Built in the early 1700s, the Santuario y Convento de las Nazarenas is a special location for every Peruvian, especially for limeños. The Carmelite Sisters who have lived here for several centuries take care of the Patron of the City of Lima, El Señor de Los Milagros.
El Señor de Los Milagros is a simple depiction of Christ crucified with his mother and Saint John standing at his side. Above the cross descends the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and farther above is a bearded God the Father blessing Christ and holding an orb. The image was painted on the adobe wall of a storehouse in 1651 by an unknown Angolan slave. In 1655 an earthquake shook Lima killing thousands and destroying much of the city. The storehouse containing the image collapsed entirely except the wall with El Señor de los Milagros.
Soon miracles were reported to happen at the site so a small chapel was built. In 1671 a Mass was celebrated at the chapel with the presence of the viceroy, the representative of the King of Spain in Peru. An earthquake and tidal wave in 1687 destroyed the original chapel, yet the adobe wall remained intact. A Church was built at the site, incorporating the adobe wall so Christ would be behind the high altar. Since 1771 the care of Lima’s most recognized religious icon has been entrusted to the Nazarene Sisters who live at the convent adjacent to the church.
Throughout October processions take the official replica of El Señor de Los Milagros throughout the city. On October 18th, the mayor of Lima renders homage to Our Lord at the city’s center square in the name of the nine million inhabitants of Lima.
Confraternities of men and women throughout Peru organize processions at their local parishes. While in seminary, I had the honor to participate in Señor de los Milagros processions at Saint Peter Square and Rome’s cathedral, Saint John Lateran. Several years after ordination I celebrated the Mass for this feast for the Peruvian community in Atlanta, and for the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate it in Savannah at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
October is unique month in Lima. Religious fervor increases, many people wear purple habits with thick white cinctures in honor of El Señor de Los Milagros, processions take place and special foods are eaten. This is one of the many unique places of Catholic Lima. A museum chronicling this devotion in the history of the city has recently opened next to the church and is worth a visit. A wonderful video in its first room captures the love limeños have for El Señor de Los Milagros. Located just a few blocks away from the birth house of Saint Martin and Sanctuary of Saint Rose, this is a place you will not want to miss. Address: Jirón Huancavelica 515.
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