The historically coloured Sto. Domingo Church played a vital part in our annual visita iglesia during Lenten season. This is the same church where the late Fernando Poe Jr's. remains were to be transferred later for public viewing.
The late actor/presidentiable was buried on Dec. 22. At the Santo Domingo Church, Poe's coffin was placed at the right corner.
As early as 6 p.m., long before the coffin was to arrive, hundreds of people had begun gathering in the church grounds. There has been rerouting of vehicles as the stretch of Quezon Blvd. has to be closed.
The Santo Domingo Church houses the famous Marian image of La Naval. Said to be miraculous, it was believed to have helped the Spanish Armada against foreign conquerors of the past including hostile Muslim pirates, the Dutch and the English.
In l941, when her shrine in the old Sto. Domingo Church in Manila was bombed; La Naval was safely hidden for a time in the old church’s vault, and later transferred to the chapel of the University of Sto. Tomas. In l952, the cornerstone was laid for a new shrine at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City and in l954, La Naval was led in solemn procession by the Phillippines hierarchy, public officials, priests, nuns, and thousands of devotees to her new home. This shrine was declared by the Philippine bishops as the national shrine of the Queen of the Holy Rosary of the Philippines.
