371. SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL of Angeles City, Pampanga

SAN MIGUEL of the Evangelista Family, Photo: "Pisamban Maragul" book.

This 110 year-old image of St. Michael Archangel was commissioned in 1910 for the family of the prominent businessman Roman Bernardo Evangelista of old Culiat. The santo is depicted bearing a sword and helmet on his head, in the act of battle with Satan who is fallen and tampled underneath by the heavenly warrior. The San Miguel was intended for the La Naval celebration of Angeles.

Don Roman  Evangelista with wife Dona Francisca Dizon Dela
Resma , and their 2 older sons: David and Marcos  Ca. 1899 

The Evangelistas, known for their pioneering telecom business in the city, also owned the Sta.  Misericordia, a Holy Week tableau.The San Miguel image was bequeathed to Francisco and Domingo Evangelista upon the death of Don Roman, and successively passed on to their descendants.

The city of Angels also is home to other antique angel santos: El Santo Angel Custodio (Holy Guardian Angel, 1830, with Holy Angel University), San Gabriel Arcangel ( Jose Sanchez Family, 1916), and San Rafael Arcangel (Mariano V. Henson Family,1915).

As most of the Evangelista descendants have moved abroad, the carro and the image of San Miguel are both under the custodianship of the family of the late Jess Panlilio.

SOURCES:

Dr. Raymundo Feliciano Albums

Additional infor: Josel Evangelista Suarez

Pisamban Maragul: The Living Chrch of Angeles City, Nina Tomen in collabration with Bishop Virgilio David. Angeles City 2014

370. THE 7 ARCHANGELS OF INDANG, CAVITE

In the Parish of Indang, Cavite (est. 1625)  dedicated to San Gregorio Magno (St. Gregory the Great), there not only flourishes a profound devotion to its great patron, but also to the 7 Archangels: Baraquiel, Gabriel, Judiel, Miguel, Rafael,  Sealtiel, and Uriel.

Town lore has it that a painting of the 7 angels was found rolled up in a trash heap behind the church. The unsigned Archangels painting was a local painted version of an 16^th century print made by Flemish engraver Hieronymus Wierix (1553’d. 1 Nov.1619) who did many religious prints.

The ancient painting, in a shadowbox frame,  was enshrined on one side of the altar, and it was in this manner that the people’s devotion came to include the 7 archangels.  Indang’s town fiesta, celebrated on the 2^nd Sunday of May and the following Tuesday, honors their joint patrons– the pope-saint, San Gregorio Magno, and the Seven Archangels. Their actual feast days are marked separately: Sep. 3 and Sep. 29, respectively.

Show here are the old statue carvings of the Seven Archangels which were meant to be used for processions.

SAN BARAQUIEL. Chief of the guardian angels,  a patron of family and married life. He is also invoked as the special guardian of those born on Saturday. Symbols: include a wreath of white roses or a book, representing marital and family guidance. Traditions associate him with  power over lightning and storms, as his name can also be interpreted as "lightning of God.

SAN GABRIEL. Messenger of God; known for delivering significant messages, such as the announcement to the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. Patron saint: Gabriel is considered the patron saint of messengers, communication workers, and postal workers. Symbolic attributes include a white lily, representing purity, and a trumpet.

SAN JUDIEL. His name—from “Jehudiel”--means "Praise of God". Patron saint of all those in positions of responsibility and encourages those in their work. Often shown holding a crown (reward for spiritual labor) and a whip or a three-thonged whip (punishment for sinners).

SAN MIGUEL. Prominent warrior archangel, leader of God's armies, specially for his role in vanquishing Satan. Venerated as a champion of justice, a healer, and the guardian of the Church. Depicted with a sword, a banner, or scales, and sometimes shown stepping on a dragon.

SAN RAFAEL. His name means "God has healed," and he is invoked for divine healing. He served as a guide for Tobit, hence, also patron of  travelers and pilgrims. Often shown holding a staff or a fish, the latter symbolizing the healing powers he used from a fish's gall to cure Tobit's father's blindness.

SAN SEALTIEL. San Sealtiel. The angel of prayer and worship,  believed to help people with their prayers, guide them in worshiping God, and present their petitions to God. Often depicted holding a censer (thurible), with arms crossed in prayer.

SAN URIEL. San Uriel. The angel of wisdom, prophecy, truth, and light. His name means "God is my light" or "fire of God". Often depicted with a book or scroll and sometimes with a solar orb. In some traditions, he is the one who wields the fiery sword at the gate of Eden.

CREDITS:

All photos, Dr. Raymundo Feliciano Albums, 1994.

Phtoto of the 7 Archangels of Indang: wikimedia commons

195. Heads Up: SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL

One of the very first santo heads that I got when I started my santo collection was this medium-sized head of San Miguel Arcangel (St. Michael Archangel). The head itself is about 10 inches tall, and seems to have been meant for a fully carved (tallado) body. San Miguel is always depicted in full battle gear as he fights the Devil, so he wears a helmet topped with a flower carved in relief.

Outfiitted with glass eyes and carved hair that sports a knot at the back, this San Miguel head has very patrician features, as evident from his straight, aquiline nose and a stern, almost emotion-less expression. I had to do a double take when I saw this head up for sale in a Baguio antique shop in the late 80s. I thought it first to be so unattractive; the thought of buying a santo fragment was rather unappealing to me back then.

I am glad though I got ut (for the princely sum of Php 350)!). San Miguels of this size are hard to come by; if complete, this would have been suitable for display in a church or for a procession. It would certainly have cut quite a fine figure, especially with its battle stance--holding down the Devil with one foot while in the act of thrusting a spear (or brandishing a sword)  into his nemesis.

