The venerated image is a destroyed Sicilian painting from 1727, recreated by Philippine national artist Fernando Amorsolo due to the burning of the original relic during the Filipino-American war in 1899.
[citation needed] On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.
The construction of the stone church was designed by Juan de Salazar, and was completed during the time of Joaquin Sanchez in 1716 while he was still the parish priest.
[1] By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884, letter by the pastor of Cainta Don Mariano de San Juan to the Archbishop of Manila, Pedro Payo.
[3] During the Filipino-American War in March 1899, the church and parish rectory of Cainta were burned down including the venerated Marian image within.
The only mark left of its Jesuit beginning was attached at the top portion of the church's façade – the monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus "IHS" (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator).
[1] By the mid-1960s, Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Rufino Santos, instructed the director of the National Museum of the Philippines, Galo Ocampo, to study the possibility of reconstructing the church on its original site.
[1] Filipino National Artist Fernando Amorsolo was commissioned to create a replica of the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Devotees today consider Amorsolo's replica the Philippine version of the original painting of Our Lady of Light in Palermo, Italy.
An episcopal coronation was held on December 1, 2012, coinciding with the parish fiesta, and performed by the local bishop with the assistance of former ambassador to the Vatican, Henrietta De Villa.
The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, was made of stone and limestone (calycanto) while the roof was tiled.
There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.
The original picture brought by the Jesuits had a gilded frame and crest and was enshrined in one of the side altars (colacerales).