369. VIVA! EL SERAFICO PADRE DOCTOR SAN BUENAVENTURA! A Restoration Story, by Mr. Francis Ong

SAN JUAN BUENAVENTURA of Mr. Francis Ong

Years in conception but merely months in the making, my own image of our town's Patron Saint is finally done.

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.)

328. THE SANTOS OF SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH, Intramuros

A TRIO OF ANTIQUE SAN ROQUE IN A RETABLO FRAGMENT

One of the grandest churches in the Philippines is also one of the most visited in Manila—the San Agustin Church,  founded by the pioneering Augustinian order and the third structure built on the site. It was completed in 1607, based on the design of Juan Macias, and originally named Iglesia de San Pablo. Over the years, the colonial church suffered from the Bristish sack of Manila in 1762, and a series of destructive earthquakes that toppled one tower in 1880. It was turned into a concentration camp during the 2^nd World War by the Japanese and sustained major damages, leaving the monastery in ruins. It was rebuilt after the war and the monastery was restored as a museum in the 1970s, which houses some of the most incredible ecclesiastical artifacts. The museum grounds are regularly utilized for exhibits of religious art, including the anique santo collection of noted collector Don Gregorio Araneta. 

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SAN AGUSTIN

INMACULADA CONCEPCION

SAN AGUSTIN

ST. PETER, a copy of the bronze statue in the Vatican

ECCE HOMO, from Cebu, on exhibit

STO. TOMAS DE VILLANUEVA

SAN JUAN DE SAHAGUN

STA. MONICA

NTRS. SRA. DE LA CONSOLACION Y CORREA

STA, RITA DE CASCIA

STO. SEPULCRO

SAN JOSE Y NINO JESUS

CALVARIO

VIRGEN DELA CORREA PAINTING

SAN AGUSTIN

SAN ESTEBAN MARTIR

JESUS CARRIES THE CROSS, ICON

SAN AGUSTIN

CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST AT CALVARY

SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL

STA. MONICA

CRUCIFICIXION OF CHRIST

327. THE ALTAR SANTOS OF SAN GUILLERMO CHURCH, Bacolor, Pampanga

The venerable San Guillermo Church, in the former capital of the Philippines, Bacolor, is a beautiful legacy of the Agustinos who built the church in 1576 on land donated by Don Guillermo Manabat, town founder. Completely destroyed by an earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1897 by Fray Manuel Diaz.

SAN GUILLERMO CHURCH,
wikimedia commons

The gilded retablo mayor, and the side retablos are intact—despite being half-buried in the lahar inundation of 1995 triggered by the Pinatubo eruption. They are profusely carved with baroque and rococo designs, and the richness of the details are better seen now that they have been beautifully restored. Inside the nichos are various antique  Augustinian santos from the colonial period. These, too, have been restored, repainted, and regilded under the supervision of the late Thom Joven, Pampanga’s most eminent ecclesiastical artist.

Now a tourist attraction, the San Guillermo Church continues to be a place of worship, a witness to the history and old glory of Bacolor, acclaimed for its arts and artists, hence the sobriquet—“Atenas ning Pampanga”-- the Athens of Greece.

322. THE SANTOS FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FERNANDO MUSEUM, part II

 More santos and sacred art from the collection of the Archdiocese Museum of San Fernando, Pampanga, with Msr. Eugene Reyes as Director, Archivist and Curator.