Señor Santo Cristo de San Juan - San Juan City's beloved Señor

-
Señor Santo Cristo de San Juan
In the city of San Juan, located near Mandaluyong and some parts of Makati City, there is Shrine that is hidden from the noise of the city's urban jungle that pilgrims and devotees find solance and comfort. That particular shrine is the centuries old Santuario de Santo Cristo located in San Juan City where centuries old miraculous image of Our Crucified Lord is enshrined and the center of devotions over the centuries since its transfer from Binondo.

The Señor Santo Cristo became the silent witness of the rich history of San Juan from a small barrio to a highly urbanized city and the city's role in the Philippine Revolution and He continues to watch over and protects His children over the centuries.

The image

The image of the Santo Cristo was that of Our Lord Jesus in His Crucifixion. In this image, He sports a set of Tres Potencias and He is vested with a set of tapis made from different fabrics and done with different styles of embroidery that are given by devotees as ex votos. The legs and feet of the image was recently covered with glass to preserve and protect the image from damage due to constant caresses of his devotees over the years.

The Origin of the Señor

In 1641, Fr Sebastián de Oquendo, OP, the Prior of Santo Domingo monastery in Intramuros, decided to send to San Juan the image of the Santo Cristo that was then venerated in Binondo Church (another Dominican Mission). The venerable image was brought to the reconstructed church in San Juan and placed on the main altar, displacing the image of John the Baptist, since the image, which was "nine palmos in height" (approx. 1.80 metres) would not fit. From then on, devotion to the Santo Cristo spread to nearby communities.

The shrine itself gained popularity when the image began to perform miracles, thus earning the shrine the name Santuario del Santo Cristo. News of the image's miracles spread to Manila and the surrounding areas, particularly the neighbouring Franciscan parish and town of Santa Ana, to which the present-day San Juan Mandaluyong once belonged to.

On May 3, 1924, the Feast of the Señor Santo Cristo, the image went out on procession for the first time since its enthronement in 1641. In the olden days, whenever there was a fiesta procession  the image carried was the Crucifix that was kept in the sacristy of the old church and at present is venerated on Good Friday. The Santo Cristo was too heavy to be carried around.

In 1923, an andas was first comissioned and was used in the procession of 1924, however, they find it very difficult because of the weight of the Señor and the pilgrims who wanted to touch the Señor. It was later decided that an carozza was to be made for this purpose and this was crafted by Maximo
Vicente.

The Santuario de Santo Cristo of San Juan
The Santuario

The Santuario de Sto. Cristo and its adjacent convent were built in 1602-1604 by the Dominican Fathers of the Holy Rosary Province on a site donated by Captain Julian de Cuenca. Before the Sto. Cristo was enthroned, St. John the Baptist was the titular of the church. The church and the convent were burned during the Chinese uprising of 1639 and the during the British occupation of 1763. After these political unrest, the edifices were rebuilt shortly.

In May 3, 1942, the Santuario was erected as a parish. As years went on the church could not cope with the increase population of San Juan and the idea of enlarging the church was finally pushed through on February 16, 1963 when His Eminence Rufino Cardinal Santos blessed the cornerstone of the new Santuario. The present structure keeps the original façade of the church of 1774 and, though enlarged, retains the same inside and outside structures. In the Jubilee Year of Mercy

Papal Recognition

The Confraternity of the Santo Cristo was established and approved by Pope Innocent X in 1648, roughly 45 years after the arrival of the Dominicans in San Juan. Prominent citizens of Manila and other towns became members of the Confraternity and made yearly pilgrimages to the shrine. Others decided to settle in the vicinity of the shrine, forming the nucleus of the present city of San Juan.

The Devotion

The Feast of the Señor Santo Cristo is celebrated every May 3, the Traditional Feast of the Invention of the Cross where St. Helena found the Holy Cross of Christ in the rubble located near Mount Calvary. Pilgrims flock His Shrine, especially on his feast day to join his annual procession with the attendance of thousands from San Juan and other parts of Metro Manila and some provinces.

The devotion to the Señor shows how much Christ cared so much for our salvation, In the case of the this image, it demonstrates his love to all of us that he bore until his humiliating death on the Cross and he used this particular image as an instrument of to brought forth graces to those trusts his love and mercy. May the devotion to the Señor Santo Cristo leads us to meditate on his Passion that saved all us from eternal damnation.

