The Heavenly Nuestra Señora Delos Angeles of Santa Maria, Laguna

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Nuestra Señora Delos Angeles
of Santa Maria, Laguna
In the town of Santa Maria, Laguna, a simple yet historic parish was built as a humble shrine of the Patroness of the Franciscan Order, Nuestra Señora delos Angeles which later on became the patroness of the town. The unique story of the origin of the Virgin of Sta. Maria, Laguna shows how Our Lady made herself known to her children and she became their loving mother and Protectress through the centuries.

The image

The venerated image of Nuestra Senora Delos Angeles of Santa Maria, Laguna is a de-vestige image of the Madonna and Child which is believed to be as old as the town itself. The image stands on a cloud base with cherubs, wears a set of jewels, crowns and the diagnostic Doce Estrellas for the Virgin. Both have a set of vestments made from different materials from neatly embroidered vestments to a metal plancha. The face of both Mother and Child were serene and welcoming. What was unique to this image is that the Virgin wears a silver shoes which is uniquely unusual to any venerated Marian images in the country.

As the time goes by,the image has undergone some restorations. She was left untouched until the year 2010. She was repainted by an unknown artist in Pakil in the year 2010, Couple of years passed, the image has seen cracked encarna around the image, the camarera and the recamadero decided to repaint the image due to the existing conditions. and this year 2015, the image again undergone restoration and the restoration was executed by Celia Cagayat, an artist from Paete.

The oldest known photograph
of Nuestra Senora Delos Angeles
of Santa Maria, Laguna
The origin

Originally, the town of Santa Maria is known as "Cabuoan" and it is believed by the residents that the town was first renamed as "San Miguel de Cabuoan" by Rev. Padre Antonio de la Llave, OFM. The town was renamed again, this time to "Santa Maria" because of an unusual event that took place there.

Sometime in 1613, there was a couple who was about to go home from the market place after trading their produce for their basic needs. At one point, they heard that something might have dropped by a merchant. The couple thought that it was a porcelain piece dropped by a Chinese merchant, yet to their surprise, they found in the place an image of Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus lying on the ground. The couple took home the image and enshrined it in their home altar.

The following day, the couple was surprised that the image was gone from her altar and immediately looked for the image. The couple later thought to go to the location where she was found - the marketplace. Upon arriving to the marketplace, they saw a group of women trying to poke something in the ground, thinking it was a piece of Ivory. The couple and the women inspected the object which it turned out to be the image of the Virgin. The couple and the people realized that the Virgin wished to have a church
The Parish of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles of Sta. Maria, Laguna
The Home of the Queen of the Angels 

In 1613, Rev. Padre Geronimo Vasquez, OFM initially built the church on the spot where the couple found the image of the Virgin and was later to be called as Nuestra Señora delos Ángeles, The Patroness of the Franciscan Order. Years late, the town's name "San Miguel de Cabuoan" was formally changed once again to "Santa Maria De Los Angeles" to commemorate the finding of the image of the Virgin and formally place the patronage of the town to the Virgin of the Angels.

The church was destroyed by the 1639 Chinese uprising and was rebuilt in 1669 by Father José de Jesus María, as well as the rectory.Like the other churches in Laguna, the church of Santa Maria was heavily damaged in the 1880 Luzon earthquakes. It was rebuilt by Father Leopoldo Arellano in 1891. The facade of the church is still surviving at present. The church was again partly destroyed during the earthquake of August 20, 1937, but was not reconstructed until after the Liberation in 1945.

Fiesta Procession in honor of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles
The devotion

Since the finding of the image, the devotion to the Virgen de Los Angeles immediately began and numerous miracles attributed to her intercession. She became the Protectress of the town from natural disasters, revolutions, and even the devastating Second World War. The devotion later spread to the other side of Laguna de Bay when an Estampa of the Virgen Delos Angeles of Sta. Maria was found in the shores near Pilapila of Binangonan, Rizal some years later and became the patroness of the said area as well. The devotion to the Lady of the Angels might not be that well known outside Laguna, but the strong devotion of the people is clearly evident for the people of the town grew with love and affection to their beloved patroness.

References:

Huerta, Felix de (1865). Estado geográfico, topográfico, estadístico, histórico-religioso. Binondo: Imprenta de M. Sanchez y Ca.
"Historical Marker of Santa Maria Church". Retrieved July 26, 2018.
"Pagsisiyam sa Karangalan ng Nuestra Señora delos Ángeles" (2014), Parish of Nuestra Señora delos Ángeles, Sta. Maria, Laguna

Special thanks to Mr. Noel Arriola and to Parish of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles Facebook profile for photos of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles of the Parish of Nuestra Señora delos Ángeles" , Sta. Maria, Laguna.

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