The Macarena has overwhelmingly approved a new restoration of the Virgin Mary by expert Pedro Manzano.

After a packed and highly charged Extraordinary Chapter meeting, which lasted more than seven hours, the Brotherhood of La Macarena of Seville decided early Wednesday morning to undertake a new restoration of the Virgin of La Macarena, this time under the direction of Sevillian restorer Pedro Manzano and the supervision of a team of more than 14 professionals from the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH), an institution dependent on the Ministry of Culture of the Regional Government of Andalusia.

With a total of 998 votes in favor out of the 1,400 who exercised their right, a Chapter has thus been closed that will remain forever in the memory of the Brotherhood, with which it has been intended to settle - and reverse - the controversial intervention carried out in June by the restorer Francisco Arquillo and his team, which visibly modified - to the indignation of the brothers and a large community of faithful Sevillians - the face of one of the most venerated sorrowful virgins of Seville, undisputed icon of its Holy Week.

The Council was convened to present the technical and scientific report prepared by the IAPH on the current state of this exceptional 17th-century Baroque image , as well as to approve the proposed intervention resulting from these preliminary studies, which was widely supported by those present.

Before a congregation of indignant brothers, who repeatedly attacked the Brotherhood's current Governing Board (their eldest brother, José Antonio Fernández Cabrero, had not publicly addressed the faithful until tonight since the events occurred). The IAPH report was read by conservator José Luis Gómez Villa, who determined that the Virgin has a moisture problem on the back of the image, as well as cavities that could be due to the presence of xylophages—insects that feed on wood—inside the carving. Cracks have also been detected on the face (on the left cheek) and on the forehead. Another of the pathologies noted is the blackening of the eyelids.

But perhaps most notably, this report reveals that the previous conservator, Francisco Arquillo, overstepped his bounds in his work on the Virgin Macarena , touching her eyebrows and re-growing her upper and lower eyelids in order to add eyelashes to the image, which very obviously altered both the expression of her gaze and her face. "The cleaning processes go beyond simple maintenance," concludes the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage in the report presented to the Cabildo. The study has also determined the dimensions of the sculpture, which are 176.5 centimeters high by 48.5 centimeters wide, and that it is composed of eleven pieces.

The brothers have approved the implementation of a new restoration, a proposal read in the Chapter by the curator appointed to carry it out under the supervision of the IAPH, Professor Pedro Manzano . This work will last a minimum of three months, a deadline conditioned by "the proposed objectives." If these objectives are not met in the first phase, the restoration could be extended until Lent 2026. Both the curator's and the IAPH technician's intervention were widely applauded by those present.

Manzano proposes, among other things, applying carbon-14 dating to determine "the exact age of the image's wood," as well as a disinfection process for xylophages to prevent deterioration of the wood, and a special 20-day treatment to kill the insects. Other proposals by the restorer include removing the tears and their adhesives for cleaning, eliminating the existing eyelashes, and restoring the polychrome and reintegration work done by Francisco Arquillo. He also restores the stains on the cheeks, so characteristic of this carving of incalculable heritage value, which is further enhanced by the city's devotional respect.

The Cabildo, which began at 7:30 p.m., was an event yesterday in the city, with long lines forming from 4:00 p.m. despite the high temperatures outside, and which attracted more than 1,800 brothers. Tensions were high , a month after that fateful day when the city erupted in controversy, when the Virgin was returned to worship after a minor cleaning project lasting just five days, carried out by the brotherhood's head restorer, Francisco Arquillo.

It was last June 21st: many Sevillians—both brothers and sisters and ordinary devotees—came to the church to contemplate the Virgin after these days of absence during which she had been undergoing surgery. The appearance of this image, one of the city's greatest icons worldwide, was far from its usual appearance. According to witnesses, the Virgin's gaze was unrecognizable after having new eyelashes fitted, which were removed hours later. Her face had to be operated on up to three times in less than 24 hours to stem the protests, but criticism grew, and the public uproar led to complaints, boos, and mass condemnations at the church door. The Governing Board apologized to all Sevillians and began a string of resignations.

Days later, the brotherhood announced the transfer of the Virgin of the Macarena to the IAPH and presented the restorer Pedro Manzano as the professional to undertake the intervention that will return the Virgin of Hope to the appearance it had before the cleaning of Arquillo.