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The Peñafrancia Minor Basilica is located on the outskirts of Naga City—also known as the Piligrim City and Queen City of Bicol—in the Bicol Region of the Philippines. The Image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia is enshrined in her sanctuary at the Basilica Minore, Balatas Road Naga City. Rodel Cajot was appointed rector in 2011. HISTORY The concept for the building came from the late Archbishop Pedro Paulo Santos y Songco in 1960. Construction began on April 18, 1976, but was delayed for a number of years due to financing problems and was not completed until September 1981. On May 22, 1982, it was dedicated as The Church of Nuestra Señora de Peña de Francia and it wasn't until May 22, 1985 that the church was given the title of "Basilica Minore" from Rome after a request from the third Archbishop of Caceres, Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., D.D. The Peñafrancia Basilica Minore houses an image of the virgin Mary that was sculpted in 1710. It was commissioned by Miguel de Cobarrubias, who moved to the Philippines from Spain with his family and believed that the virgin Mary had helped him numerous times in his life. The image was housed in a small chapel until the Basilica Minore was built constructed. Archbishop Pedro P. Santos noted that the devotees and pilgrims kept increasing through the years. In 1960, he dreamt of building a basilica to give honor to Our Lady. Shortly after, through the meditation of the Archbishop Emeritus Teopisto V. Alberto, D.D. and the Association of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, Mr and Mrs. Macario Mariano donated a three hectare lot at barrio Balatas. Bishop Concordio Sarte initiated the ground work of the construction. Blessing and laying of the cornerstone was held on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1976 having Church dignitaries led by Cardinal Jaime Sin and prominent Bicolano sponsors. RECOGNITIONS
Immediately thereafter, there was a hiatus in the construction. Yet the association continued soliciting contributions and donations. Bishop Sarte was transferred to Sorsogon and Fr. Sofio Balce (later appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Caceres) took over as Parish Priest and Rector of Our Lady of Peñafrancia Parish and Shrine. He reorganized the different committees and launched “Operation Peñafrancia Basilica”. From then on construction continued on an almost fevered pitch until it was finally completed in September 1981. On May 22, 1982, Cardinal Sin officiated the solemn inauguration and dedication, having Cardinal Julio Rosales in attendance. On January 18, 1984, Leonardo Z. Legaspi was installed third Archbishop of Caceres. He sent a petition to Romeo to the effect that the title “Basilica” be granted to the newly built church. On May 22, 1985, he received the decree from the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship conceding the title of “Basilica Minore” to the “Church of Nuestra Señora de Peña de Francia”. With this concession comes another Basilica Minore in the Philippines granting plenary indulgences under the usual conditions. Barely ten years after its completion, the physical structure of the Basilica Minore had deteriorated earlier than expected due to some construction defects and the ravages of natural elements. In 1991, the Basilica Rector, Msgr. Manolo de los Santos, started the repairs and improvements of the Basilica Church. The doors were reinforced and strengthened, window stained glasses and oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross were installed, concrete pathways and drainage systems were constructed around the basilica church and complex. His efforts, however, were cut short towards the end of June 1993 due to his transfer to Iriga City as its new parish priest. In July 1993, the incumbent Rector, Msgr. Alberto Nero, resumed the major repairs and repainting of Our Lady’s Basilica. The first move was to treat the whole church and complex with anti-termite chemicals to control and exterminate those destructive pests which have already attacked and damaged considerably both structures. By September 1994, the leaking roofs of the Basilica have been fully repaired and repainted, the damaged ceilings rehabilitated and repainted together with the interior walls of the Basilica, the electrical wirings and installations renovated, the gigantic and ugly chandeliers were replaced with the more luminous and more economical Highbay luminaire lamps, the Cross at the Basilica dome provided with a neon light tubes which distinguishes the Basilica at night even from afar and finally a 20 KVA standby power generator had been purchased and installed to provide emergency lights during brown-outs. On November 3, 1994, the repair works and repainting of the Basilica Minore’s exterior walls were resumed. The broken window glasses, the partly corroded steel window frames were replaced/strengthened. The towering Basilica Belfry, however, remains untouched. The complete repairs and commissioning of this towering belfry seems to be impossible before this year’s Peñafrancia festivities. Most of its window glasses were already broken and need replacements, the steel window frames themselves are no longer safe, the long and winding steel staircase towards the topmost part of the belfry had already been declared not passable by our engineers. To replace the same with concrete staircase will take a yearlong job. Only after this can we furnish it with a suitable Church Bell or with an electronic Chime Bells. Above all the Basilica Minore of Our Ina has to be provided with a Perpetual Adoration Chapel for the Blessed Sacrament which should be accessible to everybody and yet more conducive to private personal prayer any time of the day. The left wing of the Basilica hallway will be most suitable for this. The basilica basement have to be converted and developed into a presentable Audio-Visual Room and furnished with the necessary Audio-Visual equipment to make it functional for the proper briefings and orientation of the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the Basilica Minore in groups all year round.
