Bohol holds first canonical coronation of Marian image

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TAGBILARAN CITY—Boholanos on Tuesday witnessed the first canonical coronation of a Marian image in the Diocese of Tagbilaran and in the entire province.

Most Rev. Charles John Brown, papal nuncio to the Philippines, crowned the revered image of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Our Lady of Assumption), mother and patroness of Dauis town.

The petition for the coronation of the image was sent in 2021 by local church officials and was accepted by the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, the dicastery granting the pontifical title, on March 28, 2022.

In his homily, Brown said a canonical or pontifical coronation was the highest form of coronation bestowed on the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Vatican.

Must-visit

“Truly God has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. Those are the words of our Lady herself. That is what the feast of the Assumption is. In a very literal way is the lifting up of Our Lady—the lowly servant, this teenage girl from northern Israel chosen to be the Mother of God lifted up into the heavenly glory today on the feast of Assumption,” Brown said.

The Church of the Our Lady of the Assumption, commonly known as Dauis Church, is one of the must-visit destinations for travelers exploring Bohol. It is known for its mixture of neo-gothic and neoclassical architecture and paintings of the “Via Crucis” (Way of the Cross).

It was built in 1697 by Jesuit priests and in 1753, Fr. Joseph Nepomuceno, S.J., built a convent in the church complex which became the official residence of the Jesuits from Loboc town.

Over the years, the church went through several reconstructions and changes. In 1768, the Recollects took over the church from the Jesuits and continued its administration until 1898.

Historical landmark

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared the sacred edifice and its complex a national historical landmark in 2009.

A portion of the church’s facade and the portico were damaged by the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that devastated Bohol on Oct. 15, 2013.

Of the 25 heritage churches in Bohol, the Dauis church was the first structure to be restored. It was turned over to the Diocese of Tagbilaran in 2017.

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—LEO UDTOHAN