The origin of the devotion for the crucified Christ of Luren (Señor de Luren), patron of the city of Ica (300 km south of Lima), dates back to 1 570, when the image was mysteriously lost in the desert during a trip from Lima to Ica, before reappearing in a desolate outpost called Luren. Later, Nicolás de Ribera the Elder, Lima's first mayor, had a small church built in this spot as well as a hospital for highland Indians.
Today, the modern church, built in a Romanticist style, houses the carved wooden image of the dying Christ, as well as those of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene.
On the main day of the festival, Sunday, the image is borne aloft in a procession through the city from nightfall until dawn the following day.
