Overly long eyelashes, a veiled gaze: Seville's most important holy image has been restored. Believers worldwide are outraged.

Nothing is more sacred to the people of Seville than their statue of Maria Santísima de la Esperanza Macarena. At this year's Easter procession in Andalusia's capital, which, as always, gathered thousands of worshippers in the streets, everything was still in order. As usual, the 1.75-meter-tall figure made of pine and cedar wood was solemnly carried through the city center by seventy sturdy men, the so-called "costaleros." The Sevillians enthusiastically applauded the Macarena with her golden crown on her head, shouting "guapa," "guapa," which means "pretty one."

Then, after Corpus Christi, came the unpleasant surprise. When the Virgin stood again on the high altar of her church, the Basilica de la Macarena, after an elaborate restoration, the figure's otherwise gentle face had completely changed. People were most bothered by her overly long eyelashes, which obscured her vision. Her eyes were also narrower than before. Furthermore, her face, which had previously had a rather olive tone, had been polished too white.

"This is no longer my Macarena, they should never have done this," an elderly woman shouted to radio and television reporters outside the basilica. She was in tears. A week ago, she also lamented, the Macarena looked the same as ever.

Indeed, the Macarena's face had not only darkened because her eyes now appear more closed, but her drooping eyebrows intensified the effect. "The Macarena looks much more tired than before," a young Sevillian commented on the completely revamped Virgin. She should be immediately locked in the basilica; she could not be presented to Catholics in this way, wrote Sevillian Alvaro Escobedo in the daily newspaper "El Mundo."

The unfortunate restoration has also generated interest beyond Spain's borders. The British newspaper "The Times," for example, called it a "failed cosmetic surgery." The statue of the saint survived the Spanish Civil War unscathed, but not the most recent attack. The facial expression is now completely different.

Now, the devout Sevillians are wondering what might have happened during the general overhaul of their beloved Macarena. Between June 16 and 20, Professor Francisco Arquillo Torres subjected the Macarena to a "treatment." The Brotherhood of Esperanza Macarena had entrusted him with the statue. After all, 85-year-old Arquillo had already restored the Virgin in 1978 and 1992, always to the satisfaction of the faithful. Since then, he has been considered the saint's "family doctor." But this time, he was unsuccessful.

On the same day the Macarena was shown to the public, Arquillo offered to repair the damage, but his offer was rejected. Spanish media reported that during the most recent restoration, Arquillo subjected the statue to a CT scan and began work without consulting the Brotherhood. Sevillians also wonder why Arquillo wasn't successful this time. In the past, he had always satisfactorily restored statues of saints and works by artists such as Pablo Picasso and Goya.

The confraternity, which has more than 17,000 members, has since accepted the blame, and two members of its board have resigned. They said they did not want the Virgin's vision to change. "We apologize for the moral damage the faithful have suffered," they said in a statement. They acknowledge that they have acted wrongly. They will now try to reverse the change, as far as possible.

Whether the Madonna can regain her original visage is questionable. First, technicians from the prestigious Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage will examine the Macarena and oversee future restorations. Experts are calling for decisions regarding the restoration of devotional images to be made solely by state institutions, and not by confraternities.

At least the Macarena's brotherhood has now commissioned another restorer at short notice to trim her overly long eyelashes and add a touch of blush to her pale cheeks. But the Macarena hasn't yet lost her sad look.