In the very front were a few women carrying 3 standards and what we later came to find out was the flag of Peru. Then there were women in robes and veils, walking backwards, who had incense in burners making the sign of the cross, singing and genuflecting. Next were purple clad men carrying a huge altarpiece adorned with a mural, flowers, and candles; 12 men in front and 12 in back. All followed by a band playing very slow almost mournful songs.
El Señor de los Milagros (The Lord of Miracles), is a centuries old painting on the wall of an obscure church in central Lima. In 1651 an Angolan slave who had converted to Catholicism painted a mural of a dark-skinned Christ on the cross on the wall of a building in the outskirts of Lima where new followers of the faith gathered to pray. When an earthquake struck the city four years later the entire building collapsed except for the wall adorned with the painting. Over the next several decades, the image became associated with miraculous incidents and more and more people, particularly the descendents of slaves, began to worship at the site.
This concerned both the church and Spanish authorities and, in 1671, the image was ordered destroyed. According to legend, workers were not able to do so due to various events – which included thunderstorms and paralysis, heart attack, and other mysterious illnesses to those who were commissioned to do so. Finally officials gave in and a church was built on the site, The Church of Las Nazarenas.
In 1687 another earthquake struck Lima, the chapel was destroyed, but once again, the wall with the painting remained standing. This strengthened the significance of the image to the faithful and church leaders ordered a painting of the image to be taken out in procession and the tradition continues to this day. In 1715 it was named the patron of Lima: El Señor de los Milagros.
In October 1746 another huge earthquake struck, the disaster claimed more than 18,000 lives and almost every building was leveled. All 74 churches and 14 monastic buildings in the city were seriously damaged including the church of the Las Nazarenas and, once again, the image and the wall that held it were unscathed. This cemented the image’s importance to Lima and Peru.
From that time the devotion of the image to Peru has grown dramatically. Today, the procession in Lima is the largest in South America and it brings hundreds of thousands to the center of the city to take part. Three times during the month of October a two-ton retablo, holding a silver framed copy of the original, is carried through the center of Lima.
The honor of carrying the sacred image is shared by numerous brotherhoods who take turns bearing it though the streets. Women in lace veils who belong to religious groups wear purple robes precede the icon along its journey. They walk backward, sing and fan incense toward the image to cleanse and freshen the air.
The artwork that is found on the road is called Alfombras. They are a temporary pieces of artwork created to show the devotion and faith of Catholic people who dedicate the work and effort to receive the blessing of the image that comes to visit their neighborhood.
In Peru the month of October is known as the mes morado, or purple month. It is full observations in honor of the patron, whose color is purple; therefore the city and many people are adorned with purple throughout the month. Coincidently the color of Florence is purple too.