ONCE makes 3D Virgen replica for Cartagena

Fundación ONCE has created a 3D tactile replica of Cartagena’s Virgen de la Piedad, a project intended to let blind and visually impaired people experience one of the city’s best-known Holy Week images through touch. COPE Cartagena reported on May 23 that the replica would be presented on Monday in what it described as a first for Cartagena’s Semana Santa. The initiative centers on the Santísima Virgen de la Piedad, a figure closely tied to the city’s Marraja brotherhood and its Lunes Santo procession. Cartagena’s Semana Santa is listed by the city as an event of International Tourist Interest. ### What exactly has Fundación ONCE made? COPE Cartagena reported that Fundación ONCE produced a 3D replica of the Virgen de la Piedad so the image can be explored by touch. The outlet said the model reproduces the sculpture with “millimetric” detail and is designed so people who cannot access the image visually can perceive its form through their hands. (cope.es) Fundación ONCE says on its website that it works on inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities, including the promotion of accessible products and services. In this case, the accessible format is a tactile one: a religious image translated into a three-dimensional object that can be handled directly. ### Why this image in Cartagena? (cope.es) The Virgen de la Piedad is one of the most recognizable devotional images in Cartagena’s Holy Week calendar. The Semana Santa de Cartagena website identifies the Santísima Virgen de la Piedad as part of the Cofradía Marraja, and COPE’s Holy Week coverage described the image as the focus of the brotherhood’s first Lunes Santo procession of 2026. (fundaciononce.es) Europa Press reported in April 2025 that Cartagena had marked the centenary of the arrival of the image of José Capuz to the city, underlining its local religious and cultural significance. That recent centenary helps explain why access to this specific image carries weight for residents and visitors familiar with Cartagena’s Holy Week traditions. (semanasanta.cartagena.es) ### How does the tactile version change access? COPE Cartagena said the project will allow blind people, for the first time, to touch a version of the venerated image. Religious sculptures used in processions are generally observed at a distance or under controlled conditions, which can limit access for people who rely on touch rather than sight. (europapress.es) ONCE says its broader mission is to support autonomy and inclusion for blind and visually impaired people. Applied to Cartagena’s Holy Week, that means converting a visual and ceremonial reference point into something legible through touch. That interpretation comes from ONCE’s published mission and COPE’s description of how the replica will be used. (cope.es) ### Who is involved besides Fundación ONCE? COPE Cartagena named José Luis Martínez Donoso in its report on the initiative, though the search excerpt did not include his remarks. The same report framed the project as a local presentation tied to Cartagena and to the city’s Semana Santa setting. (once.es) The Semana Santa de Cartagena website places the Virgen de la Piedad within the city’s established Holy Week structure, which is organized around brotherhoods, processions and a dedicated public-facing program. That local framework gives the replica a setting beyond a museum display: it is tied to an active religious calendar with named institutions and recurring public events. (cope.es) ### When and where will people encounter it? COPE Cartagena reported on May 23 that Fundación ONCE would present the replica on Monday. The report located the initiative in Cartagena and described it as a project for local residents and visitors linked to the city’s Semana Santa tradition. (semanasanta.cartagena.es) Cartagena’s Holy Week website continues to publish news and programming tied to the season, including items in May 2026, indicating that the religious institutions around the event remain active beyond the main procession dates. The next concrete step in this story is the Monday presentation of the tactile replica in Cartagena, where Fundación ONCE and local Holy Week participants are expected to show how the model will be used. (cope.es) (semanasanta.cartagena.es)