In a Basilica Minore atop a hill overlooking the Chico River, the image of our Blessed Mother is specially venerated under the title "Our Lady of the Holy Rosary". In 1604, the sons of St. Dominic brought the revered image from Macau, China to the ancient city of Lallo-c, Cagayan, which was then the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.

The Holy Father has paid tribute to the maturing faith of the people of Cagayan and their respective filial devotion to Mary by conceding to the Shrine of Our Lady of Piat, the title of Basilica Minore or Minor Basilica. On June 20, 1999, the Basilica was inaugurated in solemn ceremonies led by the Papal legate Antonio Cardinal Javierre Ortas and Archbishop Antonio Franco, the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines.