Blessed Virgin of the Fort


Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and of the Triumph of the Cross of Panguil Bay, also known as Our Lady of the Triumph of the Cross and the Virgin of the Fort, is an 18th-century image of the Blessed [Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)|Blessed Virgin Mary] venerated at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental in the Philippines and is the patroness of the city. The image was named after the Fuerte de la Concepcion y del Triunfo of Panguil Bay, the fort where it was originally kept.

Description

The wooden image shows the Virgin Mary standing on a cloud, wearing brown and white robes, carved as if being blown by the wind, a crown, and a scapular. At her feet are 3 angels, a crescent moon, and a serpent under her feet biting a fruit. The image is 35 inches from head to toe, while her crown and the cloud beneath her feet adds an additional 12 inches, a total of 3 feet and 11 inches. During the image's restoration prior its return to Ozamiz, the wood used is determined to be Batikuling and Narra, both trees being native to the Philippines, while the former is endemic. The image is approximately more than 260 years old.

History

The image was brought to Misamis either during the construction of the fort in 1756 or after it was finished. The fort was built by Father Jose Ducos, SJ, to serve as an outpost of Spanish suzerainty in Muslim Mindanao. Soon after, Father Ducos placed the fort and the town that grew around it under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception. The image, originally in a blue and pink attire, was enshrined in a special chapel that was built inside the walls of the fort. Outside the south wall of the fort facing the bay is also a carved bas relief image of the Virgin, and its appearance is similar to the painting of the Nuestra Señora de la Porteria, venerated in Ávila, Spain. The relief image wears a pink and blue dress and she stands on a crescent moon with three angels hovering in a cloud. A crown and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove can be seen above the Virgin.
Sometime between 1875 and 1884, fray Jorge Carcabilla, a Spanish priest that was assigned in Misamis at the time, moved the statue to the town's parish church as the chapel and the image were not properly taken care of. The image was kept on the side of the altar of the church, and was encased in a crystal urn. Its feast is customarily observed on July 16, which is also the feast day of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. As a result, devout devotees who were unaware of the image's true origins mistakenly identified it as that of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, leading to its repainting in brown and the addition of a scapular in the early 1930s. On December 8, 1954, the image participated in the Marian Congress in Manila. A few days before the event, the image was first brought to the sculpting firm of Maximo Vicente in order to be restored in preparation for the event.
In 1955, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake caused the destruction of the church. Among the rubble was the Virgin, which was intact. When the new cathedral was built, the image was placed on the right side of the altar.

Disappearance

In 1975, the image was sacrilegiously stolen from the cathedral. Despite multiple efforts from religious organizations, provincial and city officials, and concerned citizens, the image was nowhere to be found for more than four decades. While the original statue was missing at the time, the archdiocese commissioned a replica and placed it in front of the cathedral in July 1993. The replica and the bas relief image at the fort became the focal points of the devotion to Our Lady of the Triumph of the Cross for the meantime.

Reappearance and Return

After 42 years, the image of the Virgin was discovered in the Nonesuch Antique Fair in Makati City in October 2017. The image was found in looming condition, with visible cracks and its paint peeling off, most notably on the face and hands. The image at the time was under the custody of an antique dealer named Jose Vicente Esposo in Metro Manila. He stated that he acquired the image from a deceased antique dealer. After finding out about the image's origins through research, he restored the image and returned it to Ozamiz on December 8, 2017, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. A procession was soon held that started at the Ozamiz Airport. The image was first taken to the fort where a mass was held. Soon after, the image was taken to the city's cathedral, where a Thanksgiving Mass and the formal turnover of the image to the Archdiocese of Ozamis took place. The image was later enthroned in a glass case on top of the altar for public veneration.