On the occasion of the six hundredth anniversary of the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of the Innocent Martyrs and the Forsaken of Valencia, the Hortensia Herrero Foundation signed an agreement with the Archconfraternity by which the Foundation promoted the restoration of the central statue of Our Lady of the Forsaken, found in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken (Basílica de la Virgen de los Desaparados) in Valencia, in addition to the shrine in which it is located.
The works covered by the agreement were done by the Generalitat Valenciana through CulturArts IVAC+R and lasted for five months. In March 2014 the new statue was presented to the faithful in an act presided over by the Archbishop of Valencia, Carlos Osoro, and Hortensia Herrero.
The restoration of the statue of the patron saint of Valencia, the Virgin of the Forsaken, allows us to see the original carving dating to the beginning of the 15th century. For more than 350 years, the faithful had not seen the original because it was always covered by baroque aprons or scapulars, which have now been removed so that the “simple beauty” of the historical statue can be fully appreciated.
Hortensia Herrero, president of the Foundation that bears her name and that promoted the restoration, was elated: “It is of great satisfaction having contributed to this restoration so that València can once again enjoy the original statue of the Geperudeta, as we popularly call it, which now looks spectacular thanks to the great work of the team of Carmen Pérez”.
“It is a great honour for me, being an admirer of our Patron Lady, given its importance to me personally, and it is also a special moment for my family, because I have celebrated very special moments with my husband in front of this statue, for example when Valencia Basket won its titles,” explained Hortensia Herrero during her speech.