January 9 is the feast of Black Nazarene

The Black Nazarene is a life-sized, dark-skinned statue of Jesus Christ that a priest bought in Mexico, and carved by an Aztec carpenter. The image is now enshrined in the [[minor basilica]] in Quiapo, Manila, Philippines and the day on which devotees go to the church is Friday. Image File history File links Nazareno2. ... Image File history File links Nazareno2. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Aztecs were a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries who built an extensive empire in the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology. ... The Basilica of St. ...

History

The statue was brought to Manila by the first group of Augustinian Recollect friars in 1606. The image was enshrined at the first Recollect church in Bagumbayan (now part of the Rizal Park), which was inaugurated on September 10, 1606, and placed under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist. The City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila), or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... Events January 27 - The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins ending in their execution on January 31 May 17 - Supporters of Vasili Shusky invade the Kremlin and kill Premier Dmitri December 26 - Shakespeares King Lear performed in court Storm buries a village of St Ismails near... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In 1608, the second bigger Recollect church dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino(Saint Nicholas of Tolentine ) was completed inside Intramuros (where the building of Bulletln Today now stands), where the image of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno was transferred. The Recollect Fathers then 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 on April 21, 1621. The confraternity obtained Papal approval on April 20, 1650, from His Holiness Pope Innocent X. Intramuros circa 1920s Walls of Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, is the oldest among the districts of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. ... Innocent X, born Giovanni Battista Pamphili (May 6, 1574 – January 7, 1655) was Pope from 1644 to 1655. ...

Sometime in the year 1787, the Archbishop of Manila, Basilio Sancho de Santas Junta y Rufina, ordered transfer of the image of the Nazareno to the church in Quiapo, again providently placed under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. ...

The image survived the great fires that destroyed Quiapo Church in 1791 and 1929, the great earthquakes of 1645 and 1863, and the destructive bombing of Manila in 1945 during World War II.

Recently, however, in 1998, a replica of the original Black Nazarene was first paraded due to the repeated damages on the statue. Today this replica is still used in processions while the original rests inside the church, and other, even smaller replicas can be found in other churches.

Devotion

The devotion to Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno has attracted an even bigger following. Its popularity, which initially spread to the northern and southern provinces of Luzon, spreads overtime throughout the country. Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ...

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, and Pius VII in the 19th century, by granting indulgence to those who piously pray before the image of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo. Diego Velazquez portrait, which Innocent X found too truthful Innocent X, né Giovanni Battista Pamphili (May 6, 1574 - January 5, 1655), Pope from 1644 to 1655, was born in Rome in 1574, attained the dignity of cardinal in 1629. ... Pius VII, né Giorgio Barnaba Luigi Chiaramonti, (August 14, 1740 - August 20, 1823) was Pope from March 14, 1800 to August 20, 1823. ...

Today, despite the rough and tumble that usually accompany 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 warning; death, wounds, bodily pains and physical discomfort notwithstanding.

For more than 200 years, the statue has been placed on a gilded carriage every January and pulled through the streets of Quiapo by male devotees dressed in maroon. People who touch the Nazarene are reported to sometimes be healed of diseases. Catholics come from all over Manila on the chance that they will be able to get close enough to touch the image and perhaps receive a miracle. They also throw towels to the people guarding the statue and ask them to rub the towel 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 the January 9. It is usually the single largest festival of the year in the Philippines. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...