Mariveles, Bataan Etymology

Jack Maico
Apr 10
2 min read

The name Mariveles is said to come from “maraming dilis,” which pertains to the abundant anchovies caught in the sea surrounding the municipality. Over time, “Maraming dilis” was shortened to “mara-dilis,” and eventually Mariveles.

Another legend discussed a forbidden love story between a beautiful lass named Maria Velez and a priest from nearby Manila. The two eloped, which took them to a lush forest at the tip of a peninsula across the Manila Bay corridor. Authorities from Manila caught up and separated the lovers. Maria Velez carried on to be a monk, and the priest was banished to a far-flung village in Mexico. To immortalize this legend, the lush forest was named Mariveles, after the lady monk.

Source: https://bataan.gov.ph/mariveles/

Special credits: https://www.facebook.com/mariveles1bataan

https://www.facebook.com/Destination.Phils

Church in Town: 𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭. 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞

The Diocesan Shrine and Parish Church of Saint Nicholas Tolentine, commonly known as Mariveles Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines. The church is dedicated to the Italian saint Nicholas of Tolentino. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga (Vicariate of St. Michael the Archangel). Since June 5, 2023, Fr. Regin L. Tenorio has been the Rector and Parish Priest of the church. The parish church's feast day is September 10, and the Catholic population is 36,282.

Mariveles was founded as a pueblo by a Franciscan Friar in 1578. Mariveles, the "Village of Camaya" was part of the Corregimiento of Mariveles, including Bagac and Morong, Corregidor and Maragondon, Cavite. The name Mariveles comes from "Maria Velez", a Mexican nun who eloped with a monk back in the 1600s. With its natural cove, the port was used by ships from China and Spain to resupply. The Augustinian Recollects missionaries constructed the first church in 1729.

During World War II, the original church was destroyed. The second structure was then constructed and used until it was demolished to give way to the third current structure.

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

Historical records indicate that Mariveles served as a refueling station for commercial ships before entering Manila Bay. The town also played a significant role during the revolution against Spain, with a small group of Katipuneros besieging a Spanish camp at the onset of the insurrection.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬: