DETENTES FROM PERU.

In the area called Miraflores in Lima there is a lot of antique shops. Here I found all my detentes.

Detentes is a little piece of textile which is embroidered with often a heart. I was told by one owner of a shop that people goes to the monastery and asked the nuns to make them a detente. The detente is then hanged either in the church or on a Saint and the person prays for a miracle to happen. When the miracle has come true, it is okay to put away the detente. I did not see a lot of detentes in the churches. Instead I saw a lot of the silver hearts which is used for making an offering to show a persons gratitude.

Two small detentes, about 2x2 cm. The heart in both detentes is raised from the bottom of the fabric. The detente to the right have lost a lot of it's embroidery, but is still beautiful.
When my husband came from Peru to live with me here in Denmark he had the little detente with him to the left.

The two first detentes I bought. They are different from all the others as Maria and Jesu are the main persons hidden behind a piece of plastic to prevent them from getting dirty.

The details in the detentes are symbolic. The heart is shining. Inside the heart a crown is made out of thorns and therefore it is bleeding. Everything is related to Jesus crucifixion.

It says: DETENTE el Corazón de Jesús está conmigo: the heart of Jesus is with me.

When buying some of my detente I was told by one antique owner, when she went on a flight she always put a detente inside her jacket, for good luck.

Another very simpel detente showing the crown made out of thorns.

Out of all my detentes this one is my favorite. The bleeding heart is put onto a big cruciform and with a little criciform on the top. It has so many details and the embroidery is amazing. On the edges beads are sewn.