Reference:

Eladio Neira, OP. The Full History of Santuario del Sto. Cristo Church"(PDF). Santuario Del Sto.  Cristo Parish. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
Jesus Prol, OP. The History of Santuario del Sto. Christo Church. Santuario Del Sto. Cristo Parish.  Retrieved 10 May 2017.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Nuestra Señora de la Regla: Cebu's Gracious Lady

-
Image
Nuestra Señora de la Regla de Cebu Aside to the famed Santo Niño de Cebu, there is another devotion that flourished in the island that pilgrims visit through the centuries succor in times of great need - the felicitous Nuestra Señora De la Regla. The miraculous image is venerated widely by the Cebuanos who believe that the prosperity they enjoy is a blessing achieved through the strength of her maternal intercession. The image is currently venerated at The National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu. Features of the image The image of the Virgin is patterned to the original located in Chipiona, Spain. The Our Lady of the Rule image carved from the trunk of dark Philippine hardwood, was installed at the her own altar of Our Lady of the Rule Church in Lapu-Lapu City. The Brown Madonna holds the Infant Jesus in a form of offering and showing - as if she is presenting the Child Jesus to the people and telling them to worship his Son -
Read more

Nuestra Señora da la Salud: The Powerful Health of the Sick

-
Image
Nuestra Señora da la Salud Within the confines of modern Quezon City, there is a precious treasure that was once one of great importance of Old Manila's Glorious Past. This principal treasure is the dark image of the Blessed Virgin, under the title of"Nuestra Señora de la Salud" (Our Lady of Health) brought by the Recollect missionaries to the Philippines in 1634. In the olden days, the Virgen de la Salud is one of the most celebrated Marian images in the country with numerous miracles were attributed to this Dark Virgin of Old San Nicolas Church. So numerous and well known that even high government officials of the time are in attendance and one of most awaited in the summer and it somehow rivals that of the Virgin of the Santo Rosario of Old Intramuros (now will be venerated in her new Shrine in Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.) However, after the ravages of World War 2, though the image was safe and kept by her custodians, the devotion her seemed to be forgotten by
Read more

Nuestra Señora de Barangay - The Mother and Protectress of the Barangay

-
Image
Nuestra Señora de Barangay Of all Marian images venerated in the country, there is a simple yet beautiful image of Our Lady that is very unique in our consciousness, the very Filipina image of the Virgin of the Barangay. The image of the "Virgen sang Barangay" gained much attention since its first public appearance in the 1950's as the Patroness of the Barangay sang Birhen Organization and began touring the nation for some years and numerous replicas of this image, whether it is a painting or a three-dimensional statue, this particular Venerada clearly shows how the Blessed Virgin became became our own Mother of the Filipino Nation and became a unifying force for centuries and still enjoys much love and veneration as time passed by.  The image The icon of the Virgin of the Baranggay depicts the Virgin presenting her Son to the barangay. The Virgin wears the traditional balintawak and wearing a red and yellow tapis on her waist while the Child is covered with
Read more

The Regal and Miraculous Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario - La Naval de Bacolor of Bacolor, Pampanga

-
Image
Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario - La Naval de Bacolor (Church image) Bacolor, Pampanga, one of the most historic town one of the most populated in the province that was once the provincial capital of the province bearing the name "Villa de Bacolor" and dubbed as "Atenas de Pampanga" due to its significant role in the history, culture, economy and faith in Pampanga. Bacolor is also famous for its centuries old sunken San Guillermo Church where half of edifice was submerged by lahar during the Pinatubo eruption in the early 1990's and decades later as the church from the iconic ABS-CBN teleserye "May Bukas Pa". Bacolor is also known as one of the main Marian pilgrimage sites in the province and also of Central Luzon because it was in the famed Bacolor Church were the miraculous image of Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario - La Naval de Bacolor is enshrined. The Virgin of the Rosary of Bacolor became a silent witness of the colorful yet tra
Read more

Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga - the Queen of Cavite

-
Image
Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga In the province of Cavite, located in Southern Luzon area, there lies a church in Cavite City, then known as Cavite Puerto where it has been, and still is, the center of pilgrimage in the whole province and outside, including Metro Manila and other provinces for the parish San Roque in Cavite City is the home of the famous Patroness of the Cavite - Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, the undisputed Queen of Cavite. For Caviteños, the Soledad will always be part of their lives for tremendous miracles were attributed through her intercession and it is no wonder that in almost every home in Cavite, altars and doorsteps are not complete without an image of the Soledad either in print, sculpture, reliefs and other media. The icon has received several titles in its history, including "Queen of Cavite" and "Exalted Patroness and the Celestial Guardian and Protectress of the Province of Cavite and its Port" (Spanish
Read more