During Holy Week, 18 fraternities feature 24 processions of pasos, floats of realistic wooden sculptures narrating scenes of the events of the Passion of Christ, or images of the Virgin Mary showing grief.

Some of the sculptures are several centuries old and were created by important Spanish artists such as Luis Salvador Carmona, Alejandro Carnicero or Mariano Benlliure.

Hundreds of penitents or cofrades take part on the parades, either carrying the pasos or walking the old streets of the city with crosses, flags or candles.

As a reflection of its cultural, historic and spiritual importance, Holy Week in Salamanca was declared Fiesta of International Tourist Interest of Spain in 2003.

Generally speaking the processions walk through the city center, from their home Church to the Cathedral and Plaza Mayor or surroundings.

In 1506 the Cofradia de la Vera Cruz (Brotherhood of the True Cross) was established in the Convent of San Francisco, following the medieval tradition.

Also, during the Baroque period wooden pasos were introduced as we know them today and became essential to the Holy Week commemoration.

These celebrations had two intentions: the first one was to teach the illiterate people of Salamanca the events of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.

In 1913 the retailers created a section inside la Vera Cruz that a few years later would become the brotherhood of Jesús Flagelado.

In 1926 the local Chamber of trade and commerce created the Cristo de la Agonia again in the convent of the franciscans.

At the end of the Dictatorship of General Franco Holy Week in Salamanca experienced a deep crisis.

However, in 1971 a new brotherhood was created, the Cristo del Amor y de la Paz (Jesus of Love and Peace).

Holy Week in Salamanca features a number of distinctive singularities that make this festival specially appealing for visitors.