemble once,^[2] during Joselito's death and funeral.^[3]

The feast of the image is celebrated in Spain on 18 December and was granted a canonical coronation on 31 May 1964 by Pope John XXIII via Cardinal José Bueno y Monreal. The Virgin of Macarena is commonly considered the patroness of bullfighters and the Romani of Spain who hold a sincere devotion to the image.^[4] It is currently enshrined in the high altar of the Basilica of Macarena [es].