Agoo Basilica | |
---|---|
Minor Basilica and Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Charity | |
Santa Monica Parish Church | |
Location in Luzon | |
16°19′23″N120°22′3″E / 16.32306°N 120.36750°E | |
Location | Agoo, La Union, Philippines |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
History | |
Status | Minor basilica (Basilica Decree: 1982.07.15) |
Consecrated | 1978 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | active |
Architect(s) | Ignacio Palma Bautista |
Style | Mexican-Baroque |
Groundbreaking | 1976 |
Completed | 1978 |
Specifications | |
Materials | Reinforced concrete |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Lingayen-Dagupan |
Diocese | San Fernando de La Union |
The Minor Basilica and Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, also known as Santa Monica Parish Church and Agoo Basilica, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Agoo, La Union, Philippines dedicated to Our Lady of Charity. It is the seat of the Santa Monica Parish of the Diocese of San Fernando de La Union under the Vicariate of St. Francis Xavier. [1] The basilica is under the leadership of parish priest Alfonso V. Lacsamana and parish vicar Liberato A. Apusen. [2] It is situated along MacArthur Highway in front of the Jose D. Aspiras Civic Center.
The parish was founded in 1578 by Franciscan friars John Baptist Lucarelli of Pesaro, Italy, and Sebastián de San Francisco of Baesa, Spain. The original church was constructed with native materials, nipa and bamboo (in Barangay Nagreban or Nagrugcan) under its patron saint Francis of Assisi. In 1598, Saturmino Franco, Casimiro Melgosa and Aquilino García finished a three-tiered bell tower for the church. In the same year, the Augustinians named Saint Monica as the town's new patron saint.
On March 16, 1892, a massive earthquake destroyed the church, paving the way for reconstruction of the shrine of "Nuestra Señora de Caridad" in 1893. [3] It was later demolished and replaced with the present church in 1975.
The present church was started with the laying of cornerstone on September 8, 1975. The church was finished and consecrated as a Marian shrine on December 8, 1978, by Cardinal Sebastiano Baggio coinciding with the quadricentennial of the Christianization of Agoo.
Cardinal Agostino Casaroli's re-script dated July 15, 1982, signed for Pope John Paul II, granted Bishop Salvador Lazo's petition elevating the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity to a minor basilica. [4] In the Philippines, the Vatican granted 12 minor basilicas, with the Agoo Basilica as the sixth in order of their institution.
The basilica was badly damaged during the catastrophic 7.7-magnitude Luzon earthquake of July 16, 1990, which struck at 4.26 p.m. badly annihilating Agoo, La Union and other coastal areas. [5] The basilica was again repaired and renovated. The July 16, 1990's epicenter was about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) southeast of Cabanatuan and killed more than 1,600 people, devastating La Union, Baguio City and Dagupan City. [6]
The bell tower, the only remaining structure of the 1893 building, crashed during the earthquake of 1990. [7] [ unreliable source ]
On May 1, 2001, a historical marble marker was laid in the basilica's belfry and bell tower upon solemn dedication of the new Plaza de Beato Juan Pablo II and the new belfry by Bishop Artemio L. Rillera. The new belfry and bell tower replaced the previous tower destroyed by the 1990 earthquake.
The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Charity is noted for its Mexican-Baroque architectural features. A rosette stained glass window upon the basilica's facade is a marked contrast to the gray color of the front wall. Amid the statues of Saints Peter and Paul statues at the main door are carved Hebrew scripts, which is a short form of the Ten Commandments.
Agoo Basilica's unconventional architecture is demonstrated by its two non-identical bell towers. To the left of the facade is a four-level hexagonal tower, while the right bell tower is a bell-gable in its form. The confessional and the ceiling has a similar architecture. One is in front of the stained glass window of the Crucifixion of Jesus with the two thieves.
