Religious Procession in Florence

Did you know that Florence and the rest of Italy has a sizable population of Peruvian immigrants?

We had no idea but we learned about it shortly after our arrival in Florence in October.

While sitting at a sidewalk café, a long religious procession passed by.  It turns out that Italy is home to about 250,000 Peruvians and it seemed that a lot of them walked in the procession.

Our friendly waiter explained to us that, during the month of October, Peru is the scene of many religious processions and historical observances.  Here in Florence, Peruvians have imported these traditions and engage in similar activities during October, like the event pictured below.   

The event we saw was The Procession of the Lord of the Miracles (in Spanish, El Señor de los Milagros).  The background is that slaves from Angola who were living in Lima, Peru in the mid-1600's painted an image of Jesus on the wall of their place of worship.  An earthquake devastated Lima in 1655, including the building where painting was located.  The entire building collapsed except for the wall with the painting.  The image became a focal point of worship for many in Peru and was associated with later miraculous events.  The image was named El Señor de los Milagros.  Today, in Peru as in Florence, the image is the centerpiece of religious processions during October.

Below are some photos of the procession we saw in Florence. 

The Procession of El Señor de los Milagros

Participants wear clothing that is colored deep purple.

The band played with conviction and sometimes on key.