The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light, popularly known as Cainta Church (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Lumen), is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church located along Andres Bonifacio Avenue in Barangay San Andres,

Cainta Cainta, officially the Municipality of Cainta ( fil, Bayan ng Cainta, ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 376,933 people. It is one of the oldest municipalit ...

Rizal Rizal, officially the Province of Rizal ( fil, Lalawigan ng Rizal), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Antipolo. It is about east of Manila. The p ...

, in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. 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 In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. It was placed under the newly created

Diocese of Antipolo The Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo (Lat: ''Dioecesis Antipolensis''; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Antipolo'') is a diocese of the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that comprises the Rizal, Pro ...

in 1983, which is now headed by Francisco M. De Leon. It belongs to the Vicariate of Our Lady of Light. On 6 December 2017,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

granted the papal bull of

canonical coronation A canonical coronation ( la, Coronatio Canonica) is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a bull, in which the pope bestows the right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureole to an image of Christ, Mary or Josep ...

towards its enshrined Marian image and it was crowned on 1 December 2018. The venerated image is a destroyed Sicilian painting from 1727, recreated by Philippine national artist

Fernando Amorsolo Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (born Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto; May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. Nicknamed the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art," he was the first-ever to be recognized as a N ...

due to the burning of the original relic during the

Filipino-American war Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New S ...

in 1899. It is the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

History

The original church of Cainta was first constructed in stone by Father Gaspar Marco, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest, in 1707. The shrine at the time was under the patronage of

Saint Andrew the Apostle Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

. The construction of the stone church was designed by Father Juan de Salazar, S.J., and was completed during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J., in 1716 while he was still the parish priest. In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

and was chosen as the new patroness of the church. By 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish. On 23 February 1853, an earthquake damaged the church building. Both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

sustained cracks. By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (''Virgen ng Caliuanagan'' or ''Madre Santissima del Lumen'' in Tagalog and

languages), as attested in the 5 August 1884 letter by the pastor of Cainta Don Mariano de San Juan to the

Archbishop of Manila The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila ( lat, Archidioecesis Manilensis; fil, Arkidiyosesis ng Maynilà; es, Arquidiócesis de Manila) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing ...

, Fray Pedro Payo, O.P.

Filipino-American War

During the

Filipino-American War Filipino Americans ( fil, Mga Pilipinong Amerikano) are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos and other Asian ethnicities in North America were first documented in the 16th century as slaves and prisoners on ships sailing to and from New S ...

in March 1899, the church and parish rectory of

were burned down including the venerated Marian image within. Stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The only mark left of its Jesuit beginning was attached at the top portion of the church's façade – the monogram of the

Holy Name of Jesus In Catholicism, the veneration of the Holy Name of Jesus (also ''Most Holy Name of Jesus'', it, Santissimo Nome di Gesù) developed as a separate type of devotion in the early modern period, in parallel to that of the '' Sacred Heart''. The ...

"IHS" (Latin: ''Iesus Hominum Salvator''). The church was left in ruins for 67 years without any significant restoration.

Reconstruction

By the mid-1960s,

Rufino Cardinal Santos instructed the director of the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visu ...

Galo Ocampo Galo B. Ocampo (October 16, 1913 – September 12, 1985) was a Philippine artist. He was also the first Filipino to study heraldry and was a member of the International Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry in Madrid. Ocampo was born in Santa Ri ...

