- "You know, Santa Maria de las Flores was my second home."
- ―Gabriel Soto to Melinda May[src]
Santa Maria de las Flores is a Catholic church in Miami that was destroyed by a fire.
History[]
Fire of Santa Maria de las Flores[]
- "The body of Lewis Seaver was found in the remains of the Santa Maria church fire in Miami."
- ―Skye[src]
Sebastian Derik, looking for clues about the series of symbols he felt the need to carve, located Lewis Seaver, a former Project T.A.H.I.T.I. patient and now a parishioner of the church of Santa Maria de las Flores.
Seaver, who also carved the symbols in the back of a painting in the church, was attacked by Derik, who tried to make him remember the other pieces of the overall design by carving the symbols in his body, as Derik had discovered that feeling pain overcame the memory replacement they were subjected to.
Derik killed Seaver, and covered his tracks putting the whole church on fire, though the painting where Seaver had carved the symbols managed to survive the fire, which was deemed a miracle.[1]
Visit of the Bishop[]
The local bishop visited the church of Santa Maria de las Flores to assess both the destruction of the church caused by a devastating fire and the existence of a miraculous artifact that was not destroyed, a 500 year old painting. The priest of the church received the bishop, who wanted to see the painting immediately.
The priest explained that the art work, painted in Spain during the 1500s, managed to survive the fire, but was not sure of the bishop's intentions of being verified by experts. The bishop explained that though faith was enough for them, the rest of the world needed an actual proof to believe in the miracle and contribute for the rebuilding of the church.
the back of the painting
Seeing the reservation the priest had, the bishop asked what was happening, and the priest showed the back of the painting, carved with the Words of Creation.[2]
Fundraising Event[]
- "Well, I just think it's so admirable what you're doing for that poor church that burned down."
"I should be thanking you for your generous patronage." - ―Melinda May and Gabriel Soto[src]
Gabriel Soto, a rich businessman and one of the parishioners of the church, who felt that Santa Maria de las Flores was a second home to him, organized a fundraiser for the church so it could be rebuilt, charging $25,000 for each ticket, and planning to use miracle painting as the main attraction for a gala filled with diplomats and state officials.[2]
Trivia[]
- Translated directly from Spanish, the name says "Saint Mary of the Flowers."
- The "miracle painting" with the Words of Creation inscribed on its back that "survived" the fire of the Santa Maria de las Flores church is called Virgin & Child by the Italian Baroque painter Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato.
Behind the Scenes[]
- The Trinity Lutheran Church located in Long Beach, California was used for exterior shoots of the church with the fire damage being added later through CGI.[3]
Gallery[]
