ILOILO City – Thousands of devotees flooded the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral grounds on Saturday night, February 1, for the Solemn Coronation of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, reaffirming the image’s unique place in Philippine Catholic history as the only Marian icon in the country canonically crowned by a pope.
ALONG the quiet, slow-moving waters of the Iloilo River emerged one of Western Visayas’ most enduring symbols of faith. Carved from stone, the image of Our Lady of Candelaria carries a presence far larger than her size, anchoring centuries of belief, whispered miracles, and a devotion that refuses to fade.
