The small church is the home of the Hermandad de la Macarena, a 400-year-old Catholic brotherhood that dresses up in ominous black robes each year and leads an infamous procession through the city of Sevilla during Semana Santa (holy week), just before Easter. This semi-secret brotherhood has had a fraught history with the Catholic church and was denied legitimacy for centuries. With the popularization of Semana Santa in the 20th century, the brotherhood’s procession through the streets of Sevilla on the eve of Good Friday is one of the most anticipated events of the year While the basilica itself may underwhelm, the clear attraction here is the museum next door, which gives you a full history of Semana Santa and the peculiar story of this secret brotherhood. -