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Bataan Pilgrimage Tour : Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes / The Sunken Shrine In Bacolor

August 8, 2017April 19, 2022 adminbdmc 0 Comments archdiocesan shrine of our lady of lourdes, archdiocesan shrine of our lady of lourdes bacolor pampanga, archdiocesan shrine of our lady of lourdes cabetican, archdiocesan shrine of our lady of lourdes pampanga, bacolor, bataan pilgrimage, churches, churches in bacolor pampanga, churches in pampanga, churches to visit in pampanga, history, our lady of lourdes, pilgrim, pilgrimage, religion, sunken shrine, sunken shrine in bacolor, sunken shrine in pampanga, travel, Visita Iglesia

We were all supposed to visit another historical and one of the oldest churches in Bataan which is the Samal Church dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena. However, the road from Orani to Samal was currently under construction and is not passable for the 16 huge buses that are part of our pilgrimage tour. So in order to conclude our Visita Iglesia (we still got 2 more Station of the Cross to recite), our organizers looked for another church nearby and so we came across a church in Pampanga (a neighbor province of Bataan). Our last destination was the Arcdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Bacolor which is popularly known as the Sunken Shrine.

Unlike the rest of the churches in Bataan and Pampanga such as the Betis Church or the San Guillermo Parish in Bacolor, The Arcdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady Of Lourdes is not as old and not as historical yet the church plays a huge part in the province especially for the heart of Kapampangan who were affected by the Mount Pinatubo eruption on June 1991. The devastating lahar flows buried the church. A new shrine was built on top of the burried one with a very unique architecture
It was already dark outside so I wasn’t able to get a picture of the shrine’s exterior but the design was patterned after a stealth B2 Aircraft. Interestingly, the entrance to the shrine is only about five feet high so the visitors should literally crouch to enter. Once you get inside, you will be prompted to a very simple yet spacious interior. Unlike other shrine, the Sunken Shrine of Bacolor is not really adorned with any flamboyant decorations. You can barely spot one actually. Maybe during the feast day which is one the 11th day of February.

Visitors can also access the back of the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto.

Totus Tuus Maria (I’m Totally Yours Mary) words were embossed on the walls of the Shrine.

Adjacent to the Sunken Shrine is the original Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. Outside you’ll see a line of differennt Marian images
Mater Dolorosa
Our Lady of Miraculous Medal
Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Inside the church was a Grotto-like altar for the Our lady of Lourdes (the image was temporarily covered in observance with the Holy Week).

At the center of the retablo is this huge and stunning tabernacle.
The ceiling is also adorn with immensely beautiful paintings depicting images from the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. These masterpiece reminds me of those intricate paintings in Binondo Church (Check : Binondo Church).

The nave and altar

The dome with the image of Resurrected Christ

On the right side of the altar is said to be a miraculous healing fountain and well. Visitors and devotees can fetch water from this fountain.