History
The parish of Santa Maria started as a chapel-of-ease (visita) of Narvacan,its neighboring town to the north,in 1567. The influx of the settlers after the full conquest of the Ilocos Region by the Spaniards greatly increased the population of Santa Maria. The chapel became an independent ministry in 1769 and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Assumption. [5] Besides economic progress,evangelical missions were expanded. The mission at Santa Maria,located on a narrow flat plain between the sea and the central mountain range of Luzon,close to the interior settlements,made Santa Maria as the center of both the religious and commercial activities.
According to the legend,before the Santa Maria Church was built on its present site,the Virgin Mary was enshrined at a different place called Bulala. The frequent disappearance of the Virgin Mary from her previous place of enthronement only to be found perched on a guava tree that grew where the present church is located,had led the townspeople to move the church to its present location.
Father Mariano Dacanay,the Ilocano parish priest from September 1,1902,to May 27,1922,has another variation of this legend which he assures,was gathered from reliable sources. He relates that the Blessed Virgin was enthroned in another chapel that was formerly erected below the present church and what is now the Sta. Maria East Central School compound. Father Dacanay adds,that from this chapel,the Virgin Mary made her peregrinations to that guava tree on the knoll.
This version of Father Dacanay of the legend gains greater probability if not credence for today,one of the twin structures bearing the features and architectural designs of what could have been a chapel or a church by then obtaining standards remains intact in said school compound and presently used as a classroom for grade school pupils.
Numerous and varying legends or stories about the Virgin Mother have long become part of Philippine religious lore. And if any one of them could be accepted as truth,then it is the blessed Virgin herself who manifested in a miraculous way her preference of a site for her permanent home.
Construction of the present church was started in 1765. [4] [6] In 1810,the bell tower was built during the renovation of the church and furnished with a bell the following year. During the renovation of church complex in 1863,the protective wall around the sides of the hill was constructed. [5] After the bell tower was remodeled the same year,its foundation must have gradually settled down making the imposing structure slightly leaning or tilting as it appears today. The convent was greatly renovated in 1895.
Many foreigners who traveled to the north and saw the church were much impressed by its size and setting calling the church as a cathedral. Henry Savage Landor,an English painter,writer and explorer who visited the Philippines in 1900,says:
At Santa Maria a most picturesque church is to be found,reached on an imposing flight of steps. An enormous convent stands beside the church,upon a terrace some 80 feet above the plaza. There are a number of brick buildings,schoolhouses and office,which must have been very handsome but are tumbling down,the streets being in the absolute possession of sheeps [sic],goats and hogs. A great expanse of level land was now well-cultivated into paddy fields and across it is a road fifteen feet wide,well-metalled and with a sandy surface. Barrios and homes were scattered all around the plain.
The church was listed as one of the most endangered monuments in the world by World Monuments Fund in the 2010 World Monuments Watch,along with the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and San Sebastian Church,Manila. All of the sites were taken off the list in 2011 after the passage of the National Cultural Heritage Act. [7]
The parish church was elevated to an archdiocesan shrine on August 15,2022. [8]
On November 18,2024,Pope Francis declared the archdiocesan shrine as a minor basilica,making it the second basilica of the province. [9]
Apo Baket of Santa Maria:The Wandering Lady of Ilocos
How a Town Was Shaped by Her Presence - Local tradition holds that the image of “Apo Baket”arrived in a wooden chest (which is still can be seen kept at the parish convent) carried aboard a galleon from Spain to the Philippines. According to the townspeople’s oral history,the chest—containing the miraculous image of Santa Maria Milagrosa (Nuestra Señora de la Asunción)—was brought ashore and later became the focal point of devotion that shaped the hilltop shrine and the twin chapels. This account is an important part of local belief and communal memory,even if it remains a matter of tradition rather than formal archival record.
The villagers built a small bamboo chapel at the center of their settlement. It was humble,made of local materials—bamboo,nipa,and wood—but it stood with great faith,for inside was enthroned a most precious treasure. There,they enshrined her and began to pray. This would become the beginning of a devotion that would change the story of the town forever.
Not long after,Augustinian friars from the nearby town of Narvacan,Ilocos Sur arrived. They were evangelizing the area and,upon witnessing the people's growing devotion,they offered guidance. With their help,the villagers built two sturdier chapels —one for Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,and the other for the Señor Sto. Kristo Milagroso. These became known as the Twin Chapels of Santa Maria.
The image of the Virgin Mary was enthroned in the northern chapel,and the devotion to her grew stronger with each passing year.
The Lady on the Hill - But then something mysterious began to happen. Despite being safely kept inside the chapel,the image would disappear —only to be found again,not far away,but always on a hill just east of the chapels,a hill covered in wild guava trees.
Sometimes she was seen resting against a guava tree. Other times,she stood silently,gazing down upon the town below. The villagers were puzzled at first,but as it happened again and again,they began to understand:The Virgin was asking for a new home. She had chosen the hill as her dwelling place. The Lady wanted to be enthroned on top of the hill—high above the town—to watch over her children with loving eyes and to shield them with her mantle of protection.
Once more,under the guidance of the Augustinian friars,the people began building a church —far larger than any they had ever seen before —through forced labor. This new edifice would be five times the size of the twin chapels. It rose slowly,carefully,and with painstaking craftsmanship upon the very spot where the Virgin had been found —the place where the guava tree once stood. However,because of the heavy burden of forced labor in constructing the enormous Santa Maria Church,some settlers of the area were compelled to migrate to other towns,particularly to the town of Cuyapo,Nueva Ecija.
There,they enthroned the Virgin Mary,never to be moved again. The people affectionately began calling her Apo Baket,meaning Venerable Old Woman in Ilocano —not to imply age,but to express deep respect and maternal reverence.
Apo Baket's Miracles Through the Years -Throughout the centuries,many miracles have been attributed to Apo Baket:She is said to have protected the town from invading forces,with enemies unable to damage the church or enter the town;During storms,townspeople would climb the hill and pray,and winds would calm,rains would stop,or lightning would strike elsewhere;The sick have been healed,and the desperate have found hope in her silent,maternal gaze;Her presence brought the people faith,unity,and strength —shaping not just a church,but the soul of a community.
Santa Barbara:The Defender Against Nature - Because the church stood on an elevated hill,it became vulnerable to frequent lightning strikes. At the same time,the town of Santa Maria,located in a lowland area,often suffered from seasonal flooding.
To protect the town and the church,the people decided to enthrone Santa Barbara,the patroness against lightning and storms,on top of Apo Baket at the main retablo. With her image placed at the side of the Virgin,Santa Barbara was honored as the Secondary Patroness of Santa Maria —a heavenly defender who would watch over the town against the forces of nature. Every December 4,the faithful gather again to celebrate the feast of Santa Barbara,their beloved defender,also with a nine-day novena and traditional festivities. Her role as protector continues to live in the hearts of the people,especially during the stormy season.
The Devotion Today - Now,generations later,the story of Apo Baket continues to live on. Her image still rests on the very spot she chose,surrounded by candles,prayers,and devotion.
Every August 15,during the Feast of the Assumption,the town of Santa Maria is filled with pilgrims and townsfolk. They offer flowers,sing hymns,attend Holy Mass,and join processions —honoring the Lady who came from the sea,wandered through guava trees,and chose a hill to be her throne.
And beside her,as always,stands Santa Barbara,ready to shield her people from storms and floods. From a wooden chest on the shore to a hilltop sanctuary known around the world,Apo Baket has written her story in the hearts of her people —a story of miracles,protection,and unending love.
But the story doesn’t end with stones and structure —it lives on in the hearts of the people.
