The Miraculous Image

Physical Attributes

    Apart from the traditional images of the Immaculate Conception illustrated by Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682), the image of the La Purísima Concepción depicts a regal queen vested in royal regalia and adorned with precious jewels.

    The image is carved in round (de bulto) from a piece of solid wood. Details such as the hair and the dress are highly accentuated that made the magnificence of the image very visible. It is dressed in white with a Marian monogram inscribed in front, and a blue cape covering its back part up to the arms. It has been known that in the past, the image’s arms were carved as part of the body until it was repaired to what is called ‘jointed,’ allowing the flexibility of the arms.

    The image stands majestically on a silver globe. The snake of Eden is visible at the foot of the Virgin, a common symbol known to the images of the Immaculate Conception. A silver sun and crescent moon are also at its base, consistent with the depiction of the Book of Revelation. The hands are in a praying position while holding a scepter or baston de mando, a symbol of authority. Around the face is a resplendor and on its head is the crown and aureola with the twelve stars. A set of earrings and an atocha on the forehead complete the jewels adorning the image.

    It has been a custom to donate vestments to the image, and through time, the sets of vestments that the image has received from the devotees continue to increase. These donations represent the donors’ thanksgiving for the blessings obtained and petitions granted by the Lord through the Blessed Mother. Usually made from precious gold threads sourced from Spain, Pakistan, and India, the vestments were delicately hand-embroidered, painstakingly sewn by skilled hands with great passion and devotion to the miraculous Virgin. White, gold, and blue are the usual colors associated with La Purisima Concepcion. Different from the usual depiction of the images of the Immaculate Conception, La Purisima Concepcion wears a white veil as a symbol of purity.

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The Tales of Its Origin

    Due to the lack of historical records, the exact origin of the image is still unknown. Based on oral history, there are two possible reasons about the origin of the image. First, many believe that the image is carved by a Franciscan friar from a piece of wood which is part of a galleon that was heading for the Philippines during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade. Secondly, it is also assumed that the image was already existing when the town was founded in 1792 and was placed under the patronage of La Purísima Concepción. Though the origin of the image is unclear, this did not discourage the growth of devotion. To date, the image is regraded as a cultural treasure of the town.

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The Replicas

    The image of La Purísima Concepción has two official replicas: the Vicaria and the Callejera. The Vicaria is the first replica and is used for processions within the town if the original image will not be brought out. This image is placed at the Marian Museum together with the other vestments and regalia of the Virgin. This is donated to the parish by Mr. Rufo Mauricio and family, and it is now under the care of Ms. Carmen Salvador. The Callejera is the second replica and is used for the propagation of the devotion to La Purisima Concepcion through the visitation of different parishes, towns, and cities. This image also graces various Marian Exhibits. The image is placed at the parish’s Chapel of the Saints. It is donated by the Perez - Jose family on December 8, 2017, and is under the care of Mr. Jodee Jose.

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The Carroza Triunfal

    It was in February 6, 1936 when Teofilo Ramirez, then Camarero dela Virgen, commissioned a carroza for the image of La Purísima Concepción. Designed and made by Talleres de Maximo Vicente, one of the leading santero during those times, the carroza triunfal is made of silver in a style fit for a queen.

    The carroza is in a chariot-like form, floating above a cloud base. Two pairs of cherubim are in front of the carroza, holding the Auspice Maria monogram. Two angels stand on the second row, one holding a palm, and the other an incense. Another pair of kneeling angels holding a lamp post or arbotante guards the upper tier. The image is placed on the highest level topped by a baldachin. On top of each post of the baldachin are four cherubim holding a silver crown as if it is being placed on the Virgin. Another pair of cherubim sits on the rear part of the carroza.