Families of Spain’s coronavirus victims attended a mass funeral service at Seville Cathedral in one of the largest social gatherings since lockdown.
More than 500 people wore face masks and sat in chairs separated by two meters – instead of pews – on Thursday as they paid tribute to family members who had died from the disease.
Heartbroken relatives and city officials clasped their hands and bowed their heads in prayer throughout the service, which was officiated by archbishop of Seville, Juan Jose Asenjo, and attended by Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno.
The ceremony was strictly invite only in a bid to ensure social distancing measures were maintained, and relatives had to email beforehand to ensure a seat would be reserved.
Dozens of people wore face masks as they sat two metres apart from each other during the service
Devastated relatives attended the memorial mass for Seville’s coronavirus victims in memory of those who had lost their lives
Choir members stood during the memorial mass before they performed Mozart’s Requiem
Some attendees had travelled hundreds of miles from other parts of Spain where ceremonies are not yet allowed.
‘It is very possible that in the past three months many of us have, like Jesus, lifted our eyes to the heavens and asked ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’,’ Archbiship Asenjo said as he opened the service.
A nearly 90-strong choir and orchestra performed Mozart’s Requiem in memory of the 287 people who have died from the virus in Seville as family members wiped tears away under the cathedral’s towering vaulted ceiling.
Service attendees were seen clasping their hands and bowing their heads in prayer
Juan Jose Asenjo Archbishop of Seville, right, is pictured arriving at the memorial service
A group of priests dressed in white robes and wearing face masks officiated the memorial mass
The archbishop of Seville, Juan Jose Asenjo, is seen walking down the aisle at the memorial mass at the Seville cathedral
Spain’s health ministry has confirmed that over 27,130 lives have been lost to the pandemic in the country – the fifth-highest rate in the world behind France, Brazil, Italy, the UK and the US.
The country has also seen more 240,660 confirmed cases of the killer bug, again the fifth-highest rate in the world.
Spain went into lockdown in mid March in a bid to curb a soaring number of cases and deaths, but restrictions have been gradually eased in a staged rollback with the country’s epidemic under control.
Seville is currently in phase two of the rollback,meaning that places of worship can operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Before communion was distributed, a priest gave clear instructions on how to take the wafers safely, removing masks for just a brief moment
Seville is currently in phase two of the rollback, meaning that places of worship can operate at 50 per cent capacity. Above, a woman looks on throughout the ceremony
Andalusian regional president, Juanma Moreno (centre) is pictured arrived at the memorial mass
Archbishop Juan Jose Asenjo conducted the funeral mass for the victims, with attendees describing the service as ‘very much appreciated’
‘For me this event is important because my sister has passed away in Madrid.. and we haven’t been able to hold a private ceremony because it’s not allowed in this phase,’ said a mourner called Maria who declined to give her family name.
‘But this (mass) is very much appreciated.’
The vast cathedral, a World Heritage Site where Christopher Columbus is buried, covers more than 11,000 square metres, with the choir and the orchestra set up in front of an intricately-carved wooden Gothic facade.
‘It’s a huge space. The cathedral has a capacity of 4,000 people but they have only put in 600 seats,’ said Jose Carlos Carmona, musical director of the Seville symphony orchestra and the university choir.
Performing together for the first time in three months, 27 musicians – all of them masked except for the wind players – accompanied four soloists and a 53-strong choir who sang without masks.
Carmona said a team of professionals had created a detailed plan with ‘very clear interpersonal distances between each member of the orchestra and the choir’ to keep within the guidelines.
‘This is a solemn event which expresses some of Seville’s pain but also that of Spain and the rest of the world,’ he added.
Acolytes wore protective face masks as they attended the funeral mass for Seville’s 287 victims of coronavirus
Two women are pictured in the cathedral of Seville after the memorial mass had finished
A man wearing a ribbon of the Spanish flag bowed his head as he listened to the ceremony
Worshipers closed their eyes in prayer during the orchestra and choir performance
Before communion was distributed, a priest gave clear instructions on how to take the wafers safely, removing masks for just a brief moment.
‘I think it’s important that there’s a recognition and memorial for the victims and the families of the more than 27,000 people who died.. It means they haven’t died in vain and that they have value, not just for their families but for the whole country.’ said Carmen Andrea, another of those in attendance.
Family members bowed on their knees behind chairs – instead of pews – while they prayed throughout the service
The ceremony was strictly invite only, and family members had to email beforehand to ensure a seat would be reserved
Priests line up to take communion during the mass tribute to coronavirus victims