Enshrined at the century-old church of St. Catherine of Alexandria
Parish or commonly called Namacpacan Church in the Municipality of Luna in La Union, the Our Lady of Namacpacan, the
Patroness of the Ilokano travelers, is one of the much-celebrated Marian images
in the Philippines. Miraculous stories enfold the Lady of Namacpacan which the
townspeople regarded as "Apo Baket" because she appeared to them as
an elder woman that offers them food and inviting them to pray and be baptized.
"Apo Baket" is how the people call the elderly woman as a sign of
respect.
The Queen Found Her Home
In 1871, a strong
catastrophe forced a ship carrying the wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary
to find temporary shelter at Darigayos Cove, the original site of the Church.
The said image was ordered from Spain by an Augustinian priest for
Immaculate Conception Seminary in Vigan. When the sea was calm, the
ship resumed its journey but strong winds forced them to return to the port of
Darigayos. The captain of the ship decided to send the image by land and
it was temporarily placed in the church's convent. The next morning when
the trip was about to commence, men could not lift the image from the place
where it stood. Father Camilo Naves, an Augustinian priest, interpreted the
incident that the image of the Virgin Mary wished to be enshrined in the town
of Namacpacan so they requested to the Augustinian priest who ordered it to let
the image stay in the town.
Upon agreement of reimbursing
the expenses incurred during the journey, the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary
was given to the town of Namacpacan. The people welcomed the Virgin Mary with
feasting and it was venerated as the Our Lady of Namacpacan.
A widely known miracle
attributed to the Lady of Namacpacan was shortly before the death of Pope Pius
XII, he saw Our Lady of Namacpacan in his dream. He asked the where Namacpacan
was. Unfortunately, no one knew the existence of that place. The answer was
only revealed after the pope's death, when the request for canonization was
raised by the local church to the Vatican.
Our Lady of Namacpacan
was canonically crowned on November 24, 1959 through a special decree issued by
Pope John XXIII through Apostollic Nuncio to the Philippines Salvatore
Siino.
The
Our Lady of Namacpacan, located at the right side at the northern part of the church, standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.92 m) tall,
is the tallest-known Marian image in the Philippines.
An Architectural Gem
The Shrine showcases splendid white, pale gray and light blue facade with its original walls composed of bricks and stones almost completely preserved. It is classified as an Earthquake Baroque church with unique thick step buttresses that leads up to the roof. Its 1872 white and yellow facade falls under the Baroque style with the presence of rounded pediments. Three sets of two pairs of engaged columns and two sets of single columns along with twin belfries adorning the façade.A wooden altar, Spanish-era stone pulpit and a wood relief of the Baptism of Christ, probably polychromed, can be found inside the church.
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| The buttress that keep supports the Church from earthquakes |
It also has a thick and unique gate with statue of re-enactment of the crowning of the Our Lady of Namacpacan on its roofing.
Namacpacan Church was also declared a
National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in
2001.
Important Dates and Events
Early 1587 : Namacpacan, a settlement, was a visita of Purao.
November 25, 1690 : Namacpacan was declared a town with St. Catherine of Alexandria as its Patroness. The original site of the town was in Darigayos but was transferred to its present location in 1741.
1773 : The church made of bamboo and wood with thatched roof was destroyed
1786 : A new stone and brick church and convent was built
1871: A storm forced a ship bringing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Vigan, Ilocos Sur to seek shelter at Darigayos. Our Lady chose to stay and later became known as “Our Lady of Namacpacan”.
Part of the church damaged by strong earthquake was repaired.
October 18, 1906 : Namacpacan was renamed “Luna”. Our Lady of Namacpacan retained its named.
November 24, 1959 : Our Lady was canonically crowned as the “Immaculate Conception of Our Lady of Namacpacan”
1997-2001 : The church underwent extensive repairs and restoration
November 24, 2001 : The church was renovated, reblessed and rededicated, and 1959 coronation of Our Lady was re-enacted.
Museo de Namacpacan
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| credits: commons.wikimedia,org |
Located beside
the church is the Museo de Nuestra Senora de Namacpacan that houses the
different capes and attires worn by Apo Baket since its arrival in 1871. Other
artifacts and religious relics and articles are also exhibited in the museum.
There is also a religious store infront of the museum were devotees and tourist
can shop for religious articles and souvenirs.
How to Get There
In its Welcome to Luna Arch, it proudly say "The Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan"
Luna is approximately 297 kms away from Manila and about 6 and a half hour driving (own vehicle) via the Bacnotan-Luna-Balaoan Provincial Road. For commuters coming from Manila, drop off point will be at Balaoan town crossing and make an arranged trip with tricycles that ply anytime of the day. Jeepneys located near the San Fernando City Public Market serve commuters as early as 6 am until 7 in the evening.
See also: DISCOVERING THE TREASURES OF LUNA
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