The worst drought in Catalonia since 1916 was relieved earlier this month with a downpour during a procession led by the Archbishop of Barcelona.
On 9 March, Cardinal Juan José Omella and 100 local Catholics processed the city streets with an image of Christ traditionally implored for rain during periods of drought. Heavy rain began to fall as they walked and prayed.
“The archives of Barcelona reveal that when el Santo Cristo de la Sangre [Christ of the Blood] has been taken out for a procession, a downpour has followed,” said the archivist of the Basilica of Santa María del Pi, where the image is housed.
The current drought, lasting more than 40 months, has been described as the worst in Catalonia since modern record-keeping began in 1916.
On 1 February, the Generalitat (regional government) of Catalonia introduced water restrictions affecting six million people. The policy allows only 200 litres of water per person per day, bans watering the garden, and only permits car-washing in commercial establishments which re-use water.
Cardinal Omella and local Holy Week confraternities had prayed a novena for rain in the nine days prior to the procession.
One hundred people joined the event, following the route traditionally taken by the statue in times of drought.
It has a proven track record. The basilica archives record that during a drought in 1647, the statue of Christ was brought outside only for such heavy rain to fall that participants could not complete the procession.
However, the statue used this month was not the original Renaissance masterpiece fashioned by Seroni Sancho in 1547, which disappeared following a fire in the basilica in 1936. The procession used a replacement statue made in 1940.
After the downpour, water levels in reservoirs in northern Catalonia rose above the 15 per cent mark for the first time since mid-February. However, levels remained low in the south of the region, which experienced less rain.
Loading ...
