Celebrating our Christmas tradition, the Philippine Postal Corporation has released special stamps titled Simbang Gabi sa Ilog Pasig. The Philippines is one of the only few countries in the world that practice the nine-day dawn masses before Christmas.
The stamp depicts nine Catholic Churches along the Pasig River and its entire course from Manila Bay to Laguna de Bay. It also includes Malacañang Palace, Manila Central Post Office, and a moon that reflects its phase on December 16, 2024, the first day of Simbang Gabi.
Measuring 4 cm by 23.4 cm, the stamp is declared as the longest usable one in the world. It uses blue iridescent ink on the river that reflects light and multilevel embossing that gives a three-dimensional effect. It is illustrated by Gelo Andres.
The churches include Binondo, Quiapo, Manila Cathedral, Sta. Ana, San Felipe Neri, San Pedro Macati, Guadalupe, Pasig, and Antipolo.
Selected churches
San Pedro Macati Church (Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church, Sampiro Church), Poblacion, Makati. The area was part of the Kingdom of Sapa or Namayan, and the Franciscan missionaries converted its inhabitants to Christianity by 1578.
The first church was finished by 1620, known as San Pedro y Pablo Viejo. An ivory image of the Virgen Mary as Virgen de la Rosa was brought from Mexico through the galleon trade in 1718. It is said that a hair relic of the Virgen Mary is hidden in the statue.
During the British occupation of Manila in 1762, the church was destroyed and reconstructed in 1849. The Virgen Mary’s ivory head, hands, and the relic went missing during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902 when American soldiers occupied the church.
Designated as an Important Cultural Property in 2023, the altar with its original carved reredos or altarpiece with motifs of flowers and fruits after the Baroque Rococo tradition, remains intact.
Guadalupe Church (Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church) Guadalupe Viejo, Makati: The oldest church in Makati, its façade shows neo-Romanesque-Gothic style with semicircular arches on windows and main entrance.
It was completed in 1629 by the Augustinians and withstood the four earthquakes of 1645, 1658, 1754 and 1863. In the earthquake of 1880, its masonry roof collapsed and rebuilt in 1882. It was converted into an asilo or shelter and trade school for the orphans of the cholera epidemic in Manila. Destroyed during the Philippine-American War, it was rebuilt once more in 1970 by the Augustinians.
Sta. Ana Church (Parish church of Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados or Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish) Sta Ana, Manila: Established by Franciscan missionaries in 1578 in the first settlement outside Intramuros, it houses the image of the Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados from Spain.
Declared a national shrine in 2021, it is the site of two National Cultural Treasures: the Camarin dela Virgen (with its frescoes depicting the life of Jesus Christ recognized as the oldest known oil on wood paintings in the country) and the Sta. Ana Site Museum.
Construction of a stone church started around 1720 and finished in 1725. With its Baroque style, it is only one of two churches that was not destroyed during World War 2. It is known for its extensive use of capiz shells for its windows and doors. In 1977, a major restoration was undertaken lead by National Artist Juan F. Nakpil for the town’s 400th anniversary.
Pasig Cathedral (Immaculate Conception Cathedral) Malinao, Pasig. Founded by the Augustinian missionaries as a parish in 1573. It served as the British military headquarters during the British occupation of Manila 1762-1764.
Designated as a cathedral by Pope Paul John II in 2003 and a major restoration started in 2007, including the addition of ceiling paintings, and finished in 2022
Antipolo Cathedral (National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Immaculate Conception Parish), P. Oliveros St., Antipolo: A pilgrimage site that houses the Nuestra Señora dela Paz y Buen Viaje. Last Holy Week, around 7.4 million participated in the penitential Alay Lakad from Quiapo Church, renowned for its Black Nazarene, to Antipolo Cathedral with its Black Madonna, a practice that started before World War 2.
Its construction started in 1603 and completed in 1726. A brown image of the Virgin Mary was brought from Acapulco in 1626, known as Our Lady of Antipolo; later, it became the patroness of galleons, and crossed the Pacific in eight galleon voyages. She stands on a pedestal carved out of a tipolo tree, the origin of Antipolo’s name. It is said that when the statue goes missing, she is always found under a tipolo tree. A national shrine in 1954 and this year, the church became a Marian international shrine.
Survivors all
The nine churches share some commonalities that intersect with faith, tradition, and history. Defiled, desecrated, robbed of decorations, jewelry, and saints; destroyed by the Chinese, British, American, Japanese, and Filipino forces of war and uprisings, they have survived through renovation and reconstruction after each destruction by fire, earthquakes, and wars.
The churches stand tall today, enriched and venerated by their ever-constant faithful.
