Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz de Ozamiz - The Returning Queen of Ozamiz City

Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz de Ozamis

In the later part of 2017, Social Media was buzzing about an Antique fair that was held in Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City where a beautiful image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the Immaculate Conception was the subject of much discussion for days. This particular image was identified as the missing image of the Patroness of Ozamis City, the Centuries old Miraculous image of Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz de Ozamiz (More popularly known to her devotees as "Birhen sa Cotta" - The Lady of the Fort) that went missing since 1975. The buzz on the image was further escalated when a magazine show 'Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" of GMA 7 aired a segment regarding this particular image.

On how the image arrived from Ozamiz City to Manila and how she returned to her home was an incredible story worth telling for it shows how the mutual longing of the people of Ozamis and the Virgin was finally ended and how this particular depiction of the Virgin was loved and venerated by many before the sacrilegious theft of the image.

Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz

The image 

The beautiful and unique image of Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz of Ozamiz City (also known as Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion y Triunfo de la Cruz de Migpangi - "Mig" is the Subanen term for "bay" and "Pangî" is the name of the bay that was Hispanized into "Panguil".) is an image of the Immaculate Conception with very unique features. The image is presented as if she was in heaven in her splendor due to the fact that her her clothes were carved as if she was being blown by the wind.

The face of the Virgin was of pristine and unique beauty with expressive eyes and a beautiful smile as if she is assuring her maternal love to those who will venerate her. The hands of the Virgin was in prayer position and she was standing upright. The image wears a crown and wearing a scapular which will be discussed later on.  The image has been referred by the locals simply as the Birhen sa Kotta or Virgin of the fort, although its actual title is Nuestra Señora del Triunfo de la Cruz (Our Lady of Triumph), a name taken after the flagship of Father Jose Ducos, SJ, the Triunfo.

The history 

One of the enduring religious accounts of Misamis (now Ozamiz City) is that of the image of the Blessed Virgin in the old Spanish Fort or Cotta that still stands today, guarding the entrance to Panguil Bay. The Port was built in 1755 by Father Jose Ducos, SJ, to serve as an outpost of Spanish suzerainty in Muslim Mindanao. The image of the Virgin arrived in Ozamiz in 1756.

Father Ducos placed the fort and the town that grew around it under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception. A special chapel was built inside the walls of the fort and the image of the Virgin, in the pink and blue attire, was enshrined in the chapel. Outside the fort on the wall facing the bay there was also a carved bas relief image of the Virgin that is also being venerated by devotees and pilgrims up to this day. The bas relief image dates back to  1758. The relief image wears pink and blue dress and she stands on a crescent moon with three angels and hovering in a cloud. A crown and the Holy Spirit can be seen above the Virgin.

The Miracles

The people of Ozamiz City often recount this particular miracle of the Virgin that earned her much devotion to the locals. During the period of the Spanish conquest, it tells of the miraculous intercessions of the Virgin during the Muslim raids to which the fort was often subjected. Oftentimes the fort was undermanned due to its distance from the main Spanish garrisons and the infrequent visits of the armada whose principal anchorage in the south was Cebu. But the fort had always withstood even the fiercest Muslim attacks, a feat which they could attribute only to the Blessed Mother's intercession.

Another miracle that was attributed to the Virgin was when a mother was in distress for she was about to lose her child due to health complications that she seek the help of the Virgin by offering of votive candles with the weight of 5 Kilograms which was the weight of the infant. Immediately, the infant was cured and she continues to live up to the present, as of this writing.

The Feast days of the Virgin are observed every July 16, in commemoration of the miracle of protection to the City which was also the Feast of the old Spanish commemoration of the victory of the Christian Spain over the Moors in the Mazorabic Liturgical Calendar and December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and these dates became important to the people of Ozamis City and neighboring towns and provinces.

The bas relief image of Nuestra Señora de
Triunfo de la Cruz of the Fort Chapel

The home of the Virgin 

In 1876, the Spanish priest assigned in Misamis noted that the chapel and the image were not properly cared for. He ordered that the precious image be transferred to the parish church of the town.

From that time, this ancient and historical image was kept on the side of the altar of the church, encased in a crystal urn, and its feast customarily observed on July 16,  the feast day of our Lady of Mt. Carmel. For sometime, the image has been erroneously taken for that of the Lady of Mt. Carmel. It was therefore repainted to conform to the brown habit of the Carmel image which explains why the image wears a Scapular.

The old church was destroyed by the strong earthquake in 1955 but the image of the Virgin was left intact. When the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was built, the image was enshrined on the right side altar. On its feast day the miraculous ­image is taken by devotees in procession around the city and the old Kotta where Holy Mass is offered in her honor.

