Procession of the Descent of the Most Holy Christ of Agony

On Saturday afternoon, we held the procession of the descent of the Most Holy Christ of Agony from the Hermitage of Santa Ana to the parish church of San Carlos, where the image will remain for the next two weeks; what the festival-goers call the Baixà.

In this act, the troupes fire arquebus salutes in front of the patron saint of our Festival, thus becoming heirs to the privilege enjoyed by the old urban militias.

The Christian army is encamped on the esplanade of the Hermitage, and the Moorish army on the esplanade of the Calvary. At five in the afternoon, the captain, ambassador, and Christian standard-bearer, accompanied by their escorts, will meet their Moorish counterparts halfway to the Calvary; this is the "encaro" (encaro). The ambassadors recite the text that José Mª Royo Mendaza wrote for this moment in 2000: the Moor warns the Christian that he is surrounding the town and will not allow him to enter; the Christian replies that he will do so with the help of the Morenet. After the brief speech, the captains fire arquebus volleys; this is the signal; in both camps—Christian and Moorish—the shots multiply.

The Moorish army, preceded by its captain, begins its descent, firing, toward the town. They retreat before the onslaught of the Christian army, which advances, firing, as if protecting the sacred image that the Anderos carry on their shoulders. At the city gates, the firing stops, and the festival-goers gather in the park of the Cantereria neighborhood. A drum roll begins to drum; the Moorish captaincy, silent, begins to form its squads; the marching band breaks the silence with a sacred march; the procession has begun. Cantereria, Pont Vell, Plaça de Baix, Plaza Mayor, and Gomis: this is the route that one troupe after another will follow; then the wax figure and the patron saint of the festival, who, once again this year, descends to his parish to be with his people, while they celebrate festivities in his honor.

This event was declared an asset of intangible cultural interest by Decree 4/2019, of January 18, of the Valencian Council. The declaration is registered in the First Section of the General Inventory of Valencian Cultural Heritage.