While a popular and an important angel saint, only a scarce number of devotional santos of San Miguel in private homes. People are familiar with his imagery through the Ginebra San Miguel gin label, which has attained an iconic status in Philippine pop culture. The original "Markang Demonyo" label was drawn  for La Tondena Company, by no less than National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo, when he was but a fine arts student.

"Ang inumin ng tunay na lalake" was Ginebra's slogan. It could also very well apply to San Miguel Arcangel, the protector , the equalizer, the warrior angel--who always fought his very best in the battle of good versus evil--like a "tunay na lalake".

139. ANGELS OF GOD: From Wingless to Wonderful!

ANGELS OF GOD, MY GUARDIANS DEAR. Two santo angels found in an out-of-the-way antique shop, transformed into San Rafael and San Gabriel, respectively. Personal Collection.

It has happened countless of times: an antique dealer would call to say that that he has unique items just arrived, so if I could rush right over to look at some of them. More often than not, I would be shown commonplace trifles and vintage junk, and I would come away disappointed.

In one such visit to an Apalit dealer, I was once again shown some supposedly “heirloom” antiques—but all I found was an assortment of costume jewelry, new ivory santo heads, damages silver and rosaries with missing beads. Oh yes, there was also a Dolorosa santo that I had seen beforeand some ‘bagong luma’ salakots (native hats).

I thought I would again go home again empty-handed until the dealer brought out two small wooden angels that she had almost forgotten. Small in size, wingless and armless, they were, nonetheless, real antique pieces. They were neatly carved from soft wood, and they had all the classic attributes of a typical angel—right down to their helmetted heads, boots, knee-revealing slit tunics and the cloud bases that served as their peañas.

Examining the two angels made featureless by age, I could only surmise what use they had before. Could they have once graced an old carroza? Or could they have been part of a set of 7 Archangels? Whatever, I thought the two were charming pieces worth collecting—I rarely see such kinds for sale in Manila shops.

For a reasonable amount, I acquired these two angels with a view to have them restored in the future. But impatient that I was, I hurriedly took them to santo restorer, Dr. Raffy Lopez, two weeks after I purchased them. I had two spare gilded bases, so I brought those as well, intending them to be used for their restoration. I had no other instructions except that I requested for plated metal wings for the two.

I pretty much forgot all about the two angels in the next 6 weeks; after all, my mind was on my impending vacation in Australia. But I was kept updated with mms photos sent through my phone. When the call came for me to pick up my two angel santos, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I was wowed, to say the least!

One had been transformed into a San Gabriel, bearer of divine messages--represented by a scroll in one hand and a flower in the other.

Another had become San Rafael, holding a staff from which a silver fish dangled. Both have been repainted and outfitted with silver wings.

Once I brought them home, I placed them on a special shelf in my shoebox house. 

So there they stand guard, flanking an old metal crucifix I found in a yard sale, these two angels of God, once nearly ignored and forgotten, now fully restored succesfully--with flying colors!

71. THE ANGELS OF ANGELES

El Pueblo de los Ángeles (The Town of the Angels) owes its name to its patron saints, Los Santos Ángeles de los Custodios (Holy Guardian Angels), and the name of its founder, Don Ángel Pantaleón de Miranda, who, together with his wife Doña Rosalia de Jesus, created a new settlement out of Culiat, a forested area north of San Fernando, in 1796. On December 8, 1829, it finally became a separate municipality. The center of worship of Angeles is the Santo Rosario Church, completed in 1897. To pay homage to their patrons, several residents commissioned images to be carved, and they remain in existence today, surviving wars, natural calamities and the passage of time.

SAN ANGELO CUSTODIO

The image of the guardian angel was finished in 1830 and was passed on by the founders of Angeles to the succeeding heirs and descendants. It is currently under the care of Teresita Nepomuceno Wilkerson (handed down by father Juan Nepomuceno, founder of Holy Angel University), and is enshrined at the Holy Angel Chapel at the university grounds. A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. The belief that God sends a spirit to watch every individual was common in Ancient Greek philosophy and the idea also appears in the Old Testament, although it is not specifically articulated. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus says of children: "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven". The 48 in. antique wooden image was recently restored in 2006.

SAN GABRIEL ARCANGEL

Gabriel's name means 'God is my strength'. Gabriel is the Angel of child conception or the process of adopting a child, also the Angel of resurrection, mercy and peace and benefactor of " messengers". He is the patron of all who work in the field of communications. postal workers, and clergy. This image dates from 1916, with Jose Sanchez as the original owner. The heirs of Vicente Henson now take care of this almost-century old image.

SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL

Michael's name means 'He who is like God' or 'He who looks like God' He is the leader of the Archangels, he is the Angel of protection, justice & strength. The antique image shows San Miguel in his traditional representation--awe-inspiring with his silver wings, holding a sword and a scale to weigh the souls of men. He tramples the Devil underfoot. Also from 1916, the original owner was Roman Evangelista who bequeathed it to Francisco and Domingo Evangelista.

SAN RAFAEL ARCANGEL

Rafael's name means 'God heals' or 'God has healed' based upon the Hebrew word, Rapha, which means 'doctor' or 'healer' Rafael is a powerful healer of physical bodies, both for humans and animals. He is the Angel of Love, Joy and Laughter, the Patron Angel of all those in the field of Medicine.The fish is San Rafael’s primary attribute, in reference to his instructing his young traveling companion, Tobiah, to use the liver of a fish to cure the blindness of Tobit, Tobiah's father. This image was made in 1915, commissioned by Mariano V. Henson and passed down to Januaria and Manuela Lacson.