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Lord of Miracles, Peru
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LORD OF MIRACLES

The Lord of Miracles (in Spanish: Señor de los Milagros), also known as "Christ of Miracles", is an image painted of Jesus Christ that is venerated in Lima, Peru. The image was painted during the 17th century by Benito or Pedro Dalcon, an African taken from what is now Angola to Peru as a slave. An annual procession commemorating the image occurs every October. It is one of the oldest Catholic traditions in Peru. It is one of the largest religious processions in the world.
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The Lord of Miracles (in Spanish: Señor de los Milagros), also known as "Christ of Miracles", is an image painted of Jesus Christ that is venerated in Lima, Peru. The image was painted during the 17th century by Benito or Pedro Dalcon, an African taken from what is now Angola to Peru as a slave. An annual procession commemorating the image occurs every October. It is one of the oldest Catholic traditions in Peru. It is one of the largest religious processions in the world.
Each October, one of Peru’s most important and well attended local festivals takes place in Lima, the Procession of the Lord of the Miracles, or El Señor de los Milagros. October is known as Mes Morado (or the purple month) as festival goers dress from head to toe in purple as a sign of their devotion to El Señor. Female followers of the Lord of the Miracles often wear purple for the entire month of October, and are easily identifiable by a purple dress belted with a white cord. Drawing the largest number of participants in South America each year, the procession is held across several days with one 24-hour event hosting thousands of purple clad worshippers. Festival celebrants dress in purple tunics, sing hymns and pray as they accompany a large platform featuring the painting of El Señor from the church of Las Nazarenas where it is housed down the procession route. Around this time of year, the streets fill with vendors of a wide variety of typical dishes and sweets, such as the famous Turrón de Doña Pepa.
Like most countries in South America, Peru is quite religious. The vast majority of its population still holds true to Catholic tradition. One of the biggest annual religious festivals in Peru, or anywhere in South America, is the Lord of Miracles festival (in Spanish: La Fiesta del Señor de los Milagros). If you are planning on being in Lima in October, here is a guide for attending the Lord of Miracles festival. We’ll also introduce you to a few local traditions related to it. Señor de los Milagros is Lima’s Patron Saint. The Lord of Miracles is a 17th century mural of a crucifix with the Virgin Mary and St. Mary Magdalene at the bottom of the crucifix.
October is the purple month in Lima and Limeños pay homage to their most venerated religious figure: El Señor de los Milagros or also known as Cristo de Pachacamilla. Often dressed in purple frocks, worshippers carry an image of the Lord of Miracles, the patron saint of Lima, in huge processions throughout the city. According to religious belief, in 1651 an Angolan slave painted an image of a black Jesus Christ on a wall of one of the barracks in his neighborhood. As usual for Christianized Africans, a few slaves soon worshiped the painting by night, praying and bringing offerings. In 1655, a heavy earthquake struck Lima, leaving the city reduced to rubble. It is said that the only thing still standing was the wall where a few years earlier the Angolan slave had painted the Christ image. Since then, the adoration for the painting flourished.
It’s a typical spring day in Lima: cloudy and grey, but hot and humid, too. The streets in Lima’s historical center are decorated in a deep purple, with banners waving and hanging down from second-story balconies and windows. The crowds have arrived and they’re peaceful and happy for such a large gathering. Vendors are milling in out of the crowd, selling popcorn, sodas, water, and plenty of purple gear. Why has everyone gathered here on this October day? To celebrate a painting of Jesus that miraculously survived a devastating Lima earthquake in the 16th century.
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