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TAKEN FROM THE ARTICLE OF FR FLORENCIO C. YLLANA THE FIRST CHAPEL Don Miguel Robles de Covarrubias began immediately the construction of the chapel of nipa and bamboo in the place indicated by the cimarrones. It must be like one of those “Ermitas” in our barrios. By then nobody must have dreamed, not even Dn. Miguel himself, that suck a chapel built for the cimarrones, would someday be the pet rendezvous of thousand and thousands of souls of the Bicol Region and other places. The present church was built more or less in the same place where the first was constructed. it is about 2 kilometers from the present Municipal Building and around a kilometer and a half from the Episcopal Palace. THE LAST DAYS OF DON MIGUEL Some months after the termination of the chapel, Don Miguel went to Manila where he lost the sight of his left eye. He consulted the doctors of the city with no positive effect. He then promised to come back to Naga to construct a stone church and to make the devotion to the Virgin more widely known among the Bicolanos. In a sudden he recovered his lost sight; so he came back. While in Nueva Caceres (Naga) Dn. Miguel fell seriously ill again and many thought it was his end. He then promised to live permanently in the place where he constructed a stone church and after five months of stay in that place he recovered. Dn. Miguel makes mention of this and other miracles in his letters addressed to the chaplain of Peñafrancia of San Martin de Castañar, Spain, written in the years 1710, 1711 and 1717. On or about the year 1723 God called him to his eternal abode to receive the reward for his good works and for the devotion he sowed in the bicolano soil, now acknowledged as Bicolandia’s foremost. May his soul rest in peace! THE PRESENT STONE CHURCH No definite data is available with regards to the construction of the present church. All references however point to the belief that it was Bishop Isidro Arevalo who built around the year 1750. His coat of arms engraved in the upper part of the western side of the church, justifies this stand, accepted by Msgr. Gainza himself. The old people say that the Chinese community of the locality donated the façade. They were ardent devotees of the Virgin as proven by the fact that they were the ones shouldering the expenses of the pagoda, the nicest seen in Naga, and all their children were usually baptized in the Peñafrancia church. As a consequence, the façade was entirely of Chinese art with pots, plates, jars, and etc. engraved on it. That was the façade previous to the present. THE PRESENT FACADE Perhaps few Bishops among those who governed the Diocese of Nueva Caceres had more devotion in, and demonstrated more interest for the Virgin of Peñafrancia and her church, as did Msgr. Francisco Gainza, an acknowledged luminary of the Dominican order. Not only did he write the history of Peñafrancia, the first one to be ever published, and edited a novena to the Virgin, but he also tried to make the Peñafrancia church a more worthy abode of the Mother of God. He introduced changes in the church, made it around 5 meters longer on the front and finally he constructed the present imposing thou simple façade. Bicolandia will never forget him and his memory will forever be linked with history of the Peñafrancia church. THE FIRST MIRACLE
Just after the construction of the chapel, Don. Miguel asked a sculptor to carve a statue of the Virgin from the picture of the original from Spain, which he had with him for many years. When the statue was finished, the sculptor needed blood to color it, so a dog was sacrificed. The dead animal with its four legs tied up, was cast to the river, which is only around five meters from the place. At this instant, Dn. Miguel remarked: “The Virgin will work her first miracle in Nueva Caceres. She will bring back to life that innocent animal that gave the blood for her”. Upon hearing this, those around him laughed sarcastically, but what was their surprise when in a jiffy the dog began to swim and upon reaching the banks, ran fast to the house of the master. Some people, including some Dominican fathers who were then taking vacation with Msgr. Gonzales, O.P., then Bishop of this Diocese, bore witness to the veracity of this first miracle wrought by the Virgin of Peñafrancia in Nueva Caceres. |
NOSTALGIA PENAFRANCIA HISTORIAA Journey to the glorious past on how Our Lady of Penafrancia become very famous and popular to the world, from its humble beginnings until its full scale of success in propagating this devotion. Archives
September 2015
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