Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas - The Mother of Visayas

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Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas
The Visayas region is known as one of the strongholds of the Catholic Faith in the country where along with the Luzon island group, Visayas have a huge number of Catholics that comprises the majority of the Catholic population in the Philippines. It was in the Visayas region where the seeds of the Catholic faith were planted and cultivated with the arrival of the famed image of Santo Niño de Cebu in 1521 and built the country's first Church in his honor years later that served as a catalkyst of the Christianization in the Philippines.

The Blessed Mother also made herself known in the Visayas region with numerous miracles images of the Virgin is scattered and venerated in these islands throughout the centuries. It is no wonder that she was chosen as the Queen of the Visayas. Although it is already a knowledge to all of us that Our Lady is the Patroness of our country as the Immaculate Conception, this appelation to Our Lady emphasizes her role as Queen in the Visayas region for through the centuries, she showered graces, miracles and protection to her devotees and to the aforementioned island group.

The image

The regal image of Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas is a de tallado image of the Blessed Mother, pattered after the Immaculate Conception. The Virgin wears a white robe and gold cloak covering her robe. The Virgin's hair was long and loose, standing on a clod base with cherubs, her hands are in prayer position, a scepter in her arm and sports a crown and the estrellas on her head - the traditional iconography of her queenship.

Facial detail of Nuestra Señora,
Reina de las Visayas
Origins

The title and devotion to Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas began in 1996 when the Visayas Region Pastoral Assembly voted unanimously to celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the entire Visayas. The feast chosen was the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In 1997, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines confirmed the request of the Bishops of the Visayas. In the same year, Pope John Paul II granted the indult for the Visayas to Celebrate August 22 as a Patronal Feast and added the title: "Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas" to the feast.

The image was soon commissioned and it is currently enshrined at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus Nazareno in Talisay City, Cebu.

The devotion
Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas


The devotion to Our Lady, Queen of the Visayas eventually became know and gained devotees over the years. The August 22nd feast is celebrated with much solemnity that is fit for the region's Queen.

It is known throughout history that placing a city, province, region, and a country to the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are assured of her protection and shower of graces that she will grant from her Son and this is proven several times in different parts of the world, even in our own history. In these dark moments in our country, let us all realize once again the need to place our contry to her hands completely to obtain peace for our land and give honor to whom it is due - to her Son.

Reference:

Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas, Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/8297325@N02/4915633359 on July 25, 2019.

Special thanks to Mr. Ellis Mendez of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Punta Princessa, Cebu for the photographs and information regarding Nuestra Señora, Reina de las Visayas.
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