The Lady of the Visitation was originally called the Lady of the Holy Rosary,perhaps because it was supposedly brought from Macao to the Philippines in 1604 by devotees of the Rosary,the Dominican friars. This almost four-centuries old image of Mary was first enshrined in Nueva Segovia of Lallo but was brought to Piat to convert the Itawes people to Christianity. On June 20,1954,the Church was declared a National Shrine for Catholic Philippines. The image is famous in the country and abroad as the Black Mary,thus making Piat the pilgrimage center of the Northeast. Pilgrims are drawn to the shrine every year,especially on the Lady's feast day on July 2.

How to get there:

By air: From Manila,Philippine Airlines flies to Tuguegarao City.

By land: Tuguegarao City  the capital of Cagayan is about 485 kilometers north of Metro Manila and can be reached by air-conditioned bus.