The reredos of the altar has eight wooden panels with intricately carved floral design focused on its center. At the top center of the panel hangs a large crucifix. Above the panel is where the foot-high Our Lady of Charity statue is enshrined under large canopy supported by four twisted columns. Her feet rest on an urn-shaped pedestal with the same floral design as the reredos. Two angels flanked her sides behind a silvery backdrop.
A pipe organ in the choir loft watches the craved chandeliers dotting the middle aisle, 2-tiered and carved or made of Filipino mahogany, demonstrating the rich heritage and vast culture of Agoo.
The basilica has preserved stone blocks dragged from the original church amid its charming garden, an old wishing well and the interior mural "The Second Coming of Christ" (by Rey Gimeno). [8]
The 17th-century wooden statue of Our Lady of Charity was first venerated and enthroned in Bantay, Ilocos Sur and brought to Agoo by an Augustinian priest. It was Maximo Vicente of Manila who refurbished it after it survived the massive earthquake of 1892.
The crowned head of the original statue is made of baked clay covered with a polished coat of fine white powder. The child Jesus raises his right hand as in a blessing, and holding a golden globe on his left hand. [9]
Bishop Victorino C. Ligot of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando de La Union filed the ecclesiastical petition to the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship in Rome for the canonical coronation of the statue, with the collaboration of Jose D. Aspiras, who helped restored the belfry, but was denied with a letter issued from the Congregation dated April 4, 1971, which in turn, was suggested to crown the image by the authority of the bishop instead. [lower-alpha 1] [10]
The Marian image, locally called as "Apo Caridad", was episcopally crowned on May 1, 1971, by Apostolic Nuncio Carmine Rocco, the appointed Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines. [11] Later, the statue was desecrated by local bandits with the theft of its previous jewel-studded ivory head.[ citation needed ]
The innumerable miraculous accounts attributed to Apo Caridad in the basilica's altar, which includes the quick recovery of Agoo from the destruction of the July 1990 massive quake, has made Agoo a major religious center in northern Luzon. Our Lady of Charity's feast day is celebrated every May 4, on the feast of Saint Monica, in whose honor both the basilica parish and museum are dedicated. [12]
On April 29, 2024, Pope Francis officially decreed the pontifical—canonical coronation of the Marian image through the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. This distinction was announced on June 5, 2024, through a circular released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando de La Union regarding the approval of the petition. The coronation rites are to be presided by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Charles John Brown, on December 6, 2024. [13] [14]
The basilica's Santa Monica Museum is located to the left of the church at the Bishop Mariano A. Madriaga Hall. [15] The 1815 Bell of Santa Monica Parish, located at the ground floor of the museum, is the main attraction at the entrance of the museum which also displays the portraits of the basilica's principal donor, Jose D. Aspiras and wife. The heritage church bell was discovered at Bugallon, Pangasinan in 1963.
The second floor contains the extensive memorabilia of Agoo Archbishop Mariano A. Madriaga and Archbishop Antonio L. Mabutas (b. June 13, 1921-d. April 22, 1999). Mabutas was born in Agoo, La Union, who became the Bishop of Laoag and later, Archbishop of Davao on December 9, 1972. He served as a bishop for 37 years and a priest for a total of 53 years. He was a Datu Bago awardee, a recognition given by the Davao City government to its outstanding residents. [16]
Sison, officially the Municipality of Sison, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. The town's original name was Alava. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,320 people.
Agoo, officially the Municipality of Agoo, is a 1st class municipality in the province of La Union, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 66,028 people.
The Cathedral-Basilica Minore and Parish of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as Malolos Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and cathedral in the city of Malolos, Bulacan in the Philippines. The cathedral is the see of the Bishop of Malolos, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. The shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception.
The Archdiocese of San Fernando is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Pampanga, Philippines which has territorial jurisdiction over the whole province of Pampanga and Angeles City. The archdiocese is also the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province of the same name, which also include three dioceses of its surrounding provinces of Bataan, Zambales, and Tarlac. The cathedral church and seat of the archdiocese is the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (Pampanga). The Virgin Mary, under the title Virgen de los Remedios, is the principal patroness.
Jose Diego Aspiras was a Filipino politician. He was a member of former President Ferdinand Marcos's cabinet, and was considered one of the most loyal political lieutenants from Marcos' “northern bloc” of political influence. He was the country's first Minister of Tourism, representative from La Union's 2nd district from 1969 to 1972 and from 1987 to 1998, and an assemblyman from La Union from 1984 to 1986. He is interred in the local Basilica Minore in Agoo, La Union.
Our Lady of Charity is a celebrated Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in many Catholic countries.
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, commonly known as Pasig Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church located in Plaza Rizal, Barangay Malinao, Pasig in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is the mother church, and serves as the episcopal seat of the Bishop of Pasig and is one of the oldest structures in the city.
The National Shrine of the Our Lady of Candles, also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and colloquially as Jaro Cathedral, is a cathedral located in the district of Jaro in Iloilo City, on the island of Panay in the Philippines. The seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, it was placed under the patronage of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was established in 1575 as a visita (chapel-of-ease) of Oton by the Augustinians and as a separate parish in 1587. The present-day structure of Jaro Cathedral was built in 1874.
Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, also known as Our Lady of Antipolo and the Virgin of Antipolo, is a seventeenth-century Roman Catholic wooden image of the Blessed Virgin Mary as venerated in the Philippines. This Black Madonna is enshrined in Antipolo Cathedral in the Sierra Madre mountains east of Metro Manila.
Saint Augustine of Hippo Parish Church, also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad and Bantay Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur in the Philippines. Dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo, the church is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. It houses the venerated image of Our Lady of Charity.
The Minor Basilica and Shrine Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary of Orani, commonly known as Orani Church, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica built in the Neoclassical style located in the center of Orani, Bataan, in the Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga.
The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light, commonly known as Cainta Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church located along Andres Bonifacio Avenue in Barangay San Andres, Cainta, Rizal, in the Philippines. The church also operates a neighboring school, Cainta Catholic College. From its time of erection as a parish in 1760 until 1983, it belonged to the Archdiocese of Manila. It was placed under the newly created Diocese of Antipolo in 1983, which is now headed by Ruperto C. Santos. It belongs to the Vicariate of Our Lady of Light.
Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish Church, designated as the Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Turumba, is a Roman Catholic church in Pakil, Laguna, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo and enshrines the Our Lady of Turumba painting.
The Minor Basilica and Parish of the Immaculate Conception, alternatively known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Batangan, is a minor basilica in Batangas City, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Lipa. It was made an independent parish in 1614 under the advocation of the Immaculate Conception. It is one of the oldest churches in Batangas.
Saint Catherine of Alexandria Parish Church, also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Namacpacan and Namacpacan Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Luna, La Union, Philippines under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Fernando de La Union. Once called Luna Church, its titular is Saint Catherine of Alexandria. Built in 1690, it is also known as the shrine for the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Namacpacan.
The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, commonly known as Bulakan Church, is a 19th-century Neo-Byzantine-Romanesque stone church located at Brgy. San Jose, in the Municipality of Bulakan, Bulacan province, Philippines. It is one of the parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos under the Vicariate of the Immaculate Conception. The church was declared Marked Historical Structure of the Philippines in 2007 by the National Historical Institute, the precursor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. A historical marker bearing a brief history of the church was installed by the commission.
La Virgen de los Remedios de Pampanga also known as Indu ning Capaldanan, Tula ning Kapampangan is a Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by Capampangan Catholics as the official patroness of Pampanga, Philippines.
The National Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Mercy is a Roman Catholic church under the Diocese of Novaliches in the Philippines. It is the oldest parish in the diocese, established in 1856 by the Augustinian missionaries from Spain.
Mariano Aspiras Madriaga was a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan from 1938 to 1973.