Black Jesus

Description

Cristo Negro (Black Christ; also known as “Nazareno”, “Naza”, “el Negro”, “el Negrito”, “el Cristo”, and “el Santo”) is a wooden statue of Jesus Christ in Iglesia de San Felipe in Portobelo, Panama. The statue was found on the shores of the town’s harbour. Life size, it is adorned with a robe that is changed twice a year, once during the Festival of the Black Christ and during Holy Week. Black Christ is venerated throughout the year, most particularly on October 21, during the Festival of the Black Christ.

A similar image called The Black Nazarene is venerated in the Philippines.

The Black Nazarene (Spanish: El Nazareno Negro; Filipino: Poóng Itím na Nazareno) is a life-sized dark statue of Jesus Christ carrying the True Cross. The venerated image is enshrined in the Minor Basilica and National Shrine of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines.

The image was reputedly carved by an unknown Mexican artist in the 16th century and then brought to the Philippines in 1606. It depicts Jesus en route to his crucifixion.

Pious believers claim that physically touching the image can grant miracles and cure diseases. The original image or its replica is given a religious procession three times a year:

January 9 — the official Feast of the Black Nazarene commemorating the translation of the image from Intramuros.
Good Friday — its liturgical feast, commemorating the culmination of the Passion of Jesus.
December 31 — the eve of New Year commencing its novena

The Black Christ of Esquipulas is a darkened wooden image of Christ enshrined within the Cathedral Basilica of Esquipulas in Esquipulas, Guatemala. It is one of the famed black Christological images of Latin America.

Pious legends claim the image was darkened due to Spanish missionaries who wished to convert the natives who worshiped pagan nebular deity “Ek-Kampulá” in the area.

By the 17th century, a devotion associated with an image became known as the “Miraculous Lord of Esquipulas” or the “Miraculous Crucifix venerated in the town called Esquipulas”. Esquipulas holds its patronal festival on January 15, when the largest number of pilgrims come from Guatemala and neighboring Central American countries. The shrine of El Santuario de Chimayó in Chimayo, New Mexico also honors the image. A pending application for Canonical coronation of the image was submitted to the Vatican.