81. RETRO-SANTO: Ntra. Sñra. del Rosario de Orani

Bataan’s most well-known and most revered Marian image is a dark-skinned, carved-in-the-round figure of a Madonna and Child, that follows the iconography of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. It was said to have been brought by the Dominicans to Bataan in July 1587 through the galleons that plied the seas from Spain or from Mexico. Another claim was that the image was carved in the Philippines after the religious order’s arrival.

A chapel in Orani was built to house the image, which continues to be the home of the Virgin since. Ntra. Snra. Del Rosario of Orani wields a scepter and a bastón while carrying with her left hand, the carved figure of Child Jesus, who holds a globe. On their necks are rosaries. At the back of the Virgin, a ‘suksok’ has been carved to simulate the tucked portion of her tunic in her waist. The ‘suksok’ is believed to be a distinct Philippine touch, leading art historians to believe that the Virgin and the Child Jesus were carved locally. As was the custom, the Virgin is dressed in real fabrics even if she is fully carved.

Several miracles are attributed to the Virgin, that is why it is also called “Virgen Milagrosa”. The earliest involves the apparition of Our Lady to a group of Aetas who attempted to overrun the town in reprisal against the Spaniards who had driven them up the mountains. The Aetas stopped on their tracks in fear and awe, thus the attack was aborted.

When the town was threatened with a plague of locusts in 1718, people prayed for deliverance from the pests that were about to swoop on their rice harvest. A tornado suddenly materialized and swept the locusts away.

During the last War, a Japanese attempted to deface the image by shooting it with his gun, but the gun would not fire. The soldier fled in abject fear and left the image alone. As recent as the Red Tide season, the Virgin of Orani is credited by fishermen of Bataan for saving their catch by driving the deadly tide from the Bay of Orani. It was said that the hem of her dress was found wet and soiled with sea water. Survivors of the Pinatubo eruption also told stories of the appearance of the Virgen del Rosario before many victims, offering solace and comfort.

Orani’s Lady of the Rosary was canonically crowned on 18 April, 1959.
Feast Day: Every 2nd Sunday of October.

51. Before & After: RESTORATION PROJECTS OF TOM JOVEN

Tom Joven, the most accomplished ecclesiastical artist of Pampanga, has been at the forefront of major restoration projects for churches not only in his native Bacolor but also in other places of worship all over the Philippines. Joven's expertise has been sought by parishes from Luzon to the Visayas, and his original works are prized by the country's most formidable collectors of sacred art. A few rare creations in ivory have also been presented as gifts to high ranking church dignitaries from here and abroad.

Here, he shares with us some fine examples of his restoration projects:

The wooden image of San Nicolas Tolentino in one of the retablos of San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor was heavily damaged during the lahar inundation of the town, which almost buried the ancient church.

Joven performed a laborious 6-step process in restoring the antique image that included stripping the multiple paint layers, sealing, re-priming and painting.

Our Lady of Good Success (Virgen de Buen Suceso) is a centuries-old image brought by Augustinians to Palanyag (now Paranaque) as a gift of the King of Spain to Filipinos. It is now housed in St. Andrew's Church and is known today as the "Patroness of Paranaque City". It is one few Virgins that have received the Canonical Crown in 8 September 2000. Joven was commissioned to restore this important image, inlcuisve of its vestments, and the results are shown in the pictures above.

The church of San Guillermo was heavily damaged in the succeeding lahar flows that engulfed the town after the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption. Lahar almost buried the magnificent retablos of the old church, which eventually were recovered and restored to their full glory by Joven, who did it all for the love of his hometown and his Church.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Orani was another one of Joven's most memorable restorations. Brought by Dominicans to Bataan in 1587, the miraculous image was canonically crowned in 1959. It has been restored many times, but the results were not exactly up to par--until Joven was requested to step in to work on the Virgin and the Holy Child anew.


Joven, a stickler for tradition, adhered to the original look of the image, keeping the dark tones of the complexion as well as the colors of the vestments of both Mother and Child.

(My thanks to Mr. Tom Joven for providing all the photos for this article)