United by Faith: New World meets Old World in the historic center of Bologna
I’ve stumbled upon a religious street procession in Bologna, Italy, with all the usual accompaniments: thick incense in the air, a marching band, men shouldering gilded floats adorned with a cosmology of religious iconography. Only, this isn’t an Italian procession per se.
Italy isn’t exactly known for its multiculturalism, but every October, Peruvians in Bologna celebrate the Festa del Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles): a solemn street procession in honour of a venerated painting of a crucified Jesus that miraculously survived a powerful earthquake in Lima in 1655. The earthquake reduced hundreds of churches and homes to rubble and left thousands dead and homeless. And yet, the painting remained intact. According to Catholics, the icon's survival was an act of divine intervention.