The Transfigured Lord
In the parish church of St. James the Great, in the eponymous district of Santiago in the historic center of Merida, there is a Black Christ of the Transfiguration, one of the most venerated religious images in the capital.
At the time of Merida’s foundation, in 1542, this part of the city was a Mayan village where, tradition has it, a rustic chapel of palm leaves was raised, in which the first mass in Merida was officiated. This primitive oratory was later substituted by an open chapel, which was in turn replaced in 1637 by the church which stands today.
The date when the statue was made, or when it became an object of popular devotion, are unknown. However, Colonial documents from the first half of the 18th century indicate that the cult already existed then.
The Holy Christ of the Transfiguration in the church of St. James has great religious significance in Merida, and especially among the residents of that particular district. This is made manifest in the guild celebrations that are prepared in its honor each year, during the patronal feast.
The black image shows Christ dead on the Cross, yet his face – beard and moustache sculpted into the piece – appears peaceful, as if asleep, imparting a feeling of serenity to the whole. Above his head are the powers: three golden flames that symbolize the Divinity of Jesus; and together with the stylized crown of thorns, also golden, that encircles his head, they enhance the beauty of the statue.
The Christ of the Transfiguration is displayed in a chapel on the south side of the chancel.
The patronal festival, already important during the 19th century, and in the 20th one of the foremost and best-attended in Merida, takes place on the 6th of August.
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