It is an 85 foot statue of the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal located on top of a hill in the town of Pilar. It is considered as one of the tallest religious icons in the country.
Thousands of devotees flock every first Saturday of the month to attend the holy mass.
Capiz is well known for its seafood and oceanic adventure. Apart from that, Capiz is also identified for having the best pilgrimage sites in the country. One of that is the Agtalin Shrine with the gigantic statue of Virgin Mary, the favorite pilgrimage site of Marian devotees. Capiz adventure would not be memorable without visiting and meditating on this splendid statue dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus.
It is located at Brgy. Dulangan, Municipality of Pilar, a fourth class town in the province of Capiz. This Miraculous Medal Statue of Mama Mary is considered as the tallest Marian statue in the Philippines towering at over 80 feet tall. It is also recognized as the largest Marian image in Asia. Because of its grandeur and the number of devotees who visit the site it was commended as the premier Marian site by International Marian Research Institute.
Wondering why it was built?
In 1990, a 17 year old teenager from Roxas City, Capiz was afflicted with a rare ailment. Doctors suspected it was appendicitis but found an enlarged and bleeding right kidney when they operated on her. Her kidney was removed to stop the bleeding only to discover it was a good and functioning one.
A month after, she was afflicted with the same ailment and was advised by the baffled doctors to seek treatment abroad. For fear of losing her family and friends started to pray to God for a miracle. She fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of a beautiful lady in blue and white as she was being prayed over in a hospital in Manila. She woke up the next day feeling healed and believed through the intercession of the Blessed Mother that it was a miracle from God.
The teenager’s brother was walking one day in a nearby fish pond when he saw a rainbow across the sky far from Agtalin Hill. He then sought a sign for God to let the rainbow move over to the top of the hill should it be His will that Mary be honored in Agtalin Hill. Surprisingly it settled on top of the hill and from then fundraising began through the efforts of the citizens.
See! How fascinating it is.
The construction of this statue began in the year 1991 through the efforts of Agtalin Development Foundation and some private sectors. It was then on July 21, 1993 when it was blessed by Capiz Bishop Onesimo Geordoncillo and Rev. Fr. Domingo Deocampo.
Miracles?
Agtalin Shrine is also popular when it comes to miracles. Many speculations would say that devotees who have incurable diseases were cured after praying deeply on this statue. We could feel it from the thousands of devotees who always attend the mass every first Saturday of the month.
Iloilo East Coast - Capiz Rd, Pilar, Capiz, Philippines
From Roxas City Integrated Transport Terminal: