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| SAN JUAN BUENAVENTURA of Mr. Francis Ong |
Mauban is the only old town in the Philippines that was dedicated to San Buenaventura. Though the year when the Franciscans officially arrived in Mauban has not yet been established, Huerta notes that the town has already been in existence at least by 1583 but Fray Gaspar de San Agustin in his work 'Conquistas de las Islas Filipinas' mentions that after reaching Lucban in 1571, Juan de Salcedo traveled to the Port of Mauban in a place called Alitas where he found boats that took him to the gold mines of Paracale.
The earliest mention of Mauban and San Buenaventura together, I found in a letter from 1599 sent by the Ecclesiastical Council in Intramuros complaining about the Religious Orders' non-compliance with establishing parishes and that these Churches mentioned did not have the license to operate-- one of them is for San Buenaventura de Mauban.
The antique head and paragua (payong) came from one of those very rare occurrences when Alex Del Rosario Castro chose to part with one of his collections.
His blog, andalltheangelsandsaints, has probably been one of the biggest influences with the way I view collecting -- as an adventure and a treasure hunt worth stories to tell. Was it a decade of random panliligaw that eventually ended with a 'YES' late last year?
It then underwent the careful encarna conservation by Elbert Mateo who did a very fine job in keeping true to the original. The hands came from Kevini-Tzi Hanunaneh, the body made by reliable Louie Frederic de Jesus.
The metal accoutrements were made by Jass Monteroso of Kalayaan, Laguna -- the church atop the book is a faithful replica to the one carried by our Festejada image that could've been the image of Mauban's stone church and belfry that fell during the earthquake of 1880. His sandals (not visible in the photo) have also been copied from the pair wore by the Santo Patron.
His vestments were beautifully made by Makoy Basco Celestino of Linea and it was based on old photos of the wooden image enshrined in the Church (This image was said to have miraculously survived the destruction of the last Spanish era church in Mauban that was a casualty of a december typhoon that hit our town in 1947), the image on the fachada of the Church and the silhouette of the mozetta (shoulder cape) of the Festejada.
Much thanks to everyone that has been a part of the image, may San Buenaventura pray for you and your loved ones as well.
Maligayang Kapistahan San Buenaventura - Patron ng Bayan
ng Mauban! Viva! Viva! Viva!
(Mr. FRANCIS ONG is a corporate executive and an ardent collector of santos and antiques, especially those originating from Mauban, where he traces its roots. Thank your for sharing your photos and santo restoration story.)