The Theft of the image

Suddenly, in December 1975 the image was sacrilegiously stolen from her Camarin. There have been several attempts to recover the miraculous image of the Virgin. Religious organizations, provincial and city official and concerned citizens have asked the help of the Philippine Constabulary in nationwide search for the image. Some of the old folks recount that when the Virgin was stolen, calamities began to creep in the peaceful city of Ozamiz.

For Forty two years, there had been no ­encouraging news on the whereabouts of the Virgin. Meanwhile the people, for forty two years, prayed unceasingly, especially on her feast days, July 16 and December 8 hoping for her return. While the original statue was missing during that time, the Chapel at the Fort and the old bas relief image for the meantime became the focal point of the devotions to Nuestra Señora del Triunfo de la Cruz.

The image as seen in an antique fair
in Makati City

The Unexpected Appearance 

Sometime in the later part of 2017, the image was unexpectedly appeared in an antique fair that was held in Manila Peninsula in Makati City. The condition of image was in looming condition with the encarna of the image was peeling off, notably in the face and the hands, and cracks marks were seen.

The image of Virgen de Triunfo at that time was under the custody of Mr. JV Esposo, an antique dealer in Metro Manila. He relates that he acquired the image from a deceased antique dealer and was enthralled with her beauty.

Upon realizing that this image was the missing Patroness of Ozamiz City, through the help of his friends and careful research on the image and its origins, he was prompted to have the image restored and return the image to Ozamiz City on December 8, 2017, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

The triumphant procession of Nuestra Señora de Triunfo to Ozamiz City

The Triumphant Return

As soon as the segment regarding the image was aired on GMA 7's top magazine show "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" was aired, many devotees got teary eyed upon watching the episode. “Our people here in Ozamiz are very glad that the 1756 image will finally come home. Many are very happy, while some even cried,” Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad said in an interview.  Archbishop Jumoad said the people of Ozamiz are thankful to JV Esposo, who will return the image to the Archdiocese.

A Concelebrated Thanksgiving Mass was offered by Archbishop Jumaod and
the priests of the Archdiocese on the return of the Virgin.

After 42 years, the image was triumphantly returned to her true home in Ozamiz City on December 8, 2017, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Thousands of devotees from the province of Misamis Occidental and neighboring provinces witnessed the arrival of the image of their patroness “Birhen sa Cotta”. The atmosphere was emotional and euphoric where the people welcomed their Queen with joy and tears as the image makes her triumphant procession on the streets of Ozamiz City.

The image was later taken to her first home, the Spanish Fort in Panguil Bay and was taken once again in procession going to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for a Thanksgiving Mass and formal turnover of the image to the Archdiocese of Misamis. The image was later enthroned in a glass urn in the middle of the altar for public veneration. Later that evening, the procession in honor of the Immaculate Conception took place and the Virgen de Triunfo was placed on a beautiful carroza and winding the streets of Ozamis and everyone in the City joined the procession as they are thanking God for the return of their beloved Mother and Queen after 42 years.

The 42 year long absence of the Birhen sa Kotta is finally over. The prayers of her devotees came into fruition and the Virgin in turn seems to be happy to her homecoming as well as most devotees noticed a different yet warm smile from the Virgin was evidently seen in her latest photos. With her return to Mindanao, let us all pray for peace that was very elusive to this part of the country that was recently ravaged by the attacks of different extremist groups and she once again protect her chosen land as she did before.

Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz de Ozamiz, pray for us!

References:

Abad, Annie L. (2009), “Ozamiz City – The Historical, Cultural and Pilgrimage Destination” Ozamiz City Tourism Office.
Hermoso, Christina 92017), "Ozamis icon to return home after 4 decades", Retrieved from https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/16/ozamis-icon-to-return-home-after-4-decades/ on December 11, 2017.
Naval, Gerard (2017), "Marian image returns to Ozamiz after 40 years", Retrieved from http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/marian-image-returns-ozamiz-after-40-yrs on December 11, 2017.
Naval, Lhem J.(2017), "The Grand Northwest of Mindanao: Vignettes of Misamis History and other Essays", Retreived from http://www.facebook.com on December 11, 2017.
Rodriguez, Jose B. (2009), "The image of the Blessed Virgin of the Cotta of Misamis", Retreived from http://ozamizcity.com/AttractionsCottaImage.htm on December 11, 2017.

The photos that were utilized for this blogpost are courtesy of Mr. Joshua Chiong, Mr. Bonnie Mercado and Mr. Benjamin Rico Respicio.

Special thanks to Mr. Joshua Chiong, Mr. Bonnie Mercado, Mr. Benjamin Rico Respicio and to the devotees of Nuestra Señora de Triunfo de la Cruz of Ozamiz City.