THE ARCHDIOCESAN Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto, which houses the centuries-old image of Sampaloc’s patroness, was declared a national shrine by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Two other churches, namely the Archdiocesan Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace or EDSA Shrine in Quezon City and the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Aranzazu in Rizal were also elevated to national stature during the bishops’ plenary assembly in Santa Rosa, Laguna.
According to the CBCP, a national shrine is a sacred place honored by the Church for its historical, spiritual and cultural significance to Catholicism. Churches must first be declared as a diocesan shrine by the local bishops or archbishop to receive canonical elevation.
The Loreto Church is dedicated to the Marian title of Our Lady of Loreto, which emerged from a pious legend that the house where Jesus was raised was moved by angels from Nazareth to Loreto in northern Italy in the 13th century to save it from Muslim invaders.
The Sampaloc church was originally established by Franciscans in 1613 but was destroyed on Feb. 11, 1945 during the Battle of Manila. Only the original Marian image was saved during the war.
After its reconstruction in 1958, Our Lady of Loreto has been venerated as a protectress against fires and calamities and a mediator for students and teachers. In 2023, she was declared the patroness of Sampaloc by the Manila city council.
The church’s pre-World War II retablo, a multi-tiered structure that displays the image of Our Lady of Loreto and various saints, has been recreated to replicate its original baroque architectural style and intricate features, such as wooden carvings and scroll motifs. The effort to recreate the structure, which was unveiled last Dec. 1, was led by UST Faculty of Sacred Theology alumnus and Parish Rector Fr. Enrico Martin Adoviso.
READ: Thomasian priest leads recreation of pre-war retablo of the shrine of Sampaloc’s patroness
There are 33 national shrines in the country, including the Antipolo Cathedral, the first Philippine church to earn the status and the only international shrine in the country. F — Barbra Althea Gavilan
