After 1:30 pm (local time) this Tuesday, the dome of the Vera Cruz parish in Valladolid collapsed while maintenance work was being carried out due to serious damage, events that have shocked the Spanish archdiocese.
According to a statement of the Penitential Brotherhood of the Santa Vera Cruz, “the dome has fallen practically in its entirety on the floor of the transept of the Church.” Fortunately, “thanks to the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows of Vera Cruz Coronado, there have been no personal injuries,” despite the fact that at the time of the collapse of the dome, six workers were working on the scaffolding.
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Nor have the processional images of the brotherhood or the altarpieces on the main altar or those in the side naves been affected.
Two days before the incident, the brotherhood had reported that the temple would remain closed from Monday the 25th and while the work was being carried out “for security reasons.” Due to the accident, the workers are going to proceed to clear the rubble from the transept and move the processional images to other temples.
He Archbishopric of Valladolid has offered to the brotherhood the cathedral, the parish of San Miguel and San Julián and the Basilica-National Sanctuary of the Great Promise as temporary locations for the images. Finally they will move to the first two.
From Belgrade (Serbia), the Archbishop of Valladolid and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Mons. Luis Argüello, has conveyed words of condolence to the brotherhood, but also of encouragement: “Once again, when painful events occur, we are summoned to solidarity, caring for each other and at the same time for the images that call us to devotion and for the temples in which we congregate to continue growing in our Christian life.”
Temporary transfer of artistic and ecclesiastical heritage
This Wednesday, the Heritage delegate of the Archdiocese of Valladolid, Jesús García Gallo, has visited the damaged church and has agreed with the brotherhood on the convenience of temporarily transferring certain assets of artistic and ecclesiastical heritage.
Thus, it is planned to take the images of Our Mother the Virgin of Sorrows of the True Cross, The Lord Bound to the Column, Behold the man, The Descent y The Garden Prayer and the relic of the wood of the cross that is preserved.
The Archbishopric has also requested from the civil authorities “technical support from qualified professionals to be able to properly carry out the temporary transfers, as well as the appropriate prior and subsequent expert reports.”
A church with almost 5 centuries of history
The church of Santa Vera Cruz de Valladolid was built at the end of the 16th century on the central Platerías street and is declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. The temple is property of the Penitential Brotherhood of Santa Vera Cruz, founded at the beginning of the 15th century, the oldest of the 20 penitentiaries that exist in the city.
Nicholas de Cardenas
Born in 1980, I am a Spanish husband and father and journalist with more than 20 years of experience in print and digital media, specializing in sociopolitical and religious information. I have worked for more than 10 years in defense of human rights and have accreditations in Journalism and Comprehensive Communication. Since July 2022, I have been a correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in Spain, covering international events of the Catholic Church.