Routes Los Pasos route

The ”pasos” (a type of religious parade where “pasos” translates to “stations” instead of “steps”) are typical of the most traditional Portuguese Easter. La Hermandad de las Llagas (The Brotherhood of the Wounds), in Portugal, used to build five chapels on the façades of some streets, alluding to some “pasos” of the Vía Sacra. The origin of these altars is found in the procession of “Los Pasos”, in which the patron saint of Olivenza, El Señor de los Pasos (Lord of the Stations), walked them in procession on Passover Sunday or Passion Sunday (V of Lent; previous to Palm Sunday). The reason why there are five steps is the number of Christ's wounds in the Passion.

Most of them have the same characteristics: whitewashed façade topped by a curved pediment divided by “S” at the ends and a cross at its center. Today they have been renovated by replacing their old wooden doors with glazed lattice-work that reveals their interior, placing panels of tiled history that recall images of the Passion of Christ. They stand out slightly from the walls of the façades of the houses, although in this case they were built with the same simple materials and whitewashed. The most striking (three of the five) reproduce neoclassical forms around a high doorway, topped by a semicircular arch and framed in false pilasters that simulate supporting an entablature of different cornices on which lateral acroteras stand out, and in the center a pediment with the cross. The originals also kept a very simple interior, without decoration. The other two are smaller and do not protrude from their façades (these are those in the Santa María del Castillo Church and that in Avenida Ramón y Cajal).

This route begins with the “paso” that is closest to the Tourism Information Office, and ends with the one that is in an area close to restaurants and leisure or cultural places. In this way, the different attractions in Olivenza (its churches, museums, etc.) can also be visited.

In this way, the proposed route with a duration of about 30 minutes would be as follows:

Route of the pasos

  1. Paso of Santa Lucía (Santa Lucía Street)
  2. Paso of the Carrera (Avenida Ramón y Cajal)
  3. Paso of Santa María (Main façade of Santa María del Castillo)
  4. Paso of Caridad Street (Caridad Street)
  5. Paso of the Avenida de Portugal (Avenida de Portugal)