The Regional Secretary for Culture and Education defended today that "the popular devotion is sufficient justification" to the classification of the Statue of the Holy Christ of Miracles and its five gifts as Regional Treasure.

Speaking at the Legislative Assembly, Avelino Meneses noted that, from an artistic perspective, these sacred objects are "invaluable"; some of which are even "considered as the most beautiful and sumptuous art pieces in the Iberian Peninsula."

Moreover, the Regional Secretary conveyed his hope that this classification "does not become an end," but rather a "stimulus" for the development of further investigation on the cult of the Holy Christ of Miracles, a devotion that is "a phenomenon of religiosity and popularity" in the Azores as well as in the emigrant communities.

"Apart from the cult of the Holy Spirit, which is, par excellence, the true religion of the Azorean people, the cult of the Holy Christ of Miracles is also deeply rooted in the Azorean population.

The approval of the regional legislative decree designating the Statue of Holy Christ of Miracles and its five gifts as Regional Treasure was approved by the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous of the Azores. This decision will conclude the procedures that were being carried out by the Regional Directorate for Culture with the same purpose in recent months. These procedures were "still being carried out as a result of a protocol signed with the Church last year to register the inventory of the Diocese's cultural goods with the aim of acknowledging the value of Azorean cultural heritage," stressed Avelino Meneses.