Seville's Hermandad de los Negritos marks 814‑year Porciúncula chapel anniversary

On August 2, the Hermandad de los Negritos in Seville celebrated the 814th anniversary of the dedication of the Porciúncula chapel, originally rebuilt by Saint Francis in 1216 and dedicated to Santa María Reina de los Ángeles. The ceremony also commemorated the first Gran Perdón of Assisi proclaimed there, a papal indulgence granted by Honorius III without a formal document.

The brotherhood also recalled the foundation of a hospital for Black people by Archbishop Gonzalo de Mena y Roelas about 627 years ago, placed under the patronage of Nuestra Señora de los Reyes. The celebration featured the historic images of the Virgin—originally titled Nuestra Señora de los Reyes and later Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles—sculpted by Andrés de Ocampo in 1622 and acquired from painter Pablo Legot in 1635. The event concluded with the traditional prayer: “Salve, Reina de los cielos y Señora de los Ángeles; salve raíz, salve puerta que dio paso a nuestra luz.”