The church itself is simple with the façade flanked by two square columns. The main attraction of the church is the statue of the crucified Christ. The feast of Santo Cristo Milagroso or "Apo Lacay" as local folks call Him,stands out among other religious celebrations in Ilocandia. Every year thousands of devotees from within the region and outside flock to the shrine of Apo Lacay in Sinait several days before His feast on the 3rd of May. According to the old tales,boxes containing the images of Apo Lacay and La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc drifted ashore in Logo,a sitio of Dadalaquiten along the boundary of Sinait,Ilocos Sur and Badoc,Ilocos Norte. Although the versions of the origin of the statues vary in some details,they all agree of one thing; Apo Lacay and La Virgen Milagrosa chose where they wanted their images to be. The people of Sinait wanted to bring home La Virgen Milagrosa while Badoc wanted the Crucified Christ. The respective parish priests of Sinait and Badoc ordered men to carry their respective statues home. To their dismay,the statues could not be moved despite the number of men trying to carry them. After failing,the priests tried exchanging the icons instead a lo! The first miracle of the images happened! The images were lifted without difficulty; the Virgin to Badoc,the Crucified Christ to Sinait.
Today the Sto. Cristo Milagroso attracts devotees just like the Black Nazarene of Quiapo ant the faithful pay homage to Apo Lacay inside the Church. These are annual pilgrimages to the shrine and there is an impenetrable crowd in the church on the first Friday of every month.
How to get there:
To get to Vigan City from Manila,you can take a bus for the 7-hour trip; or take a plane to Laoag City and a bus ride from Laoag to Vigan.
Last updated: 2007-03-01 18:56:03.138