Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan - The Queen and Mother of Caloocan City
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| Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan |
The Virgin of Nieva of Caloocan garnered much devotion for centuries yet for sometime around the 1970's, controversy and confusion arose due to the misinterpretation of her title that somehow contributed to the dwindling of the devotion to her. However, with the recent declaration of the current Bishop of Caloocan, the era of confusion finally ended when he released a decree to correct the errors of the past that cost the devotion to the Virgin of Caloocan and in the hopes to restore the devotion to the Virgen de Nieva of Caloocan to its former glory.
The image
The image of Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan is that of a de vestir image of the Madonna and Child standing on a cloud base. Both Mother and Child wears a beautiful set of vestments, wigs and jewels from her devotees. The Virgin of Caloocan and the Niño wears a crown while the Virgin sports the diagnostic Doce Estrellas.
The image at present is enthroned to her own altar at San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan City and a staircase was later installed so that pilgrims would come closer and venerate the Patroness of the City.
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| Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña de Nieva venerated in Segovia, Spain |
The origin of the devotion to Nuestra Señora de Nieva dates back in the 1300's when it is said that an image of the Virgin was buried underground during the time of the Muslim invasion of Spain. This is the reason why the image was known as Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña as well. Sometime in 1392 in Nieva, Segovia, Spain, it is reported that she appeared to a shepherd named Pedro Amador while tending his livestock. The Blessed Mother him through a voice to visit the Bishop of the area and ask him to dig up the place where she appeared to recover the image that was buried years ago. Pedro immediately went to the Bishop, but the Bishop did not believe in him right away unless Our Lady would given him a sign. When Pedro came back to the Virgin to really what the Bishop has said to him, the Virgin gave him a small marble stone with an engraving the Dominican Cross on it. Pedro immediately showed this stone to the Bishop yet his assistants were trying to grab the stone yet strangely it stuck on Pedro's hands until the Bishop was able to get the stone. This unusual phenomenon convinced the Bishop to comply to the Virgin's request to retrieve her image. As the Bishop, his assistants and the townsfolk are reaching to the place of the apparition to look for the image, a strong fragrance, that was incomparable to any scent, filled the entire location and the people began to dig on the apparition site until they found the image of the Virgin and was immediately enthroned to their church for public veneration.
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| Nuestra Señora de la Soterraña de Binondo The whereabouts of this image is unknown until today |
The arrival of the devotion in the country
The devotion to the Virgen de Nieva began through Don Antonio Tuason, a wealthy mestizo of the Chinese district of Binondo, who learned about the story and the devotion to the Virgen de la Soterraña de Nieva. He later commissioned an ivory replica of the Virgen de la Soterraña and he immediately enshrined it in the Binondo Church, becoming the center of the devotion to the Virgin since 1762.
The devotion to the Virgen immediately spread throughout Manila and she became one of the most acclaimed Veneradas of Old Manila. However, during the Second World War, the image was kept away for safety yet the whereabouts of this Venerada is unknown up to this day.
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| Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan |
Although the actual origins of the Virgen de Nieva of Caloocan is still unknown due to scarcity of records, it is however believed that the devotion to the Virgen de Nieva in Caloocan began in 1765 when Rev. Fr. Manuel Vanqueto, Parochial Vicar of Santo Niño de Tondo Parish, began the construction of the Chapel dedicated to San Roch of Montpelier on a part of Kalookan called Libis Aromahan (Sitio de Espinas) where the present San Roque Cathedral stands today. Fr. Vanquero. gave the community two statues, that of San Roque and Nuestra Señora de Nieva. These statues are believed to be brought by the Augustinian Recollects from Talavera, Spain.
It can be assumed that due to the proximity of Caloocan from Binondo and due to the fact that there were some Chinese and mestizos who resided in Caloocan came from Binondo can also be factors to be considered for the spreading of the devotion to the Virgen de Nieva and a possibility to link the devotion to the Virgen de Nieva of Caloocan and Binondo.
Since the arrival of the images of San Roque and Virgen de Nieva to Caloocan, the devotion to the two Patrons began to flourish over the centuries. Numerous miracles were reported through the intercession of the Virgin of Nieva and she became a silent witness to the tumultuous yet developing history of the people of Caloocan. Her traditional feast day was observed every Third Sunday of February and this was celebrated with much solemnity for centuries.
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| Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan |
For centuries, the Virgin of Caloocan Cathedral was known in her title as Nuestra Señora de Nieva, in connection to the flourishing devotion of Our Lady under this title in Segovia, Spain and in Binondo, Manila. It is however that sometime in the late 1970's, in an attempt to translate the said title, the people have been lead to the title "Our Lady of Snows" which is an entirely different devotion from the former which originated from a Marian devotion in Spain while the latter is on the Papal Basilica of Mary Major in Rome.
