The Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

—The Book of Revelation 12:1

Mary of the Immaculate Conception (La Purisíma Concepción) is a form of the Virgin Mary popular in the Philippines and is the patron saint of many villages. She appears in the heavens above a crescent moon. The statue’s head and hands are made of ivory, while her body is wooden.

The tradition of making santo (saint) images of angels, saints, Mary, and Jesus was common in Spain and spread to many of the colonized territories. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish where a statue was made. Early Spanish reports describe artists of Chinese descent as well as Filipino artists carving these images in the Philippines.