- Black Nazarene
The Black Nazarene is a life-sized, dark-colored, wooden sculpture of
Jesus Christ held to be miraculous by its Filipino devotees. Its original carver was an anonymousAztec carpenter, and the image was transported bygalleon fromMexico . The image is currently enshrined in the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo,Manila ,Philippines .History
The statue was brought to
Manila by the first group ofAugustinian Recollect friars onMay 31 ,1606 . [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/7301/Black-Nazarene-image-400-years-in-Manila-on-Wednesday Black Nazarene image 400 years in Manila on Wednesday] GMA News.] The image was originally housed in the first Recollect church inBagumbayan (now part of the Rizal Park), which was inaugurated onSeptember 10 ,1606 , and placed under the patronage of SaintJohn the Baptist .In 1608, the image of the "Nazareno" was transferred to the second, bigger Recollect church dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino (
Saint Nicholas of Tolentine ). The Recollect Fathers vigorously promoted devotion to the Suffering of Our Lord represented by the image that in fifteen short years, the "Cofradia de Jesús Nazareno" was established onApril 21 ,1621 . Theconfraternity obtained Papal approval onApril 20 ,1650 , fromPope Innocent X .Sometime in the year 1787, then
Archbishop of Manila ,Basilio Sancho de Santas Junta y Rufina , ordered the transfer of the image of the "Nazareno" to the church in Quiapo, again providently placed under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist.The image survived the great
fires that destroyedQuiapo Church in 1791 and 1929, the great earthquakes of 1645 and 1863, and the destructive Bombing of Manila in 1945 duringWorld War II .Recently, however, in 1998, a replica of the original
Black Nazarene was first paraded due to the repeated damages inflicted on thestatue . Today thisreplica is still used in the processions while the original rests inside the church, and other, even smaller replicas can be found in other churches.Devotion
The devotion to the miraculous "Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno" has attracted huge following among the populace. Its popularity, which initially spread to the northern and southern provinces of
Luzon , spread over time throughout the country.The uniquely Filipino devotion to the Black Nazarene merited the sanction and encouragement of two popes:
Innocent X in 1650, with a Papal Bull canonically establishing the Cofradia de Jesús Nazareno, andPius VII in the 19th century, by granting indulgence to those who piously pray before the image of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo.Processions
Today, despite the rough-and-tumble that usually accompanies the thrice-yearly procession of the image, the Filipino people's devotion to God in the special appellation of "Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno" continues to flourish and shows no sign of waning; death, wounds, bodily pains and physical discomfort notwithstanding.
For more than 200 years, the statue has been placed on a gilded carriage every January 9th and pulled through the streets of Quiapo by male devotees clad in maroon. People who have touched the Nazarene are reported to have sometimes been healed of their diseases. Catholics come from all over
Manila for the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps even receive a miracle. They also throw towels or handkerchiefs to the people guarding the statue and ask them to rub them on the statue in hopes of carrying some of that power away with them.The procession, and the accompanying Feast of the Black Nazarene, takes place every year on
January 9 . This commemorates the "Translacion" or the transfer of the image to its present shrine in Quiapo Fact|date=January 2008Events in the 2008 feast
On
January 9 ,2008 , the number of devotees who joined the procession swelled to 80,000 in Quiapo,Manila . One-and-a-half to three million people can be accommodated aroundPlaza Miranda and Quezon Boulevard. [ [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=104924 Abs-Cbn Interactive, Crowd swells to 80,000 n Quiapo - police] ] [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/video/16524/QTV-Thousands-flock-to-Quiapo-for-Black-Nazarene-feast Gma News, QTV: Thousands flock to Quiapo for Black Nazarene feast - 01/09/2008] ] Two people died and around 50 injured devotees were rushed to 2 hospitals and a makeshift clinic of thePhilippine National Red Cross for first aid treatment, as the procession proceeded. [ [http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=104938 abs-cbnnews.com, Two dead, 7 hurt as Black Nazarene procession starts] ] Vice PresidentNoli de Castro , a known devotee of the statue, also joined the big procession. [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/home/16531/VP-De-Castro-among-Nazarene-devotees-inside-Quiapo-church GMA News.TV, VP De Castro among Nazarene devotees inside Quiapo church - 01/09/2008] ] [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/video/16530/Devotees-crowd-procession-of-Black-Nazarene www.gmanews.tv/video, Devotees crowd procession of Black Nazarene - 01/09/2008] ] MPD District Director Senior Supt. Roberto Rosales stated that the crowd swelled to 2.2 to 2.6 million "when others, including local residents, joined the procession along the 4.7-km route.” The procession ended at 9:45 p.m. [ [http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080110-111438/26M-devotees-at-Nazarene-feast-2-die-50-injured Inquirer.net, 2.6M devotees at Nazarene feast; 2 die, 50 injured] ] In 2006, 2 devotees also died and 20 others only were injured during the procession. [ [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j6uv3oHI7UqGZ077IApGIyDs_FfQD8U28TO81 ap.google.com/article, Filipino Devotees Honor Jesus Statue] ]References
External links
* [http://www.gmanews.tv/video/16655/Emergency-Pista-ng-Nazareno GMA NEWS.TV, Emergency: Pista ng Nazareno - 01/12/2008]
* [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/75864/The-Black-Nazarene GMA NEWS.TV, Gma News Research, The Black Nazarene]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
