Seville - fresco Virgin Mary as Immaculate conception

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Basílica de La Macarena

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This 20th-century neo-baroque basilica is home to Seville’s most revered religious treasure, the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena (Macarena Virgin of Hope), known popularly as the Macarena. This magnificent 17th-century statue, a star of the city's fervent Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations, stands in splendour behind the main altarpiece, adorned with a golden crown, lavish vestments and five flower-shaped diamond and emerald brooches donated by the famous matador Joselito El Gallo in 1912.

The basilica also has a small museum (treasury), accessible through the gift shop to the left of the main entrance, displaying further treasures relating to the Virgin.

Near the basilica is a stretch of Seville's 12th-century Almoravid walls.

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