Nuestra Señora de Guia

Nuestra Señora de Guia

The Image of Nuestra Señora de Guia (English:Our Lady of Guidance) is considered as the oldest Marian statue in the Philippines, and is believed to have been originally brought to the islands by Ferdinand Magellan (along with Santo Niño de Cebú) in the early 16th century. The wooden Black Madonna statue is locally venerated as patroness of navigators and travelers, the image is enshrined at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia, popularly known as the Ermita Church, in Ermita, Manila.

Features of the Image

The actual condition of the image

Made of molave (Vitex cofassus) wood, the statue stands about 50 centimetres (20 in) and is characterized by dark skin with a long, light brown hair.  The image is depicted as the Immaculate Conception, she is dressed in both a manto and a stylized tapis, the traditional wraparound skirt of Filipino women. 

Upon close inspection,  the image reveals a sarong-like bodice painted in the Chinese tradition of red, blue and gold paint... the unusual stance of the virgin, from the conservative stiffness of body line, has a bent torso very much like the Chinese goddess Kuan Yin.

Among her regalia is a scepter, a set of jewels given by Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Rufino Santos in 1960, and a golden crown donated by Pope Paul VI during his visit to the Manila Cathedral on May 16, 1971.

At present, the pandan leaves (whether a real or plastic pandan leaves) are incorporated around the image's base as one of its iconic attributes. The statue is notable for its narrow, almond-shaped eyes, which some consider evidence of a Chinese origin for the statue.

These characteristics shows the probability that the image may have come from an Asian or if brought by galleon traders, it could have been commissioned to an artist who gets inspiration from Asian models. In spite of its old age, the De Guia retained the ruddiness of its cheek and its youthful allure. It conveys an oriental charm Filipinos can easily identify with

History

According to the Anales de la Catedral de Manila, the crew of Miguel López de Legazpi discovered a group of animist natives worshiping a statue of a female figure in a pandan bush, later identified as the Virgin Mary along the seaside of what is now Ermita. 

Later accounts claimed the statue was brought by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and was given as a gift to Rajah Humabon, whose realm included what is now Cebu City to the Kingdom of Maynila. 

An estampa of Nuestra Senora de Guia

On May 19, 1571, the sovereigns Rajah Sulaiman III and Rajah Matanda ceded the Kingdom of Maynila to the Spanish Empire, with López de Legazpi consecrating the city to both Saint Pudentiana and Our Lady of Guidance. In 1578, Phillip II of Spain issued a royal decree invoking Our Lady of Guidance to be "sworn patroness" of Manila, making her the city's titular patroness. The statue was first enshrined in Manila Cathedral inside the walled city of Manila until 1606, when the first parish compound was built on the present shrine's site. 

Called La Hermita ("The Hermitage"), it was originally made of bamboo, nipa, and molave wood. It was later rebuilt with stone but suffered damaged in an earthquake in 1810.

During the Second World War, the statue was saved by the parish priest of Ermita Church, Fr. Blas de Guernica, and Justo N. López. They secretly kept the statue in one of the niches of the crypt behind the main altar a few weeks before the Allied liberation of Manila. Ermita Church was destroyed during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. Fr. Rogelio Bedonia with a chaplain and four soldiers of the American Army went to the ruins of what had been the church of Ermita, dug up the sacred image from the debris of the crypt and brought it to a safer place. Since then until the construction of the temporary chapel, the sacred image stayed in a private house on Taft Avenue, in San Miguel de Mayumo and then finally in Quiapo. The current parish church was built in 1947.

The image was given a Canonical Coronation on Rizal Day December 30, 1955 by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi. Father Patrick Peyton also once delivered a homily preaching the Family Rosary Crusade in the presence of the image. The statue was removed from the Shrine and remained in the room of Pope John Paul II for the duration of his 1995 Apostolic visit.

A replica of the image was made to commemorate the image's quadricentennial year. From May 1970 to 1971, the replica visited almost all parishes, chapels, hospitals, schools, and other institutions in the Archdiocese of Manila. Since then, it is the replica that is brought out in procession and for public veneration during the its feast day on 19 May, with the original remaining ensconced in its glass-covered alcove above the main altar for preservation purposes.

In December 2011, EWTN featured the statue as the "oldest Marian Icon in the Philippines" in the program, "Mary: Mother of the Philippines". On 14 January 2015, the image was securely removed from the Ermita Church and transferred to the Apostolic Nunciature building along Taft Avenue in Manila, where Pope Francis will stay during his apostolic visit. The replica of the image was brought to the Quirino Grandstand for veneration during the Pope's open-air mass scheduled for 18 January.

Patronage

In the olden days, she was decalred as the Sworn Patroness of Manila that signaled the Patronage of the Immaculate Conception in the Philippines due to numerous miralces attributed through her intercession. 

The De Guia became the patroness of the seafarers. According to accounts, before an arrival of a trading galleon, investors would hold novena to guide and guard the merchant ships safely to the port and prevent the delay of the shipment. Mariners, in turn, gave abundant tithes to the church. Many benefactors donated and money, jewelry among many others in return for the favors they received. 

Due to the church's proximity to the United States Embassy, the statue is often visited by locals who petition Our Lady for safety in overseas travel. Devotees claim that under this title, the intercession of Our Lady is speedy and miraculous, particularly in securing approval of requests for United States visas. She is also considered the patron saint of all Overseas Filipino Workers.

Church and Shrinehood

Our Lady of Guidance also known as the Nuestra Señora De Guia is enshrined in the Ermita Church. She is the titular patroness of the City of Manila. It is one of the oldest existing Marian images in the country. The church was granted Archdiocesan Shrine status in 2005 under Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales. 

Bota de Flores Festival

The feast of Our Lady of Guidance is celebrated every May 19. The original feast of the image was celebrated on 18 December, but was moved to its present date, May 19 when a rainstorm hit Manila Cathedral in February 1771. 

A flower-tossing ceremony is held where young women headed by a Capitana, who is chosen on the basis of standards set by the Parish Council. It is believed that the Capitana is the personal choice of Our Lady, for even if a vote is casted in favor of one candidate, if she does not end up with the role for one reason or another, the true choice will still emerge. The privilege to serve as a Capitana is considered a great honor by the young women of Ermita. The young girls pass down the line of honor guards going to the altar in a solemn candlelight ceremony and lay bouquets at the feet of our Lady whom they consider their guide for life.

References
 Barcelona, Mary Anne. Edited by Consuelo B. Estepa, Ph.D. (2004). "Ynang Maria: A Celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Philippines". Anvil Publishing, Inc, Pasig City.
"Ang Simbahan ng Nuestra Señora de Guia (The Church of Our Lady of Guidance) Marker". HMDB.org.
"History". Official Website of the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral - Basilica.
 (1897). "Novena o Pagsisyam sa Nuestra Senora de Guia", Imprental del Colegio de Santo Tomas, Manila.
 DeAnda (2009-11-22). "In Honor of Nuestra Señora de Guia". With one's past...

Archdiocesan Shrine Of Nuestra Señora De Guia Parish
http://www.rcam.org/clergy/page_detail_clergy/D/de_claro_sanny.htm
http://www.rcam.org/news/2005/ermita_church_declared_archdiocesan_shrine.htm
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=25094
http://www.manilacathedral.org/History/history.htm
https://archive.org/stream/novenapagsisiam00librgoog#page/n1/mode/2up Novena o Pagsisyam sa Nuestra Senora de Guia, 1897

http://www.rcam.org/parishes/page_detail_parishes/A/archdiocesan_shrine_of_nuestra_senora_de_guia.htm