From Palm Sunday on 21 March to Easter Sunday on 28 March 2027, Cádiz's penitential brotherhoods (Hermandades de penitencia) form cofradías to walk from their parish churches through the walled historic centre and make their Estación de Penitencia inside Cádiz Cathedral[5]. With liturgical roots reaching back to the 16th century[6], the city's Holy Week unfolds across narrow Baroque lanes between two seas, preceded by preliminary devotions beginning on the Friday before Palm Sunday (Viernes de Dolores)[1].
2027 Holy Week calendar and public holidays
The official Andalusian labour calendar sets Jueves Santo on Thursday 25 March 2027 and Viernes Santo on Friday 26 March 2027 as regional public holidays[7][8]. Penitential processions run daily from Sunday 21 March (Palm Sunday) through Saturday 27 March 2027 (Holy Saturday), before Easter Sunday closes the liturgical week on 28 March 2027[1][5].
| Day | Date | Liturgical Focus & Key Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) | Sunday 21 March 2027 | Opening afternoon brotherhood processions to Cádiz Cathedral[5] |
| Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday | 22–24 March 2027 | Evening parish departures across El Pópulo, Santa María, and La Viña[2][4] |
| Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) | Thursday 25 March 2027 | Public holiday; overnight processions including Jesús Nazareno in Santa María[7][12] |
| Good Friday (Viernes Santo) | Friday 26 March 2027 | Public holiday; solemn Good Friday processions and Oratorio de la Santa Cueva devotions[8][13] |
| Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday | 27–28 March 2027 | Final penitential station on Saturday and Easter Sunday close[1][5] |
The 2027 closure of the Iglesia de Santa Cruz (Old Cathedral)
A major logistical change shapes the 2027 edition: the 13th-century Iglesia de Santa Cruz (the Catedral Vieja, standing beside the Roman Theatre and the Baroque Cathedral on the Atlantic front[4]) will remain closed to worship during Semana Santa 2027 while its structural rehabilitation project is drafted and carried out[9]. Poor building conditions forced the closure of the temple in January 2026, after which its doors opened only three times to allow its resident brotherhoods to depart[10].
That ongoing closure directly affects five major Cádiz brotherhoods based at Santa Cruz[11]:
- El Perdón
- Sanidad
- Santo Entierro
- Las Aguas
- Medinaceli
Check the official brotherhood council announcements ahead of 21 March 2027 to confirm which neighbouring churches host their temporary departures.
Key churches, barrios, and where to watch
Watching the processions from the public streets is completely free. Every brotherhood converges on Cádiz Cathedral—crowned by its yellow-tiled dome facing the Campo del Sur[4]—approaching via the historic junction of Plaza de San Juan de Dios, where the Iglesia de San Juan de Dios stands beside the Ayuntamiento in medieval El Pópulo[4].
Across the older quarters, several temples anchor the week's devotional geography[2]:
- Barrio de Santa María: Both the church of Santa María and the Convento de Santo Domingo sit in Santa María[2]. Here, inside the Capilla del Nazareno, Jesús Nazareno holds the municipal title of Regidor Perpetuo (Perpetual Councillor) of Cádiz, awarded after a 1681 plague miracle[12].
- La Viña and the northern wall: The parish of La Palma anchors La Viña, while the Baroque Iglesia del Carmen rises at the opposite end of the old town beside the Baluarte de la Candelaria[2].
- Oratorio de la Santa Cueva: Commissioned in 1781 from architects Torcuato Cayón de la Vega and Torcuato José Benjumeda, the underground lower chapel of the Oratorio de la Santa Cueva was inaugurated on Holy Thursday in 1783 specifically for Passion meditation[13].
Monument hours and visitor logistics
Plan indoor sightseeing for the first half of the week. Municipal exhibition spaces such as the Casa de Iberoamérica open mornings only (10:00 to 14:00) from Holy Monday (22 March 2027) to Holy Wednesday (24 March 2027), and close completely from Maundy Thursday through Easter Sunday (25–28 March 2027)[3]. Afternoon street closures cut across the intramuros grid once the cofradías set out, so cover the old town on foot.