EXTRA Alicante Policia Local officers are being deployed on Thursday and into the weekend as the city celebrates its 537th Santa Faz pilgrimage.

The event traditionally takes place on the Thursday in the week after Easter and attracts around 350,000 pilgrims.

It’s the second biggest walk of its kind in Spain, after the famous Santiago de Compostela route in the north-west.

SANTA FAZ MONASTERY

The weather forecast is excellent with no rain predicted.

Participants start at Alicante’s San Nicolas cathedral from 8am onwards to walk the 7.5 kilometre route to the Santa Faz monastery.

The monastery houses a famous relic known as the Veil of Veronica.

It is a piece of cloth that Veronica used to wipe the face of Jesus Christ as he travelled with a cross to his crucifixion at Mount Calvary.

The Veil can only be seen in conjunction with the annual pilgrimage and is locked up for the rest of the year.

VEIL OF VERONICA

As many people do the walk instead on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there is a party atmosphere for four days around Alicante with an array of stalls and entertainment laid on.

Besides controlling traffic and road closures on the pilgrimage route, the police using drones and beach quad bikes will be keeping an eye out for illegal outdoor alcohol parties involving young people known as botellons.

Special cleaning operations have been taking place across the route for the last week with 51 workers and 34 vehicles involved.

An additional 140 rubbish containers have been provided for pilgrims to use.
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