Our Lady of Camarin Santa Marian Kamalen, Maga Haga | |
|---|---|
 The venerated image enshrined at the Minor Basilica of Most Sweet Name of Mary | |
| Queen and Patroness of Guam | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Majorshrine | Cathedral-Basilica of the Most Sweet Name of Mary |
| Feast | December 8,Feast of the Immaculate Conception |
| Attributes | The Blessed Virgin Mary on crescent moon |
| Patronage | Guam and Guamanian people,Mariana Islands |
Santa Marian Kamalen also known asOur Lady of Camarin and informally known asDulce Nombre(English: Sweet Name) is a title of theBlessed Virgin Mary associated with a carvedmolave wood andivory image venerated by theRoman Catholic faithful inGuam as theirPatroness.[1] Santa Marian Kamalen is the patron saint of Guam,[2] and theMariana Islands.
The image is known to have escaped theJapanese war andbombing of Guam on 8 December 1941, theFeast of the Immaculate Conception. It is permanently enshrined at theMinor Basilica of the Most Sweet Name of Mary.[3]
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Although its origins are unknown, pious legends claim that the image was brought bySpaniards through theGalleon shipNuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza y Santiago which was shipwrecked on 2 June 1690 at theCocos Island of Guam. The image is thought to have been enshrined on the ship by its sailors.[2]
One account of its discovery holds that a fisherman found the statue along the shore ofMerizo. He saw the image accompanied by two crabs with votive candles, later interpreted as miraculous by indigenous people in the area. The image later gained the title ofKamalen, literallyBarracks due to the image being stored in a nearby infantry compound after it was found by the fisherman.[4]
Popular legends also recount the image surviving the 1902 earthquake in Guam, which destroyed the shrine and many statues within the church but left the image intact.
The image measures approximately 28 inches and weighs 48 pounds. The image is composed ofpolychromed Molave wood andivory head and hands.[2] Caretakers of the image rescued the statue on 8 December 1941 at the beginning of theSecond World War, when the image was hidden for safekeeping. The image was enshrined at the cathedral again on 8 December 1945, on theFeast of the Immaculate Conception.
In 1948, the image was brought to thePhilippines for professional restoration by renowned FilipinoSantero artist Máximo Vicente, who also restored theBlack Nazarene ofQuiapo.
The image was stolen on three separate occasions: 19 May 1968, 3 May 1971 and 28 December 1992; yet later returned. A replica is enshrined for public veneration at the main church, while the original ivory statue is enshrined above the high altar.[2] A digital alarm is installed on its pedestal which is accompanied by the main caretaker of the image. Behind its niche are three panels of locked doors, accessible only by a staircase through the old rectory entrance.
Every year on December 8, Our Lady of Camarin is honored with a procession in which a statue of the patroness is pulled on a cart amid the prayers of thousands of the island'sCatholics.[3]
Pope John Paul II mentioned the image on 22 February 1981 during his Apostolic visit.[5] A replica image was installed at theBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception inWashington, D.C., on 17 September 2006.