Our Lady of the Rosary, Philippines

The Basilica of Our Lady of Piat is located on the outskirts of the city of Piat, in the province of Cagayan in the northern Philippines.

In 1604, the Dominican friars brought a statue of the Black Madonna to the Philippines, known as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. The statue was enthroned in Piat, in a small shrine, on the feast day of St. Stephen, December 26, 1623.

Incredibly, despite the fact that the region was not very populated and the work of evangelization had only begun 25 years earlier, the shrine had throngs of visitors.

Our Lady of Piat was carried in procession to other cities, which is why she is also called Our Lady of the Visitation.

In the 17th century, the Visitation was celebrated on July 2, which explains why the feast of the shrine is still celebrated on that date.

On June 22, 1999, the shrine was elevated to the rank of minor basilica. Numerous miraculous cures have been reported there.

F. Breynaert