Black Nazarene
The Black Nazarene Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno Poóng Itím na Nazareno | |
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Cross | |
Feast day | (liturgical) |
The Black Nazarene (
The image was reputedly carved by an unknown Mexican artist in the 16th century and then brought to the Philippines in 1606.[2][3] It depicts Jesus en route to his crucifixion.
Pious believers claim that physically touching the image can bring miracles and cure diseases.[2][3][4] The original image or its replica is given a religious procession three times a year:
- January 9 — the official 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.[3][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Name and parts
The image derives its official name from "Nazarene", a title of Christ identifying him as a native of Nazareth, along with its dark complexion (unusual for depictions of Jesus, even in the Philippines).
Main carriage
The image's wooden base is referred to as the peana while its carriage or carroza used in
Composition and main replica
There is no singular complete image of the Black Nazarene as there are several images and replicas in different combinations.
- The Vicário is the replica processional image, used for the annual Traslación, as well as the New Year's Eve and Good Friday processions.
- The head of the original Black Nazarene is on the image enshrined in the high altar, which has a body made of molave wood (Vitex parviflora or Vitex cofassus).
- The original right hand of the image is kept in the office of the parish priestthat is used for blessing people, especially the sick and dying.
- The Vicário retains the original body torso, with a replica head of Litsea leytensis wood (Filipino: Batikulíng)
Other replicas
Aside from the original image on the high altar and the Vicário main replica, the basilica also owns three external replicas of the image, called Callejeros.
These sanctioned replicated statues are sent to visit various shrines in across the different dioceses in the country according to popular demand.
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2014) |
Original image
The image was made by an anonymous
Researcher of Catholic theology Monsignor Sabino Vengco, meanwhile, claims that the image is not charred, but is in fact dark through to its core, being carved from mesquite wood. Vengco based this claim on personal research in Mexico, where he said mesquite wood was a popular medium in the period the image was carved. He also likened it to Our Lady of Antipolo, another popular image of similar provenance and appearance.[12]
The image was first enshrined in the Church of
Replica and vandalism (1998)
On 9 January 1787, the Augustinian Recollect priests donated a copy of the image to the Church of the Camisa (later renamed Quiapo Church). This donation is celebrated by the faithful every January 9 by means of a procession (the Traslación) from Quiapo Church to Rizal Park (where the aforementioned Church of San Juan Bautista, the image's first home once stood in Bagumbayan) and back to Quiapo.
In the 1990s, the
The archdiocese later commissioned Mr. Gener Maglaqui, Filipino santero (English: a sculptor of religious images), to sculpt a replica of the head and body. The Augustinian Recollects head of 1787 now sits atop the 1990s body, which remains enshrined behind the church's main altar. The 1990s head was placed atop the Augustinian Recollects body. It is this composite combination which is used during major processions.[14]
The image celebrated its
Description
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2014) |
The Black Nazarene wears a braided
Jesus is shown barefoot and in a
Vestments
The image is dressed in a heavy
The vestments of the image are changed in the rite of Pabihis (English: Vesting the image), which is presided over by a
Pontifical approbations
- .
- plenary indulgenceto those who piously pray before the Christological image.
- Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli.[a]
Pious cult and veneration
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2014) |
Veneration of the Black Nazarene is rooted among Filipinos who strongly identify with the passion and suffering of Christ the image depicts. Many devotees of the Black Nazarene relate their poverty and daily struggles to the Passion of Christ.
Some believers practice walking in barefoot as a form of piety while others make an effort to ride on the carriage in the belief of obtaining graces from the devotional image. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, procession of the image was relatively solemn and peaceful. The rowdy and massive nature of the procession began in the 1960s as the population grew and greater hype surrounded the image.
While the actual patron saint of the basilica is John the Baptist (making its feast day June 24, concurrent with the secular Manila Day), the Black Nazarene and its Traslación are more popular.
At the end of each Mass said in the basilica, devotees pay homage to the image by clapping their hands. In addition to the novena, Traslación, Pahalík, and the Pabihis, the Pasindí ("lighting") or lighting of votive candles is another popular devotion, as is the decades-old, reverential custom of creeping on one's knees down the main aisle towards the altar and image.
