IGLESIA SAN FELIPE
The church has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, most recently in 1814. The bell tower dates from 1945. It houses the famous Black Christ, known as El Nazareño, a wooden statue blackened by the smoke of candles, said to have been found in 1658 by fishermen in a crate thrown overboard by the sailors of a Spanish ship about to sink. This was their sixth attempt to leave the bay. Each time, the ship bound for Cartagena in Colombia was repelled by a storm. This time, it succeeded... For the inhabitants, it was a sign: Christ wanted to stay here. He was installed in the church.
And that's not all: in 1821, Portobelo was one of the few villages to escape a cholera epidemic that affected the entire isthmus. This miracle was attributed to Cristo. Since then, the event has been celebrated every year on October 21. Other versions of his arrival in Portobelo exist, and numerous miracles are attributed to him... On the eve of the ceremonies, hundreds of pilgrims dressed in purple tunics, some carrying a heavy cross in penitence, walk to Portobelo, sometimes on their knees! On D-day, the jubilant faithful attend the processions in honor of Christ. Not to be missed! But be warned: it is said that he is also the saint of thieves, and the patron saint of boxers and salseros! In 1974, the Puerto Rican Ismaël Rivera, who had come off drugs after his encounter with Cristo, dedicated a song to him, which became a hit: El Nazareño.
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