literature of ANTIPOLO CITY

1. THE PILGRIMAGE CITY:
According to the Antipolo Cathedral’s website, the pilgrimage season of the city is
initiated by the annual “Visit of the Mother to the Son,” a motorcade “bearing the
image of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage from Antipolo Cathedral to Quiapo
Church where the Black Nazarene is enshrined” every April 30.
It prides itself as the "Pilgrimage Capital of the Philippines". The Marian image of the
Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage or the Virgin of Antipolo, which was brought in
from Mexico in 1626, and enshrined in the Antipolo Cathedral has a continuous
following among Filipino Catholics since the Spanish colonial era.
shrine or other sacred place that people travel to as an act of religious devotion.
According to the article “Antipolo Cathedral” (2007), the cathedral in Antipolo City is a
popular pilgrimage site especially since it’s just outside Metro Manila and sits on the
cool mountains of Antipolo. This is why the Antipolo City has dubbed itself the
“Pilgrimage City” of the country. The faithful trek to Antipolo Cathedral en masse on two
occasions every year: during Holy Week and on April 30, on the eve of the Antipolo May
Festival. The Antipolo Cathedral is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Antipolo, which covers the whole province of Rizal and the City of Marikina in Metro
Manila. It is a National Shrine housing the image of Our Lady of Peace and Good
Voyage (Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje), also known as the Virgin of Antipolo.
According to history, this dark wooden image of the Virgin Mary was brought along in
1626 by Juan Niño de Tabora from New Spain (Mexico) to the Philippines where would
take his new position in Manila as Governor-General. He attributed his safe arrival to
the Philippines to the intercession of Mary and had an elaborate celebration upon his
arrival in honor of the Virgin (thus giving the statue its name). The statue was turned
over to the Jesuits after Tabora’s death and it was housed in the church in Antipolo
where it has stayed, more or less, to the present day.
Every month of May, the legendary town of Antipolo becomes a beehive of activity and
vibrancy as thousands, from all walks of life, flock to this lovely place amongst the hills.
To the lilting tune of native songs, people come to this town, primarily to pay homage to
the miraculous Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage and, secondly, to take a breather
from the heat and dust of the summer months amidst Antipolo’s refreshing mountain air,
rippling streams and springs. (“Antipolo the Pilgrimage City”, 2010)
Back in my elementary days, after class we usually go to Antipolo Cathedral. Because it
was near to my school and also to my house. Especially if the examination week is very
near I always pray to our Virgin of Antipolo. They always maintain the cleanliness of the
church that’s why it’s very comfortable to visit it. Many tourists are visiting the church
because of the dark wooden image of the Virgin Mary. There is a security guard that
was assigned in the church to protect it from harm.