The Friday of each week in the year (except Good Friday, the image's liturgical commemoration) is colloquially known in
The attached
The largest annual procession for the Black Nazarene is the January 9 Traslación procession on the Feast of the Black Nazarene, attracting millions of Catholic devotees, who try to touch or get their towel wiped by the image carriers on the image to attain its blessings and power.[7][8][17] Along with Santo Niño (Child Jesus), it is the most popular object of devotion in the Philippines.[10] In 2011, over six million Catholic devotees flocked to the Feast of the Black Nazarene.[18]
Music
The hymn Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno was composed by National Artist of the Philippines, Lucio San Pedro to honor the image. It is used by the basilica as the official anthem to the image and associated rites.
The image is also prominently featured on the front cover of Pabasa books, a Lenten manual hymn commemorating the life and Passion of Jesus Christ.
Claims of indigenous idolatry
According to the rector of the basilica, Father José Clemente Ignacio, the image's procession and devotional practices reflect the "Filipino trait to want to wipe, touch, kiss, or embrace sacred objects if possible", and reflect an indigenous belief in "the presence of the Divine in sacred objects and places."[19]
According to Jaime Laya, these practices are a modernized form of indigenous idolatry, a continuation of the pre—Christian practice of revering sacred objects by pious touching (Filipino: Hipo / Himas).[20] Elizabeth Pisares also states that this is a revised idolatry of pre—colonial times, and suggests its link with social disparities among Filipinos.[21]
According to Mariano Barbato, the debate over the icon comes down to personal interpretations of what constitutes idolatry.[22]
See also
- Feast of the Black Nazarene
- Cristo Negro (Portobelo)
- Black Madonna
- Santo Niño de Cebú
- List of statues of Jesus
References
- S2CID 192961308.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-135-22065-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59884-206-7.
- ^ John N. Schumacher (1968), The Depth of Christianization in Early Seventeenth-Century Philippines, Philippine Studies, Vol. 16, No. 3 (JULY 1968), pages 535-539
- ISBN 978-1-135-22065-5.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-3332-8.
- ^ a b Tony Twigg (2015), THE BLACK NAZARENE, A PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ETHO Archived December 22, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, TAASA Review, Volume 24, Number 2 (June 2015), pages 16-18
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8264-9823-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4629-1427-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-513886-3.
- ISBN 978-1-59884-206-7.
- ^ De Guzman, Odi (January 8, 2015). "Black or white: The Nazarene and the Pinoy devotion". GMA News Online. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Pineda, Patrick. "Pamimintuho bilang Pakikiisa: The Black Nazarene and Physical Practices of Devotion as Imitatio Christi". Academia. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ de Guzman, Nicai (January 9, 2019). "Black Nazarene: The Tale of Traslación". Esquire. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ Michael M. Ramos (2015), POPULAR RELIGIOSITY: A FILIPINO EXPERIENCE OF AN INCULTURATED FAITH, Canadian International Journal of Social Science and Education, Volume 7, page 246; Quote: "This confraternity of the Nazarene was officially authorized by the bull of Pope Innocent X expedited in Rome on April 20, 1650, "By which the confraternity of N.P. Jesus Nazareno was erected and founded in the Church of the Agustinos Recoletos Descalzos in the city of Manila, and by virtue of which many graces and indulgences were granted to the members".
- ISBN 978-88-7652-944-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4629-1427-2.
- ^ Jose Alain Austria (2012), Hijos de Enero 9: Quiapo's Black Nazarene Procession as a Male Rite of Passage, Manila Journal, Volume 8, Number 1, page 15; Quote: "This year [2011] approximately 6.5 million devotees flocked to Quiapo and the Luneta, joining the longest procession on record of sixteen hours. (...) What seems to be pure mayhem in the eyes of the on-looker, or pure faith on the part of the religious, is also a complex of herculean tasks that the young male devotee must perform not only to gain graces, but also to earn the approval of both his peers, the elder male devotees, and most importantly the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno.".
- ^ Jazmin Badong Llana (2014), Inaesthetics of Performance in the Black Nazarene Procession, De La Salle University, DLSU Research Congress 2014, page 3
- ISBN 978-971-27-1143-5.
- OCLC 43832108.
- ISBN 978-1-137-27581-3.
- Vatican Secret Archives.
External links
- Quiapo Church Website Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene – Parish of Saint John the Baptist • Quiapo • Manila
- GMA NEWS.TV, Emergency: Pista ng Nazareno - 01/12/2008
- GMA NEWS.TV, Gma News Research, The Black Nazarene
- Pinoys celebrate 405th anniversary of the Black Nazarene 2012
- Inquirer News | Philippine Catholic pilgrims defy terror alert
- Manila Bulletin | Devotees defy threat