2. How was it hailed as an object of devotion?
In 1650, Pope Innocent X venerated the image of the Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno as a sacramental. And later on 1651, he officially endorsed the group of devotees behind the Nazarene called the Cofradia de Jesus Nazareno.
Many Catholics recognized the image as sacred, with numerous testimonies involving healings and answered prayers.