La Naval de Manila is celebrated every 2nd Sunday of October at Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City. This is a festival revolving around the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary of La Naval, carved in 1593. The image was given as a gift to the Dominican fathers which has been elegantly decorated and placed in a well-lit carriage in a form of a ship. During the festival, the beloved image is brought out of the church followed by a dozen images of Dominican saints. The procession goes around the main streets of Sto. Domingo Parish and returns to the church amidst applause until it reaches the altar pedestal.
The image of Our Lady of the Rosary, popularly known nowadays as 'La Naval, is actually considered the oldest ivory carving in the Philippines. It was carved by a non-Catholic Chinese sculptor under the direction of Captain Hernando de los Rios Coronel. It is made of elephant ivory which was commissioned in 1593 by Governor General Luis Perez Dasmarinas for the Manila Dominicans. The sculptor later became a convert.
The image is dressed in yards of precious cloth of gold embroidered with silver thread. High-karat gold including precious jewels are part of the crowns of Our Lady and the Child Jesus. These jewels were donated by affluent devotees from several generations ago. Her garb reflects an influence from the 17th century Spanish "Golden Age," but her features shows oriental characteristics.
The image suffered damage during the 1762 pillage of Manila by British troops. In 1907, she was canonically crowned by the Papal Nuncio, the first Marian image in the country to be so honored. She narrowly missed destruction during the bombing of Manila in 1942, and had to be evacuated to a safer locale. In 1954, she was finally brought to her present home in the Dominican church in Quezon City. Some scholars have wondered how authentic to the 1593 original the present statue is. Other images of Our Lady of the Rosary were commissioned for the same Dominican convent in Manila from the early 17th century to the present day. In order to approach this art historical problem, a number of investigations have been carried out.
In 1646, when Dutch invaders tried to gain possession of the country, the image of La Naval de Manila was believed to have helped and guided the Spanish fleet. Before each of the battles, the intercession of Our Lady was fervently sought. Crew members -- Spanish soldiers, religious, and Filipinos -- vowed special homage to Our Lady for a victorious battle. With five battles to face against the Dutch, the Filipino and Spanish forces led by Commander Lorenzo de Orella y Ugalde, won despite being shorthanded with only two merchant galleons to fight 18 Dutch warships. They vowed that if they emerged triumphant, they would make a pilgrimage to the church -- barefoot. On April 9, 1662, sixteen years after the successful defense of Manila, these five battles was proclaimed miraculous by the Cathedral Chapter of the Archdiocese of Manila. The Council consisted of theologians, canonists, and prominent religious. After studying all the written and oral testimonies of the participants and eyewitnesses, the Council declared that the victories were:
| “ | Granted by the Sovereign Lord through the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin and devotion to her Rosary, that the miracles be celebrated, preached and held in festivities and to be recounted among the miracles wrought by the Lady of the Rosary for the greater devotion of the faithful to Our Most Blessed Virgin Mary and Her Holy Rosary | ” |
The La Naval de Manila was canonically crowned on October 1907 upon the orders of Pope Pius X, a first in the country and in Asia. Since then, processions and masses in honor of the Blessed Mother have become a tradition.
La Naval was acknowledged as the patroness of the Philippines during her feast on October 1973. In l974, she was enshrined in a safer vault-altar because of sacrilegious robberies of churches and sacred images in the area.
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