Our Lady of Aránzazu (; ) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. The replica in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

is known as a

wonderworking Thaumaturgy () is the practical application of magic to effect change in the physical world. Historically, thaumaturgy has been associated with the manipulation of natural forces, the creation of wonders, and the performance of magical feats th ...

image due to claims of healing and delivery from

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

. It retains its standing posture despite controversy owing to the original image in

Oñati Oñati (, ) is a town located in the province of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. It has a population of approximately 10,500 and lies in a valley in the center of the Basque country. It lies abo ...

, Spain, being seated.

History

The history of Christianity in

San Mateo, Rizal San Mateo, officially the Municipality of San Mateo (), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Rizal (province), Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 273,306 ...

dates back to the early Spanish era of 1596, when the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

built the first settlements in the area. On 29 August 1596, the first parish church was built under the patronage of Saint Matthew the Apostle. On 6 December 1696, the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

arrived and gained control of the church and town. In 1705, the Jesuit Juan de Echazabal changed the patronage of the town from Saint Matthew to the Virgin of Aránzazu, which he introduced. In 1716, a new church was built on the site of the present one and placed under the patronage of the Virgin. The first image of the Virgin was brought to the Philippines by a Spanish captain from the Basque Country. In 1732, the Dominican Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in

Intramuros Intramuros () is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...

also made efforts in spreading the devotion to the Virgin of Aránzazu. The church was proclaimed a Diocesan Shrine on 16 July 2004. On January 25, 2025, the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (abbreviated as CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their terr ...

formally elevated the church to the status of National Shrine.

Description

Mary, holding the Christ Child, is vested in

imperial regalia The Imperial Regalia, also called Imperial Insignia (in German ''Reichskleinodien'', ''Reichsinsignien'' or ''Reichsschatz''), are regalia of the Holy Roman Emperor. The most important parts are the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, C ...

, and holds an apple symbolising her role as the "

New Eve The New Eve (Latin: ''Nova Eva'') is a devotional title for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Since the second century, numerous Eastern and Western Church fathers have expressed this doctrinal idea as an analogy to the biblical concept of the New Ada ...

" (''La Nueva Eva''). The image depicts the 1469 apparition, with the Virgin standing on a thorn bush with a small, squarish bell hanging from it. It includes a statuette of Rodrigo de Balzategui kneeling before the Virgin. The image faced controversy as the Virgin is shown standing while the original image in the

Sanctuary of Arantzazu The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Arantzazu is a Franciscan church located in Oñati, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. The church is a much-loved place among Gipuzkoans, as the Virgin of Arantzazu is the shrine’s namesa ...

in Oñate, is a seated

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

. A seated replica was made in 1990, with the controversy officially settled by the

Diocese of Antipolo The Diocese of Antipolo (Latin: ''Dioecesis Antipolensis'', Filipino: ''Diyosesis ng Antipolo'', Spanish: ''Diócesis de Antipolo'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines that compri ...

in 2012. Bishop-Emeritus Gabriel Reyes ruled the enshrined image will retain its standing posture, as per local custom and the wishes of devotees.

Veneration

The image was granted an episcopal coronation on 9 November 2013 by the Bishop of Antipolo,

Gabriel V. Reyes Gabriel Villaruz Reyes (born August 3, 1941) is a Filipino bishop of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antipolo from 2002 to 2016. Prior to this, he was the Bishop of Kalibo from 1992 to 200 ...

, the coronation ceremony was officiated by Francisco M. de León. The

canonical coronation A canonical coronation () is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a formal decree of a papal bull, in which the pope bestows the pontifical right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureola, aureole to an image of ...

of the image was granted by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

in response to a petition by the parish through its late curate Lawrence C. Paz, with documents prepared by the ''Cofradía de Nuestra Señora de Aránzazu''. The decree was promulgated on 17 June 2016 by Cardinal

Robert Sarah Robert Sarah (; born 15 June 1945) is a Guinean Catholic prelate who served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 23 November 2014 to 20 February 2021. He previously served as secretary of the ...

, then-Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (now the

Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments () is the dicastery (from , from δικαστής, 'judge, juror') of the Roman Curia that handles most affairs relating to liturgical practices of the Latin Church as distin ...

). The coronation was held on 31 May 2017, with Francisco M. de León celebrating the

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, and Cardinal

Orlando Quevedo Orlando Beltran Quevedo (; born 11 March 1939) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church. A cardinal since 2014, he was Archbishop of Cotabato from 1998 to 2018. He became a bishop in 1980. Early life Orlando Beltran Quevedo was born on ...

performing the crowning.

Devotion

The feast day of the image is celebrated every September 9 with much solemnity and joy as people carry her image in procession while waving white handkerchiefs and singing her devotional hymn. The feast day was traditionally on every Sunday or the Sunday nearest

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

until it was discovered by former parish priest Rev. Fr. Marcelino Prudente that the Virgin’s feast in Oñate is on September 9. Through his efforts, The Most Rev. Protacio Gungon, D.D., then-Bishop of Antipolo, decreed in 1989 that the feast of the Virgin is to be kept on its present date. The shrine devotes the ninth day and second Saturday of each month to the Virgin. The devotion to Nuestra Señora de Aránzazu continues to inspire the people of San Mateo to strive for their faith. Miracles continued to be reported through her intercession up to the present and devotees from around the country make a pilgrimage to her shrine in seeking her intercession.

Miracles

Thousand of devotees offer testimonials of miracles through the intercession of the Virgin of Aránzazu. One of the most popular is when during one

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

season, San Mateo was in danger of flooding so it was decided to process the Virgin through every area of the town. It is said that once the Virgin faced each household or area, the floods suddenly subsided. Another case was in 2013 when

Typhoon Yolanda Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions ...

(international name: Haiyan) was projected to hit Rizal province around the time of the episcopal coronation. Heavy downpours loomed yet when the Virgin arrived, the rains ceased and the coronation Mass proceeded. Other miracles reported by devotees to the shrine can be seen in the chapel of the Virgin, and these range from cures from diseases like cancer, passing licensure examinations for various professions, financial aid, reconciliation of families, and the conversions of nonbelievers.

Gallery

File:Aranzazu El San Mateo.jpg, The Canonically Crowned Image of Our Lady of Aránzazu is brought out from the shrine for a procession. File:Aranzazu El San Mateo LL.jpg, The Canonically Crowned Image of Our Lady of Aránzazu File:Entronement.jpg, Our Lady of Aránzazu being enthroned on her ''

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 ...

'' at the high altar of the church File:SanMateo,RizalChurchjf5525 04.JPG, The shrine oratory, which holds a copy of the image. File:SanMateo,RizalChurchjf5467 11.JPG, A large outdoor copy of the image on the shrine grounds File:SanMateo,RizalChurchjf5495 04.JPG, The view of the church façade behind the trees File:Original Image of Our Lady of Aranzazu in San Mateo.jpg, Closeup of the image and its crowns, shortly before the enthronement. File:Simbahan at Dambana ng Nuestra Senora de Aranzazu.jpg, Historical Marker by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...

at the shrine.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady Of Aranzazu

Aranzazu Arantzazu (Spanish language, Spanish ''Aránzazu'') is a town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the province of Bizkaia, in the Autonomous Community of Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, northern Spain. To ...

Catholic Church in the Philippines Religion in Rizal (province) Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus Statues of the Madonna and Child