Semana Santa…The meeting of the two Anders in the Plaza.

The procession began in the Dominican Monastery – El Monasterio de Santa Clara, another wonderful old building constructed around 1578. We walked up to the Monastery at about 6.30 p.m. to view the two Anders; at that stage the building was fairly crowded with the local people who were preparing to escort both statues through the streets of Ayacucho.

The Christus is on the right and the Virgin on the left.
The actual name of this particular procession is ‘En la Processión de El Encuentro’, the procession of the Ander bearing the figure of the Christus and the Ander bearing the figure of the Virgin and their subsequent encounter in the Plaza de Armas.

Two other figures also were taken in procession, however, these Anders were much smaller.

One bore the figure of St. John the Apostle…

…and the other figure was that of Veronica, the woman who wiped the face of Jesus.
Apparently the actual procession began after Mass; the Christus left the Monastery before the Virgin. They both took the same route to the Plaza, however, the Virgin arrived almost an hour after the Christus.


The crowd in the Plaza just gets larger and larger. Last night it was almost impossible to move freely in any one direction. Literally thousands had arrived to witness the encounter. For the life of me I do not know how some of the very old people, and the very young, survive in the crush. I am certain that over half of the crowd don’t see a thing due to the height, or lack of it!

Each Ander then proceeded to take a different route around the Plaza progressing very slowly until the Ander bearing the Virgin moved to the side of that bearing the Christus, and after a moment they both ‘bowed’ to each other and remained in that position for quite awhile. As you can imagine the crowd exploded in applause, as also did the fireworks.

Would you believe that by the time I had guessed the closest point to the meeting the crowd had hemmed me in behind one of the pillars of the colonnade!

My view of the actual bowing was very much limited to a side to side view. If I had of stayed put with Marion apparently my view for a photograph would have been unimpeded. Oh well, at least I know what I saw.

By the time both Anders proceeded to leave the Plaza you have to realise that the procession began at 8.00 p.m., it arrived in the Plaza around 9.00 p.m., the encounter took place at 10.40 p.m. and we walked back into the Hotel at 11.50 p.m.; a very long but memorable night.