MANILA, Philippines—The Black Nazarene has been housed at the Saint John de Baptist Church in Quiapo, Manila, since 1787.

The life-size statue was brought to Manila from Mexico by a Spanish priest in 1607 and was said to have survived a fire while aboard the ship. The image was charred but was preserved, which explains its color.

It has also survived fires that engulfed the church in 1791 and 1929, the great earthquakes of 1645 and 1863, and the 1945 bombing of Manila during World War II.

Filipino Catholic devotees have attributed miracles and answered prayers to the Black Nazarene, and the number of devotees continues to swell with every year.

For some, the Black Nazarene is the Filipino version of Jesus Christ, because of the color of his skin. Many hard-up Filipinos could also relate to the image of the Christ bent under the weight of the Cross, according to the rector of the church. Inquirer Research