Nevertheless, considering the length and difficulty of the voyage from the Mother Country to the Philippines, as well as the precious space on board the galleons, bringing an image so large would simply have been impractical.

Another theory states that it came from Mexico, just like the image of Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Bien Viaje, whose presence during the Dominicans missionaries' first voyage to the Philippines in 1587 was recorded by the frailes.

Elements such as the suksok (a carved and stylistic rendition of the mantle, tucked into the waist at the back) confirms this theory, aside from the features on the Virgin's face.

The abundance of talented sculptors was noted by the Dominican Bishop of Manila (the first in the country), Domingo de Salazar, when he wrote King Philip II of Spain in 1590.

On December 11, 1965, an article written by Oscar R. Landicho was published in the Chronicle magazine claiming that the Virgen Milagrosa was made by a "Greek" slave named Pere Morey in 1360.

Morey was active in the island of Mallorca (then part of the Kingdom of Aragón) as a master mason (stonecutter) as well as an architect, and worked in the construction of various churches.

Pere Morey himself lived during the Gothic period of architecture and sculpture in Europe so to attribute to him a Baroque image like the Virgen Milagrosa of Orani would be something hard, if not impossible, to explain.

Even in the remotest chance that the Virgen Milagrosa of Orani was made in 1360, it would be highly improbable that its devotees would have allowed the Dominican missionaries to take away to a distant land an image that would already have been more than 200 years old at that time (in the 1580s).

In recognition of the widespread devotion to the Virgen Milagrosa of Orani, Pope Pius XII approved on October 7, 1958, the canonical coronation of the image.

The actual coronation would take place on April 18, 1959, in a solemn ceremony led by the Archbishop of San Fernando, Emilio Cinense, and the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Salvatore Sino.

The statue is made out of wood, fully sculpted in the round, including the clothes, although she is dressed in real vestments donated by her devotees, following a tradition of vesting images of saints in Spain and the New World that continues to this day.

She is garbed with a blue mantle that extends from her back and is tucked in her waist and wears a white robe that was originally red but was repainted at a later date.

The people interpreted this strange occurrence as a sign of God's will that the image should remain in Orani, so a small "visita" was built on that very spot.

Even in the early years of the Dominicans in Bataan, the new converts already looked up to her as their "protector and guide" and "implored her with love and a lively faith in all their tribulations in life."

Also famous is the case of a judge from Manila, D. Gregorio de la Villa, who, being gravely ill, sought the Virgin’s help to cure the malady that left him almost totally paralyzed.

The flowers and herbs and even the oil were later deemed miraculous by the people, just like the waters that sprung from the Virgin’s fountain, which was erected by the townspeople near the port, in her honor.

The feast of the Virgen Milagrosa de Orani is celebrated by hundreds of thousands of devotees from all parts of Luzon, who flock to her shrine annually on the first Saturday in October.

[1] At the shrine, the pilgrims pray the rosary, hear Mass, receive Holy Communion and kiss the mantle of the Virgin at the back of the church.

Throughout the town, marching bands can be seen and heard, while stalls selling different products – from food to toys and clothing – line the plaza, the church area as well as main thoroughfares.

Bishop of Balanga Ruperto C. Santos said, "The caring presence of our Virgen Milagrosa, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary enhances comfort, gives consolation, and is truly an assurance of safety.