Our Lady of Aránzazu of St. Matthew

Patron of St. Matthew

La devoción a Our Lady of Aránzazu of St. Matthew in Rizal belongs to the Philippine tradition of Marian asvocations of Hispanic root and is directly linked to the Virgin of Aránzazu venerated in the Basque Country, whose cult is very ancient in the religious history of Guipúzcoa. The documentation available on the advocation of St. Matthew underlines that it is a imported devotion and not of a documented local apparition, so it is necessary to strictly distinguish the devotional tradition from the verifiable historical data.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of Aránzazu of St. Matthew in Rizal belongs to the Philippine tradition of Marian asvocations of Hispanic root and is directly linked to the Virgin of Aránzazu venerated in the Basque Country, whose cult is very ancient in the religious history of Guipúzcoa. The documentation available on the advocation of St. Matthew underlines that it is a imported devotion and not of a documented local apparition, so it is necessary to strictly distinguish the devotional tradition from the verifiable historical data.

In the history of the venerated image in San Mateo, Rizalthe local cult dates back to the 18th centuryHowever, there is no complete and secure chronology on the exact transfer or arrival of the image in the sources consulted, so that the point should be left in no consta if you are looking for a strictly verifiable file. The link with Aránzazu is therefore historical and devotional: a Basque advocation assumed and rooted in a Filipino Catholic context of Latin rite.

The image and the sanctuary

The information consulted confirms that the image is a venerated image of Our Lady of Aránzazu, but does not offer her material, size or a complete iconographic description; for prudence, such data should be shown as no consta in a rigorous form. Nor can the available sources be used to claim without risk whether the image responds exactly to the Basque iconographic type of Aránzazu or to a local adaptation, so that end should also be left unspecified.

The place of worship is the Diocesan Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aránzazu, en San Mateo, Rizal. With the information available, it can be said that this is a diocesan sanctuaryIt is not recorded in the sources provided which are a minor basilica or national sanctuary.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Aránzazu of St. Matthew is venerated as patron of San Mateo, Rizal. The verified sources do not contain a larger national or diocesan branch of government than the municipal / local one.

No consta una documented canonical coronation for this advocation in St. Matthew, Rizal, in the sources consulted. It should not be confused with the Virgin of Aránzazu of Guipúzcoawhose historical documentation does contain a pontifical statement of principal patronage by Benedict XV, a fact that belongs to the Basque and not to the Filipino advocation.

Party and devotion

The feast of the Virgin of Aránzazu in the Basque tradition is celebrated 9 September, according to historical documentation of the original advocation; however, for San Mateo, Rizalthe sources provided do not contain a different or expressly documented liturgical date of their own, and should therefore be recorded as no consta if local confirmation is not available.

On pilgrimages, inflow or popular features, the sources provided do not provide verifiable figures or descriptions of mass participation, miracles, begging or concrete customs in the shrine of San Mateo; therefore, these data should remain as no consta. It can be said, in general terms, that this is a Marian devotion of local arraigo, associated with the diocesan sanctuary and the religious identity of St. Matthew.

Link to the Rosary

There is no specific and documented relationship between Our Lady of Aránzazu of St. Matthew y el prayer of the Rosary in the sources consulted. Even so, like every Marian Catholic advocation of Latin rite, this devotion is naturally inserted into the spirituality of the Rosary, which contemplates the mysteries of Christ with Mary and strengthens the veneration of the Mother of God in a deeply contemplative and ecclesial key.