Santo Cristo de Longos: Binondo's Watchful Companion

Santo Cristo de Longos

In the oldest existing Chinatown in the World located in the Philippine Capital, Binondo is a melting pot for cultural diversity. Since the Spanish era, Binondo became the center of the Sangley's trade and commerce. With the efforts of the Dominican Order to evangelize the Sangleys, Christianity was accepted, however Chinese folk beliefs were also incorporated through time.

The Filipino Chinese community in Binondo has its own devotions to boot from the Virgen del Rosario, Virgen del Pronto Socorro (the oldest venerated Marian painting in the country), the Virgen de Soteranna (now in the custody of Imelda Marcos) and their most celebrated fellowman, San Lorenzo Ruiz who hails from this ancient arrabal. Another image that the Filipino Chinese community venerate and held so dearly is the Santo Cristo de Longos venerated both in the Basilica Minore of San Lorenzo Ruiz or more popularly known as Binondo Church and in his two street shrines in the area. The Santo Cristo is proven to be prodigious that he won the affection of the Binondo inhabitants and pilgrims.

Features of the image

The image of the Santo Cristo is that of the Black Crucified Christ wearing metal tapis and his set of gold Crown of Thorns and tres potencias. The cross is surrounded by rayos on all sides and a pear-shaped embroidered cape is attached to the rayos.  The face of the image appears to be in great agony that it somehow gives us an impression of Christ in a physical, psychological and emotional exhaustion given with all the emotional turmoil that he received from the evening of Holy Thursday, the tortures that he received in the morning of Good Friday that lead to his death in that fateful afternoon.

The countenance of the image is so intricately carved and one can reflect on the words the Prophet Isaiah spoke about the Passion of Jesus: "He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed"(Is.53:2-5)

History

It was said that in the 16th Century, a deaf mute Chinese was getting a pail of water in the Barrio of Longos in a newly established Sangley community of Binondo. Upon pulling the pail out, he saw a dark-skinned corpus of the Crucified Christ without a Cross. Immediately, out of reverence and out of devotion, he pulled the image from the well. After he got the image, he was completely healed of his muteness and began shouting praises about his discovery. The news of the finding and the miracle became widespread that an altar was set for the image for the time being.

The image of the Crucified Christ was immediately fitted to a Cross and was transferred to the Capilla de San Gabriel where the image of the Virgen del Pronto Socorro was also enshrined. The image of the Santo Cristo and the Virgen del Pronto Socorro was later transferred to Binondo Church, then known as the Santos Reyes parish after the San Gabriel Chapel was destroyed during the earthquake of 1863. Both images were unscathed after the earthquake that the people believed that the images are miraculous.  The image was placed inside a special niche by the side entrance of the church. Since then, the image is venerated by the Faithful, especially by the Chinese-Filipinos up to the Present. 

The Hermandad del Santo Cristo de Longos

A confraternity the Venerable Hermandad del Santo Cristo de Longo was later founded in 1704. The primary purpose of the Hermandad is to propagate the devotion to the Miraculous Santo Cristo. The Hermandad is the oldest existing organization in Binondo. The Hermandad continues to foster the devotion to the Santo Cristo and with their unwavering devotion to the service of the church and its parishioners.  

Street Shrines dedicated to the Santo Cristo de Longos

Separate street shrines were built in honor of the Santo Cristo de Longos, one on the site of the old well of Barrio Longos. The first street shrine where the original image of the Santo Cristo de Longos was found by the Sangley. The Shrine is located near the corner of San Nicolas and Sto Cristo streets in San Nicolas District, Manila The San Nicolas Street Shrine enthrones a replica of the Santo Cristo de Longos to commemorate the finding of the image now venerated in Binondo Church.

The second street shrine deemed to be more popular to the Filipino Chinese community, devotees and pilgrims. This shrine features a Cross without the Corpus, yet a heart-like figure is prominently displayed at the center. The heart-like figure somehow alluded to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, another popular devotion to Jesus Christ. 

Details of the Heart Figure

This street shrine was erected at the corner of Ongpin St near a supermarket. Here, devotees venerating the wooden cross, honoring Christ in a fusion of Filipino-Chinese customs and traditions. This Cross is covered with gold plated covering and the heart-figure was untouched. The Cross is always adorned with sampaguita garlands while Buddhist incense sticks are lit and prayers are offered by visitors of the shrine. Local folks always say you need to drop by this Miraculous Cross to pay respect and for good luck whenever in Binondo. True enough, the Cross also gained devotees and miracles were also attributed through the veneration of this Cross. 

One peculiar miracle of this Cross is that Stories have it that there were three stockholders bought the lot where the Holy Cross is located. One of the three businessmen has decided to have the cross removed as it would hinder to the construction of a new building. Not long after the incident, the stockholder became blind. He promised to build an altar for the cross and he was able to regain his sight. 

The Feast of the Santo Cristo

Procession of the Santo Cristo de Longos

The Feast of the Santo Cristo de Longos is celebrated every last Sunday of April with a Solemn novena and a procession led by the Hermandad. The head of the hermandad handcarries the image while a Pallio covers the image. The image is paraded to the streets of Binondo while the devotees and members of different chapters of the Hermandad will put out their replicas of the Santo Cristo and paraded to the streets as well. 

The practice of veneration to the Santo Cristo de Longos has been quite popular over the years, particularly with the Filipino-Chinese community in the Binondo area that over time, this practice has become a curious sight of how eastern and western traditions converge in the matter of faith. The Santo Cristo is one of the priceless treasures of Binondo for centuries. In a place where the First Filipino Saint lived before his martyrdom in Japan, the faith in that arrabal is kept alive with the devotion to this image of Christ Crucified, and to think that San Lorenzo Ruiz himself has seen the image in his lifetime, one can imagine how he sought comfort and strength on the sight of the miraculous Santo Cristo - the same can be said to the people who sought after the help of Our Lord.