TIL Nuestra Señora de Guia is the oldest existing Marian image in the Philippines
The oldest Marian statue in the Philippines is the Image of Nuestra Señora de Guia. The origin of this artwork has been the subject of several historical interpretations, ranging from Chinese traders to the Ferdinand Magellan voyage. Since the Spanish era, the wooden Black Madonna statue has been revered in the area as the patroness of travelers and navigators. It is kept at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia, also called the Ermita Church, in Ermita, Manila.
According to the Anales de la Catedral de Manila, the expedition led by Miguel López de Legazpi encountered a community of animist natives venerating a statue of a female figure hidden within a pandan bush along the shores of present-day Ermita on May 19, 1571. The image was later identified as the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later traditions claimed that the statue had originally been brought to the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 and presented as a gift to Rajah Humabon, whose influence extended to territories connected with the Kingdom of Maynila.
The true origin of the image, however, continues to be debated by both ecclesiastical and secular historians. Several theories have emerged over time. One suggests that the statue was introduced by Ferdinand Magellan due to its notable resemblance to the Santo Niño de Cebu. Another theory proposes that Chinese merchants brought the image to Manila, arguing that it may have originally depicted the Taoist deity Kuan Yin because of its distinctly oriental appearance and posture. Other historians believe the image may have been introduced by Blessed Odoric of Pordenone during his missionary activities in Bolinao, Pangasinan in 1324, identifying it instead as an image of the Immaculate Conception. Despite the differing interpretations surrounding its beginnings, historians generally agree that the image of Nuestra Señora de Guia remains the oldest known Marian image in the Philippines.
SOURCE: Malabanan, J. (2016, September 13). Nuestra Señora de Guia – The Oldest Existing Marian image in the Philippines. Pintakasi. https://pintakasiph.wordpress.com/2016/09/13/nuestra-senora-de-guia-the-oldest-existing-marian-image-in-the-philippines/