A Brief History of our Virgen de Regla, authored by the late Simeon G. Espedido, Chairman, 250th Anniversay Celebration of the Origin of the Devotion of the People of Opong to the Virgn de Regla (A.D. 1735 - 1985). The late author is the father of Hon. Eugene Espedido, S.P. Member of Lapulapu City.
A Brief History of our Virgen de Regla
It was my good fortune to have been a casual guest in the home of the Mendezes in Chipiona (Cadiz, Spain) in November of 1977 when I travelled in that country to inquire in the Archivo General de Indias in Sevilla concerning the much controverted place where the first mass in the Philippines was celebrated. The grandmother of the house presented me with a booklet where I learned that the devotion to the Virgen we now know as Virgen de Regla was started by St. Augustine (354-434 A.D). Bishop of Hippo in Northern Africa, who had her image enshrined in his private oratory. Soon after his death, the invading vandals of Genseric threatened the safety of his community and they had to seek shelter in Spain with the confreres in Regla. By virtue of her origin, she was lovingly called the Bella Africana and at times Viren Libica.
In the VIIIth century, Spain, too, was invaded by the Muslims and the Augustinian Monks had to disperse themselves after having secured the safety of the Virgin in a cave. The image remained in the cave until about the middle of the XIIIth century when the Muslims were driven out of Spain. One day in 1330 a pious monk saw in his dream the image of the Black Virgin inviting him to travel to Southern Andalucia where he will find her image hidden in a cave; he proceeded to the place indicated and while there, he was at once awakened in his slumber by a loud noise of whirling ball of fire and with the help of a few fisherfolks they dug out the Black Virgin with the lamp still lighted they improvised a church out of an abandoned Moorish castle nearby and once more the devotion flurished.
In the meantime, Cadiz has become the main emporium of the world and the navigators of the XIVth to the XVIIth centuries had the Virgen de Regla of Chipiona as their inspiration, guidance, and protection, no one would dare leave port without special pleadings and parting prayers; to them the Virgin was the Queen of the seas and later on she was known also as the "Inspirer of Great Deeds."
Of course, before Columbus and Magellan, the world was round as God as made it but the current belief in those days was that the world was flat and it took the Virgin de Regla to inspire the former to "go West" and the latter to "go East" and the world was finally convinced when Magellan circumnavigated it.
Hereunder is the translation of the centuries old document in Spanish presently displayed in the Shrine of the Virgen de Regla...
"The beginning or origin of the adoption of the Ntra. Senora Virgen de Regla in this town of Opong. The Rev. Father Francisco Avalle, Curate and Doctrinaire of this town. He came from the Convent of Ntra. Senora de la Regla in Andalucia where he was ordained priest and a resident for ten years and left in the inventory of the old church of the following:
When he informed the prominent residents of the numerous miracles he was acquainted with concerning this Soverign Lady, their hearts were enkindled to a profound devotion and when the image was displayed to them, they readily decided to have the same framed in a meter long frame and placed in the altar. At that time, Cruz Lauron, a prominent resident of the town was agonizing and with little hope to live due to the copious vomiting of blood which he has long been suffering requested for two candles to be lighted in front of the picture - they were the first candles to be lighted which were the cause of the sudden miraculous stoppage of the bleeding and soon recovered his health and it was this unexplainable occurence that enhanced all the more the devotion of the people not only of Opong but of the City as well where the pilgrimages came in great numbers to give thanks for benefits received from the Soverign Lady. The prominent residents of Opon ordered a sculptured image and declared her the titular Patroness of this church and chose to celebrate her feast day on the 21st of November.
It need not be too difficult to find the reasons why the Virgen de Regla desired to be enshrined in Opong (in Mactan) and at the entrance of the Bay in Havana (Cuba) in the Americas; they are most certainly are expressions of her joy at the accomplishments of her favorites, Columbus and Magellan. Her presence in Mactan likewise honors our foremost hero, Lapu-Lapu for his singular gallantry in his defense of his God-given right to protect his patrimony.
At long last the wishes of her Divine Son contained in the Acts of the Apostles in Chapter 1 which runs thus: "... and you shall be witness for me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the very end of the earth has been achieved."