The mishap regarding the translation of the title was neglected through decades, and title as the Virgen de la Nieva was mistaken as that of Our Lady of Snows, which fruited from the confusion of the Spanish term for snow which is “nieve” instead of the actual meaning of the term "Nieva" which is actually a place in Segovia, Spain. It is also noteworthy that it was only during these times that the August 5 feast for Our Lady of the Snows was adapted as well.
For decades, most of the faithful of Caloocan believed that their beloved Patroness was "Our Lady of the Snows" yet intriguingly kept the original Spanish title of "de Nieva" due to the mistaken interchange of the meaning of the said term. It is also noteworthy that due to the present situation of common Filipinos who have very little knowledge to none on understanding the Spanish language that contributed to the confusion of the devotees regarding this specific sobriquet of the Virgin.
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| The Church's inventory dating 1911 clearly shows the title of the Virgin as "Nuestra Señora de Nieva" |
It was only in 2015, in preparation of the bicentennial anniversary of the foundation of San Roque Cathedral, that a series of research was made to settle the dispute with regards to the proper title of the Virgin of Caloocan. During the course of research, numerous documents surfaced regarding the correct title of the Virgin of the Cathedral.
The notable documents such as three different novenas that were published in Spanish in 1780 (which was based from the actual novena in Segovia, Spain) and two Tagalog translation of the said novena published in 1867 and 1870, an inventory of the Cathedral dated 1911 and a Filipino write up about the origin of the devotion to the Virgin from Segovia published in 1965. All of the documents that the research team that were gathered clearly showed that the title that were used on these publications was "Nuestra Señora de Nieva" in reference to the Spanish devotion and not "Nuestra Señora de las Nieves", the Spanish translation of Our Lady of the Snows, of Roman tradition.
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| Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan |
With this, the solemn festivities in honor of the Nuestra Señora de Nieva will be celebrated on September 8 as observed in Santa Maria la Real de Nieva, Segovia, Spain, the place of origin of this devotion, to this very day. Subsequently, the August 5 fiesta will no longer be celebrated. While the liturgy of September 8 shall remain as proper to the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the solemn procession in her honor shall be done on the said date to be preceded by a triduum.
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| Devotees flocking the altar of Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan |
The devotion to the Virgen de Nieva de Caloocan might not be as popular as she was than her contemporaries, Our Lady continues to shower her children graces from her Son and gives her mantle of protection to her chosen throne in Caloocan. Her traditional fiesta every Third Sunday of February continues to be flocked by her faithful devotees up to this day and it is still considered an important day to Caloocan and the diocese. With the corrections on how she will be known and how her fiesta will be properly celebrated, let us hope that the devotion would further flourish and develop so that the faithful of Caloocan would grow to love their beloved Patroness - the Virgen de Nieva de Caloocan.
References:
David, Pablo Virgilio, DD, (2018), "Decree: The Proper Title and Fiesta Celebration of Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan", San Roque Cathedral, Caloocan City.
de Pascual, Mariano Tecson (1867), "Pagsisiam na inadhica sa capunhan ni guinoong Santa Maria alang alang sa caniyang mapaghimalang larauan na Soterraña de Nieva" Binondo, Manila.
Christian, Jr. W.(1981), "Apparitions in Late Medieval and Renaissance Spain", Princeton University Press, USA.
Cotera, Josef (1780), "Novena de Nuestra Señora de Nieva: llamada la Soterraña", Segovia, Spain.
Gutierrez, P. (2010), Notas Sobre Arquitectura y Retablos en las Iglesias de los Arrabales de Manila en 1782 (III Congreso Internacional de la Feiap.. Feiap. 2010).
"Manto de la Virgen" Retrieved from , http://mantodelavirgen.blogspot.com/2011/08/binondo-filipinas-tambien-encontramos on August 3, 2018.
Pacheco, Jose Miguel (2015), "Tracing the Roots of the Virgin of Caloocan:
A historical research on the Virgen de la Nieva of the San Roque Cathedral and the dilemma of title and patronage” Unpublished manuscript.
Puansen, A., (1870), "Novena o Pagsisiam na Arao sa Malouhating Virgen Maria na sinasamba sa Mapaghimalang Larauwan na ang pamagat ay DE LA SOTERRAÑA DE NIEVA", University of Santo Tomas Press, Manila.
Santoro, N.(2011), "Mary in Our Life: Atlas of Names and Titles of Mary", iUniverse Bloomington Inc., USA
San Roque Parish (1965), Pang-alaalang Palatuntunan sa Pista ng Lungsod ng Kalookan sa karangalan ng mga pinipintakasing Mahal na Birhen de la Nieva at Poong San Roque ika 20-21 ng Pebrero 1965, San Roque Parish, Caloocan City.
Special thanks to Mr. Jose Miguel "Mico" Pacheco for documents and photos of Nuestra Señora de Nieva de Caloocan that were utilized for this blogpost. +AM+DG+
The church inventory not only shows the correct title of the image but the donor as well - Dña. Petra Asistio.
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