, to study the possibility of reconstructing the church on its original site. On 15 February 1965, the Cardinal gave permission for the church's reconstruction, which began on 10 June 1966."Cainta Church 01.jpg (historical marker)
Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved on 2014-10-26. The facade was kept untouched. The reconstruction was halted when one of the beams collapsed. Further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes. The reconstruction resumed on 15 June 1967 and completed after one year. Filipino

National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as a highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the f ...

was commissioned to create a replica of the icon of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

. Devotees today consider Amorsolo's replica the Philippine version of the original painting of Our Lady of Light in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The restoration and reconstruction of the parish was completed and was blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on 25 February 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over by the

CICM Missionaries The CICM Missionaries officially named as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ( la, Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) abbreviated C.I.C.M, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in ...

to the

, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. The church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta until 1998, when the community of Brookside Subdivision was granted a parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 2002, three new independent parishes were erected in villages along Imelda Avenue. Parts of Barangay San Andres were later given to newly established parishes, namely San Andres Apostol in Greenwoods Executive Village (2009) and Saint Francis of Assisi in Cambridge, Floodway (2011). More parishes were canonically established: the Parish of St. Joseph the Worker (2015) in Greenland, and recently St. Oscar Romero Quasi-Parish (2019) in Marick Subdivision. In 2007, the Cainta Church was declared a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI) – now the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural herita ...

(NHCP) – for its significant role during the Philippines-American War. On 1 December that year, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. An episcopal coronation was held on 1 December 2012 coinciding with the parish fiesta, and performed by the local bishop with the assistance of former ambassador to the Vatican, Ms. Henrietta De Villa.

Architectural features

The original church, including the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

and

, was made of stone and limestone (''calycanto'') while the roof was tiled. It measured approximately long, wide and high. It had a dome (''media naranja''),

transepts A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

(''crucero''), and five buttresses (''contrafuertos''). The nave's spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (''claraboya''). The belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (''esquitas''). The

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

with an arched ceiling was situated at the bottom of the belfry. Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail,

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

and three doors. Five

retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

s were found inside the church. The original picture of the Our Lady of Light was enshrined at the central niche. The

measured approximately long, wide and high. On the other hand, the parish rectory measured approximately long, wide and high. The rectory had a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices. The larger reconstructed church measures long, with transept width wide, and with walls high. It has a main door and four lateral doors. There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary. The bell tower, which is attached to the church building, has arched windows.

Marian image

629Our Lady of Light Parish Church Cainta Rizal 11

The devotion to Our Lady of Light was introduced in Cainta in 1727. The original picture brought by the Jesuits had a gilded frame and crest and was enshrined in one of the side altars (''colacerales''). It was transferred to the main altar (''retablo mayor'') before 1853. Two faithful copies of the original picture exist. The first was an 1801 print given to those who gave donations to the Virgin Mary with bottom inscription: The second faithful copy is a charcoal painting by Mariano Javier of Cainta, painted in 1857. Presently, it is under the care of the family of the late Flora Javier-Buenviaje. The present painting of the Our Lady of Light was painted using oil on canvas by the renowned

. Over time, the painting had developed some discolorations and acquired dirt and insect excrement. Specialists were consulted who recommended conservation. Conservation procedures were done in four months by Carmina Silverio, a conservator and restorer of painting and sculptures. The feast day of the venerated image is celebrated annually on December 1, after the feast of Saint Andrew. Her secondary feast is observed on Thursday after Pentecost Sunday.

Clergy

Gallery

File:Cainta Church 10.jpg, Side wall File:Cainta Church 05.jpg, Church Transept File:Cainta Church 03.jpg, Apex of the transept pediment File:Cainta Church facade.jpg, Front portal of Cainta church) File:Cainta Church 13.jpg, Altar File:Cainta Church 11.jpg, Inside the church, showing the bays (left portion) File:Cainta Church 02.jpg, Nave of the Church File:Cainta Church 07.jpg, Inside the church, showing the bays (right portion)

References

Other sources

The Official Website of the Municipality of CaintaThe Roman Catholic Diocese of AntipoloCainta Catholic College"Our Lady of Light"

The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute The Marian Library and International Marian Research Institute are two Catholic institutions of higher learning at the University of Dayton. They were previously one entity, but in 2017 returned to being administered independently. Institutions ...

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

External links

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light on Facebook
{{Marian Images in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches in Rizal Buildings and structures in Cainta Roman Catholic shrines in the Philippines Shrines to the Virgin Mary Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo