355. A Penitent Redeemed: STA. MARIA MAGDALENA

STA, MARIA MAGDALENA, RESTORED 2005

The circumstance of how this beautiful Sta. Maria Magdalena image was delivered to me was one for the books. I had been working with a Bulacan dealer for sometime, when he called to say that there was an antique santa in the market available, but I had to decide fast whether to get it or not. To make my decision faster, he offered to bring it to me in Makati, where I lived and worked.

MAGDALENA, in its original state, when acquired

Intrigued, I told him to pass by for me by lunchtime, hitch with him in his van, go home together to my nearby studio where I can better check out the santa. Some 2 hours later, he was on his cellphone to tell me of his arrival at my office building. I hastily rushed down the elevator from my 23^rd floor office, got out of the main door---and there, seated at the groundfloor Starbucks Café was my dealer, next to an old, naked, wigless santa, and which has started to attract the stares of the café patrons, building tenants, businessmen, visitors, and passersby! In a loud voice, he said: “Eto na ang Magdalena mo, boss…what do you think?”

MAGDALENA, with a wan and white complexion.

“I think you need to put back the santa in your van NOW!”, I  muttered under my breath, while turning red with embarrassment. Just as a crowd had begun to gather around the santa, the dealer grabbed the wooden figure, stowed it in the van, and sped away with me to my place, just 5 minutes away.

MAGDALENA'S HEAD, before and after re-encarnacion

I’ve never been so stressed at the thought of the commotion we caused at that café. But all that dissipated when, in the privacy of the closed van, I took a closer look at the penitent saint.

STA. MARIA MAGDALENA, under restoration

Even in its state—paint gone pale and peeling, a vertical crack running down the body, shaky base, plus the usual dings, nicks and scratches—this Sta. Magdalena was a real beauty, with a long face face slightly frowning in restrained grief. Her mouth was slightly open, curled downward in sorrow, showing teeth. The slightly long neck featured 3 shallowly-carved neck folds that almost looked like a 3-strand necklace.

STA. MAGDALENA, under restoration

On the other hand, her ghostly white hands and slender fingers, and her bare feet were well-carved and defined. There was the slightest hint of plumpness in her body, characteristic of old female santas. This processional image was not exactly tall, only 52 inches, including the base.

REPAINTING THE PENITENT SAINT

The dealer and I struck a deal, wrote him a check, and Sta. Maria Magdalena was mine to keep. But it didn’t stay long with me either, for just a scant week after, I delivered the Magdalena to the atelier of Mr. Francisco “Kiko” Vecin, Makati’s eminent collector and santo restorer. His workshop was just across my street, near the Makati City Hall, and the schedule for its restoration was drawn up in no time at all.

THE SAINT AND HER BLONDE-BROWN LONG LOCKS

As the santa was complete, I thought restoring it would be a breeze. Other than the crack on the body,  no major repairs were really necessary. What took long was the repainting of the santa that took some 3 months to finish. A friend of mine suggested that I stick to the original paleface kind of encarna, commonly seen in old Semana Santa images. I opted for a more natural complexion that is more Filipino, rather than the fair, pinkish Caucasian type.

STA. MAGDALENA, CROWNED

Mang Kiko commissioned veteran encarnador Eddie Mabaquiao Sr. to handle the repainting, which took forever to do. But the wait was all worth it, as the santa’s expression came real and alive with his brush. The magnifical restoration of Sta. Maria Magdalena was completed in late 2005.

VESTMENT BY LOPEZ ATELIER

Even long before it was finished, a member of our local pastoral council had saved a place for me 2006 Holy Week procession. The reservation, however, was not for a Magdalena, as the town already had one—but for broom-wielding Sta. Maria Jacobe. The idea was to transform this Magdalena into a Jacobe, by having her hold a broom—which was very much possible with the grasping position of her fingers.

OLD EMBROIDERY RECOVERED AND
USED FOR MAGDALENA'S VETSMENT

This threw me into panic, as I had not really planned on having vestments and metal accessories made just yet. Dr. Raffy Lopez came to the rescue by quickly making a light blue half-cape and a matching light fuschia tunic decorated with old gold embroidery. I designed a pukpok broom handle executed in plated brass by Jeric Canlas, inserted with tambo reeds. A new brass crown that I had been keeping went to the head of the santa, which looked obviously bigger. With that the primera salida of this Sta. Maria Magdalena finally took place in 2006—in the guise of  Sta. Maria Jacobe! I soon had ambivalent feelings about that practice.

PRIMERA SALIDA, as Sta, Maria Jacobe, 2006

That was the first and last time this antique santa came out, eventually replaced by my in-law family’s antique Jacobe. But when a second Magdalena I owned suffered a similar fate, I have vowed not to allow these “conversions” to happen again.

In one corner of our covered porch today stands a glass case, in which the cloth-covered antique image of Sta. Maria Magdalena reposes. It has not been seen since 2006, and I intend to keep it that way. It is very much in keeping with a penitent saint who spent part of her life as a hermit in a cave on a desert—away from prying eyes. Her life continues to give us an example of how no person is beyond the saving grace of God, so—by the same token, no broken santo  should be left unsaved too.

STA. MARIA MAGDALENA, Castro Family

268. MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY: Santo Sightings in Shops and Homes

AN IVORY CALVARIO SCENE.

Hobbies such as antique collecting can lead you to unexpected adventures, bringing you to ancestral residences, dealers’ homes and warehouses, thus affording you unexpected glimpses of Philippine religious art . Such examples are featured here, taken from as far as decades back.

MADONNA & CHILD, ivory masks and hands.

SAN ROQUE, in the folk style.

FOLK DOLOROSA and IVORY SAN LORENZO MARTIR

PACIENCIA, wooden processional.

Many of these items are long gone, some have gotten away, acquired by antique shops, and sold to collectors. Many still, are kept by the owners as part of their family heirlooms, lovingly cared whether folksy or fancy, in shabby or in pristine condition. Between then and now, I will not be surprised if a few of these have already been lost—either to theft, disasters or the ravages of time.

SAN VICENTE FERRER, NINO JESUS, AND ANTONIO DE PADUA

CRISTO BUSTO

IVORY DOLOROSA

IVORY CRUCIFIX, for home devotion.

All will agree though that these examples of Philippine sacred art are  glorious expressions of our faith, for to behold such beauty is to see the Light.

SAGRADA FAMILIA, ivory head and hands,

INMACULADA CONCEPCION, ivory head.

SAN ROQUE, classically carved wooden santo

STA. MARIA MAGDALENA, processional santo.

245. AN ENTOURAGE OF AGOO'S SORROWFUL SANTAS

Agoo, before the founding of La Union province, was once a part of Pangasinan. It is one of the oldest municipalities in the Philippines, and in ancient time, its excellent harbor was frequently visited by Japanese and Chinese traders. Christianization was undertaken by both Franciscan and Augustinian missionaries, until secular priests took over in 1898.

Agoo has been made famous for the alleged Marian apparitions of Virgin Mary to Judiel Nieva, who reported seeing a statue of Our Lady of Agoo atop a Guava tree, weeping with blood. Pilgrims flocked to Agoo to see the "seer", but the highly sensationalized apparitions were declared a hoax in 1993.

But nothing can take way the display of deep Ilocano devoutness and traditional pomp during the season of Lent.. The Good Friday procession is the highlight of the Semana Santa, a devotion manifesting the fervor and faith of the hardy Agoo folks.

There are about 30 carozas beautifully adorned, all lined up at the Plaza dela Virgen, a remarkable tradition dating from the Spanish times and the Penitential Procession of Women in honor of the Mother of Christ, all dressed in black.

The funeral entourage also consists of mourning virgins--saintly women depicting the female characters associated with the ministry and  Passion of Jesus, a selection of which are featured on this page.

All photos were taken in 1994 by Dr. Raymund Feliciano, exclusively for this blog.

Source: http://www.visitmyphilippines.com/index.php title=AGOOSEMANASANTA%3Cbr%3EAgoo,LaUnion&func=all&pid=5663

243. STA. MARIA MAGDALENA OF KAWIT : Patroness of the Revolution

SANTA MARIA MAGDALENA, patroness of the Philippine Revolution.

 The town of Kawit in Cavite is one of the country’s cradles of history, a town linked inseparably with Aguinaldo and the Philippine Revolution. Kawit is also home to a revered image of the repentant sinner-saint, Sta. Maria Magdalena, under whose patronage the town has been placed over 300 years ago, during the term of Manila Archbishop Miguel Garcia Serrano (1618-1629). The revered image of Sta. Maria is enshrined in her own altar at the age-old baroque Kawit Church, known as the Church of St. Mary Magdalene.

Over the years, devotion to the saint has become so widespread throughout the region and its most well-known devotee is no less than General Emilio Famy Aguinaldo, first president of the Philippine Republic. The Kawit-born revolutionary leader would ask for her protection every time he would venture out, and his safe delivery would always be attributed to the workings of the santa. Aguinaldo would even name his factionist movement after his patroness— "Magdalo". It is nowonder that Sta.Maria Magdalena has also earned the unofficial title as the “Patron Saint of the Philippine Revolution.”

 The antique life-size image of Sta, Maria is of wood, carved in the round, including her hair and vestment drapings, painted pink, orange and gold. However, like many de bulto images, she is outfitted with real clothes—usually, a gold-embroidered red gown, matched with a golden yellow cape. Be-wigged and shod in silver shoes, the saint holds her iconographic attributes—a perfume jar on her right hand and a crucifix on the other.

 There is a characteristic mark on her forehead, which others refer to as a mole (“nunal”) but it has been speculated that it is the symbolic mark left by Jesus's fingertip when He gently admonished her to “ touch me not” during their encounter three days after His death.

 Devotion to Sta. Maria Magdalena is year-round, but it reaches its peak during her July 21 feast days. On the eve of the fiesta, at 7 in the morning, the caracol tradition of bringing the image out in her flower-trimmed anda to make the rounds of the town begins. The anda bearers and the thousands of pilgrim-followers dance their way from Binakayan to Alapan, while prayers are said and favors are requested. Fandango is the traditional dance step used to convey the image from town to town.

 The santa is also brought on a riverine procession on a “casco” to bless the waters of Cavite and make them more bountiful.

 On the fiesta day itself—July 22—a grand procession is held on the main streets of Kawit. The 7:00 pm. procession is led by light-bearing youngsters followed by the lavishly-decorated carozza of Sta. Maria Magdalena, and a retinue of townsfolk. Groups of devotees called “Maginoos” and “Ginangs” dressed in their finery are at the tail-end. The parade ends at 10 p.m. and is capped with a feast-for-all sponsored by the Hermanos and Hermanas of the fiesta.

The fiesta revelry continues at the church patio where carnival rides, games and sideshows provide added enjoyment to the people of Kawit whose devotion to theis Sta. Maria Magdalena knows no bound, through periods of strife, struggle and present-day prosperity.

ALL PHOTOS from DR. RAYMUND FELICIANO COLLECTION

218. Santo Stories: STA. MARIA MAGDALENA OF APALIT, PAMPANGA

STA. MARIA MAGDALENA OF THE GONZALEZ FAMILY. Taken 25 November 1973. 

The original image of Apalit's Sta. Maria Magdalena had ivory head and hands, owned by Dr. Joaquin Gonzales (+1900) and Florencia Rodriguez Sioco (+1925). This 120 cm. Magdalena had her owned giltwood carroza. Bot image and carroza were inherited by their son, Augusto Sioco Gonzalez, who married Rosario "Charing" Arnedo, daughter of Pampanga's provincial governor, Macario Arnedo.

According to the recollections of the late father of descendant Mr. Toto Gonzalez, this original Magdalena was capeless; it was dressed entirely in embroidered burgundy velvet. It had a tiara of silver as well as a perfume bottle. Her accessories included real gold and diamond jewelry --- earrings, necklace, ring, and bracelets. It was always dressed by the female retainers of the family (never by the family members themselves) and was kept assembled the whole year through inside its glass case in a guest room filled with ivory santos in virinas.

This  Gonzalez-owned Sta. Maria Magdalena was unfortunately destroyed when the Americans dropped a bomb on the Gonzalez house in barrio Sulipan where Japanese army trucks were parked
(the bomb was actually intended for the Apalit bridge) on New Year's Day, 01 January 1942.

After the war, in late 1945, Dna. Charing commissioned "Talleres de Maximo Vicente"  to make a new Magdalena image and carroza, for Apalit, to replaced the lost ivory image. Maximo Vicente asked Charing Gonzalez for a photo of the original Magdalena but she had none; she simply gave him carte blanche to produce one. The result is a beautifully carved wooden image with an expressive face and hands, with an "encarna" that made her look Jewish. She stood at 5'6" tall without the 4" base.

The famed santero arrayed her with long hair of "jusi", a burgundy vestida and golden yellow cape with brass flowers dipped in silver then gold, and a double-plated (silver and gold) tiara. She holds her attribute, a  glass perfume bottle,  Vicente also provided a classical wooden carroza with silver-plated brass decorations and 1940s milk glass virinas. Mr. Toto Gonzalez remains the current caretaker of this exquisite Sta. Maria Magdalena, and she continues to lend her regal presence in the annual Holy Week processions of Apalit.

(Many thanks to Mr. Toto Gonzalez for providing the background information on Apalit's Sta. Maria Magdalena, and to Dr. Jojo Valencia for the 1973 photo.)

165. Holy Week Santos: STA. MARIA MAGDALENA

STA. MARIA MAGDALENA (St. Mary Magdalene) is one of the principal figures of Holy Week processions in the Philippines,  and an image of her is almost mandatory in Lenten rites. That's because she was present at the two most significant events in Christ's life--his Crucifixion and Resurrection.

Beside these, Magdalene's presence was noted many times during Christ's ministry and was well-known to His apostles, which spoke well of her courage and support.

Her name--Magdalene--was derived from her town of residence called Magdala, in northern Galilee, and her culture and manners were those of a Gentile. She had an early reputation as a sinner and has been called a harlot and adulteress.

After meeting Jesus, she felt deep remorse for her life of decadence. At the home of Simon where Jesus was invited to sup, Mary came to weep at his feet, which she wiped with rich unguents using her long, luxuriant hair.

Addressing the people who were shocked at the sight of a sinner touching Him, Jesus said: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." To Mary, He said:  "Your faith has made you safe; go in peace."

Thus, Mary became a follower of Jesus from that moment on, never leaving him during His Passion. She was at the foot of the cross when Jesus expired, and was there that fateful Easter Sunday morning when she discovered His missing body which she had prepared to anoint with spices. The weeping Mary was called by name by a man, whom she instantly recognized as the Risen Jesus.

In Christian art, where she was the most commonly depicted female figure after the Virgin Mary, she shown wearing lavish fashions. In the Philippines, the liturgical colors assigned to her are pink and yellow.

Her hair is long and unbound, either blonde or reddish-blonde. She is shown holding a vial of perfume and a handkerchief, which she used to wipe the feet of Jesus. One hand holds her long, unveiled tresses.

Other representations include her being a desert hermit, shown naked, holding a skull and covered only with her long hair--which could have been confused in the West with the 4th century hermit, St. Mary of Egypt.

There are also depictions of Mary Magdalene kneeling at the foot of the Cross, sometimes clutching the Cross itself. When shown standing, she is placed at the left and behind Mary and John, in a gesture of grief.

Until recently, the Roman Catholic Church identified Sta. Maria Magdalena as Sta. Maria Betania (sister of San Lazaro and Sta. Marta) , a notion abandoned in the early 1990s. St. Mary Magdalene is the patroness of penitents and perfumers. She is the titular patron of the revolutionary town of Kawit, Cavite where she is endearingly called "Santa Nena". Her Feast Day is July 22.

CREDITS: All photographs taken by Dr. Raymund Feliciano.