298. ANTIPOLO, by Ileana Maramag

People make yearly pilgrimage to this Rizal town to pay homage to centuries-old Brown Madonna.

By Ileana Maramagpublished in The Sunday Times Magazine, 20 May 1962.

Still drawing a steady stream of pilgrims at this time of year is Antipolo, the small hilly town in Rizal province made famous as the shrine of the centuries-old brown Madonna as Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

Antipolo, however, is not what it used to be. In the olden days, old folks like to recall, the place was no more than an isolated hamlet that could only be reached by carretela or cascos, via one of the Pasig River’s tributaries that wends its way to several Rizal towns. Thus, pilgrimages to the Virgin of Antipolo in those days were more hazardous and involved no small amount of sacrifice.Often enough, the pilgrims had ti hike the slippery trails of the region or cross the difficult terrain in man-borne hammocks. Aisde from this, the pilgrimages were made more festive by the bright parasols, colorful balintawaks and camisas de chino worn by the pilgrims, Today, the practice has all but disappeared; Antipolo is easy to reach via paved highways and modern-day pilgrims make the Maytime trek in buses or drive down the 28 km. road to Antipolo in snazzy cars,

Source: Sunday Times Magazine, May 1962

From Manila, it takes no more than 45 minutes to reach the town proper, and once ed there, pilgrims converge at the modern church which is easily Antipolo’s biggest landmark. Once inside, one discovers that the age-old image of Our Lady of peace and Good Voyage is enshrined in a special niche atop the main altar.

Source: Sunday Times Magazine, May 1962

Annually, on May 1^st, by tradition, the Virgin is borne in solemn procession to an improvised altar atop Pinagmisahan Hill, where a mass is said to commemorate the first Mass celebrate by the early Spanish missionaries on the same hill. Devotees also mark the feast of Antipolo Virgin every first Tuesday of May.

Early historians report that the image was first brought to Manila from Mexico on June 29, 1626 by the then newly-appointed Governor General Juan Niño de Tabora to isnure the safe voyage of the galleons against pirates and typhoons.

No one can tell exactly how the Virgin became enshrined in the town of Antipolo. There are two versions. One reports the image was taken to the Rizal town by the Governor general and Archbishop and crowned as Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje. Another account says the statue disappeared and was found perched atop an antipolo tree, on the same spot where the Antipolo church now stands.

Another legend tells of how the Virgin of Antipolo acquired its dark color. The story goes that during the 1639 Chinese Rebellion (which include Rizal and  Laguna towns), the Chinese burned the statue but somehow the image miraculously remained unscathed. Instead, the carving turned black and has retained its dark hue through the centuries.

When the Japanese commandeered the old Antipolo church and used it as their garrison during the last war, devotees smuggled the image, buried it in a drum, and later transported it to the Quiapo Church where it was enshrined until after the Liberation.

106. BUENVIAJE: Our Lady's Restoration Voyage

The Antiques section of the local ebay Philippines is a misnomer, because 90 percent of the items listed there are not really antiques; in fact, a lot are reproductions purporting to be old and valuable. Most items featured are horrid house décor and trashy second-hand discards—books, bottles, paper documents, old records. The remaining 10 percent are real antiques alright, but the quality is often suspect—you have defective santos, broken house parts and collectibles in poor condition.

So it was a pleasant surprise that I saw this tabletop bastidor santo of the Buenviaje Virgin (complete title: Nstra. Snra. de la Paz y Buenviaje, Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage of Antipolo) for sale by an ebay dealer based in Parañaque. You can see from the quality of the carving that it is a fairly good piece, despite the loss of a base. 

Although a bit scruffy in some parts, the two-foot santo bears its original paint as well as its silver-plated metal accessories: crown, halo, scepter. The bidding hours came to an end and this santo went unsold. I lost no time in contacting the dealer who agreed to let go of the santo to me at a discounted price. 

After securing a photo of a similar image posted on a friend’s online album, I hied off to my restorer to begin work on my Buenviaje. The only major re-work was the addition of a base, the design of which was worked on by Raffy’s carver, using the photo as a reference.

The face of the morena Virgin was easily retouched, but the bastidor body was left, as is, as it was still in good condition. After a wig of long, dark, wavy hair was placed on the image’s head, the Virgin was ready to be redressed. 

When it comes to vestment designs, I really leave everything to the experts. Raffy showed me the design inspiration for the embroidery, from an antique cape.

The pattern showed interlocking gothic designs that were then filled with leaves and flowers. The Virgin’s tunic was to be in light pink while the cape, in blue. 

A few weeks after, it was time to bring the Virgin home. And here is the beautiful result of that journey that began with the discovery of our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage on ebay and ended with Her enthronement in our home altar.

34. RETRO-SANTO: Nstra. Sñra. De la Paz y Buen Viaje

One of the most popular and ancient images of the Blessed Virgin venerated in the Philippines resides in Antipolo and is known as Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. For some, the image is simply called Birhen ng Antipolo or Buenviaje.


The santo is of Mexican origin, brought to the Philippines on 25 March 1625 (another date is 29 June 1626) by the then newly-appointed Governor General Juan Nino de Tabora to insure the safe voyage of the galleons against pirates and typhoons. Hence, the Virgin’s title.


The carved image itself is of dark hard wood and was a creation of unidentified Mexican artists. Crowned and haloed, the dark-skinned Virgin holds a scepter and with hands on her chest, the tips of her middle fingers almost touching. Her long, black wavy hair fall loosely on her back.


With Juan Nino’s demise in 1632, the image was turned over to the Jesuits for their church in Antipolo, once an isolated village accessible only by cascos or boats via the Pasig River. Seven years later, the Chinese rebelled against Spain and stormed the church, seized the image and threw it into a fire. The image remained unscathed and thus acquired its dark color. Noticeable is a shallow gash on her cheek, caused by the desecration.


The Buenviaje Virgin stayed in Cavite for 14 years and in the years between 1648 to 1748, the Virgin made a total of ten successful Pacific crossings, thus remaining true to her name. Pilgrimages to the Virgin of Antipolo became very popular as devotion increased.


In those days, the journeys to Antipolo were very hazardous--pilgrims had to hike the slippery trails of the region or cross the difficult terrain in man-borne hammocks. In the years to come, the pilgrimages were made more festive by the bright parasols, colorful balintawaks and camisas de chino worn by the pilgrims.


Today, the practice has all but disappeared; Antipolo is easy to reach via paved highways and modern-day pilgrims make the Maytime trek in buses or drive down the 28 km. road to Antipolo in snazzy cars.


In 1926, she was canonically crowned and the honored at the 1937 International Eucharistic Congress held in Manila.


At the height of World War II, when the Japanese took over the old Antipolo Church to be used as their garrison, devotees spirited the image away (local lore says that it was concealed in a drum, but the image was actually too large to fit) and, with 500 people accompanying her, began a journey through perilous mountain trails. In Pasig, she was kept in the home of the Ocampo family, and then transported to the Quiapo Church where it was enshrined.


When the country was liberated, the Virgin was returned to Antipolo on 15 October 1945. A national drive was begun in 1948 to construct a church which was successfully completed and which has since become her home .


Every May 1st, by tradition, the Virgin is borne in a solemn procession to an improvised altar atop Pinagmisahan where a Mass is said to commemorate the 1st Mass celebrated by the early Spanish missionaries on the same hill.


Devotees also mark the feast of the Antipolo Virgin every 1st Tuesday of May. Today, Antipolo is easy to reach via paved highways and modern-day pilgrims make the Maytime trek in buses or drive down the 28 km. road to Antipolo in their SUVs and fast cars.