On Maundy Thursday afternoon, the streets begin to fill with visitors. Anyone wanting to see the performance in the square knows it is worth planning ahead and buying tickets in advance. Meanwhile, the village moves from preparations to the first public events of the day.
In Verges, they are les manages
Before describing the parade, a brief word about the name of the Roman soldiers. Here they are les manages, with a feminine article in Catalan. In other towns you may hear the name manaies; in Verges, the local name is les manages. It is a small distinction that is also part of how we tell the story of the celebration.
From the church to the Placeta
Before taking to the streets, the manages enter the church solemnly and bow together before the altar. The afternoon parade usually takes place around five, according to that edition’s programme. Drum rolls and trumpets announce that the formation is on the move.
At the Placeta de l’1 d’Octubre, shields, breastplates and the rhythm of the spears give the display its force. The formations known as sardanes and the crossing manoeuvres demand precision: ranks open, meet and form again. Through the village, the soldiers march two or four abreast, depending on the street and the type of step.
Who makes up the procession?
The composition published by the Associació La Processó de Verges, checked in October 2026, is as follows:
- 48 manages and 6 captains.
- 6 drummers, 2 bass drums and 6 trumpeters.
- 2 child flag-bearers and 2 adult flag-bearers.
- 1 standard-bearer carrying the eagle and the letters SPQR.
SPQR stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus, the Senate and people of Rome. This list describes the formation published by the Association; each year’s programme should be checked for changes and times.
Collecting the processional statues
After the display, the manages collect various misteris that neighbours have prepared and decorated during the morning, including the Pistolets, the Nazarene, Our Lady of Sorrows and the Pietà. They escort them to the church, where the statues wait to join the night-time Procession.
The account of earlier years recalls visiting the school courtyard to collect the Pistolets, with another display to the sound of drums and trumpets. It is one of those scenes that reveal the connection between the statues and the neighbourhoods. For today’s locations and order of stops, follow the route announced by the organisers.
A bite to eat before a long night
The traditional account of this day recalls a pause when many participants took the opportunity to go home for something to eat. A long and perhaps cold night lay ahead. This short break, between the noise of the afternoon and the solemnity of the night, is also part of experiencing the day from within.
Check the programme to confirm times and continue with Maundy Thursday night. The day-by-day guide follows the whole of Holy Week in Verges.
The neighbourhood work behind the statues
The afternoon collection completes work that does not begin with the parade. Writing about 1996, Màriam Serrà describes the earlier transfer of the statues from the church and their decoration in the neighbourhoods. Preparing, looking after, decorating and transporting them are related tasks, but are not necessarily performed by the same people.
Concepció Nadal Coloma recalls the responsibilities of the pabordessa who looked after the Dolorosa, and how her mother passed that work to her. She also describes the effort of carrying the statue along uneven streets. This is her experience, not a complete chronology of all its bearers. Nor should the Dolorosa be described as the only image carried by hand: the Sant Crist is carried too.
Sources for this addition
Màriam Serrà, Verges i la processó que no es veu (1998), pp. 79–80 and 87–90, observations from 1996. Interview with Concepció Nadal Coloma in the Memòria Viva La Processó project, analysed as part of this research.
