Santa Marian Kamalen also known as Our Lady of Camarin and informally known as Dulce Nombre ''(English: Sweet Name)'' is a title 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 ...

associated with a carved molave wood and

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals is ...

image venerated by the

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 ...

faithful in

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

as their

Patroness Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

. The image is known to have escaped the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese war and bombing of Guam on 8 December 1941, the

Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, also called Immaculate Conception Day, celebrates the sinless lifespan and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, celebrate ...

. It is permanently enshrined at the Minor Basilica of the Most Sweet Name of Mary.

History

Pious legends claim that the image was brought by

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

through the

Galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch War ...

ship ''Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza y Santiago'' which was shipwrecked on 2 June 1690 at the

Cocos Island Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas ...

of Guam. The image is thought to have been enshrined on the ship by its sailors. One account of its discovery holds that a fisherman found the statue along the shore of

Merizo Malesso' (formerly Merizo) is the southernmost village in the United States territory of Guam. Cocos Island (Chamorro: Islan Dåno) is a part of the municipality. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2010 census. Malesso' is ...

. He saw the image accompanied by crabs with votive candles, later interpreted as miraculous by indigenous people in the area. The image later gained the title of ''Kamalen'', literally ''

Barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

'' due to the image being stored in a nearby infantry compound after it was found by the fisherman. The image measures approximately 28 inches and weighs 48 pounds. The image is composed of

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

d Molave wood and

head and hands and wears a wig of human hair. Caretakers of the image rescued the statue on 8 December 1941 at the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, when the image was hidden for safekeeping. The image was enshrined at the cathedral again on 8 December 1945, on the

. In 1948, the image was brought to 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 ...

for professional restoration by renowned Filipino Santero artist Máximo Vicente, who also restored the

Black Nazarene The Black Nazarene ( es, El Nazareno Negro, Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno; fil, Poóng Itím na Nazareno, Hesus Nazareno) is a life-sized image of a dark-skinned, kneeling Jesus Christ carrying the Cross enshrined in the Minor Basilica of the ...

of Quiapo. Popular legends also recount the image surviving the 1902 earthquake in Guam, which destroyed the shrine and many statues within the church but left the image intact.

Veneration

The image was stolen on three separate occasions: 19 May 1968, 3 May 1971 and 28 December 1992; yet later returned. A replica is enshrined for public veneration at the main church, while the original ivory statue is enshrined above the high altar. Today, the image is suspended above the high altar with no possibility of reaching it from the sides. A digital alarm is installed on its pedestal which is accompanied by the main caretaker of the image. Behind its niche are three panels of locked doors, accessible only by a staircase through the old rectory entrance.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

mentioned the image on 22 February 1981 during his Apostolic visit. A replica image was installed at the

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

on 17 September 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamalen, Santa Marian Titles of Mary Catholic Church in Guam