Thousands turn out for La Naval procession

Thousands of devotees on Sunday took part in the traditional La Naval de Manila procession in Quezon City around the Sto. Domingo Church.

The annual festivity is celebrated every second Sunday of October, and is one of the country's largest Marian processions.

Thousands of devotees came to Sto. Domingo Church on Quezon Avenue to take part in the La Naval de Manila procession on Sunday, October 13, 2019. DANNY PATA

The annual event is one of the Philippines' largest Marian processions, and is named after the 17th-century Battle of La Naval in which, it is said, the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary gave the victory to the Filipinos and the Spanish against the Dutch. DANNY PATA

It starts and ends at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila, also known as Sto. Domingo Church, on Quezon Avenue. The church is home to a centuries-old image of the Virgin, popularly known as La Naval, that is carried out to join the procession.

This Sunday, it started at around 4 p.m. and wound its way back to the church at around 6:21 p.m.

The image was carved in 1593 by a Chinese artisan who later converted to Catholicism. It was given as a gift to the Dominicans, and is considered the oldest ivory carving in the Philippines.

The church,  meanwhile, was originally located in Manila's Intramuros district, managed by the Dominicans. It was relocated to Quezon City in the 1960s after sustaining heavy damage in World War II, and became the new national shrine of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila. — BM, GMA News