345. SAN ROQUE : Patron Against Pandemic and Pestilence

SAN ROQUE, Invoked Against Pandemic

 In these, the pandemic years, no other saint has been heard more often than SAN ROQUE as his name is included in the Oratio Imperata, specifically composed for  covid-19.

SAN ROQUE (“St. Roch” in France and “San Rocco” in Italy) was born in Montpellier, in southern France, near the end of the 13th century. It is said that Roch bore a vivid red birthmark on his chest, shaped like a cross. His father, a governor of Montpellier, as well as his mother,  died by the time Roch was 20, leaving him to fend for himself in Europe during the time of the Black Death, the plague which killed an estimated over half of the European population.

SAN ROQUE distributed his inheritance among the poor, gave the governorship of Montpellier to his uncle which he would have inherited.  With his few personal possessions, he headedfor Italy. In his journey, he encountered cities stricken by the plague. In Aquapendente, a village in Italy, he ministered to the plague-stricken citizens, healing them with the sign of the cross. He moved on to Cesena, Rome, Mantua, Modena and Parma,  curing people along the way.

DELICATELY PAINTED FACE OF SAN ROQUE

SAN ROQUE soon caught the plague himself; and like a “self-quarantined” patient in today's COVID-19 crisis, he sought a sanctuary, where he could be in prayerful solitude. A dog miraculously appeared to bring him food and sustenance every day. Surviving the plague, he chose to return to his France, but was imprisoned instead, as he was dressed like a pilgrim. He died after 5 years, but his identity was revealed when the cross on his chest was uncovered; he was given a holy burial. 

In 1414, when the city of Constaza, Italy was hit by a plague, people were called on to pray to SAN ROQUE for healing.  After their petitions and processions, the plague miraculously stopped.

This representation of the santo, in wood and ivory, depicts him as a pilgrim with his dog by his side. The head and hands are of fine ivory, classically carved, and outfitted with glass eyes. His boots are painted on.

SAN ROQUE, with original metal accessories

The saint is iconically posed with his right hand lifting his tunic, and his finger pointing at the festering wound on his knee. The other hand holds his original pilgrim stick in brass, with a metal flask tied on top.

The tunic and cape have been replaced using the original tattered garments as pattern for the new outfit, all re-created by Dr. Raffy Lopez. 

SAN ROQUE’s faithful canine companion is shown on his right, with bread in his mouth. The seated dog is made of painted wood. At first glance, the Angel –his other iconographic element—seems to be missing. 

Usually, the Angel is present bearing a scroll that proclaims the saint as the patron of pestilence victims, to be invoked for protection and relief  from their illness. However, a close inspection of the base shows no traces of nails or dowels that could have anchored the small figure on the base to complete the tableau. 

THE HEALING POWER OF SAN ROQUE

However, there are many representations SAN ROQUE that show him Angel-less, with just a dog for his companion. Besides, the reference to the Saint’s healing power is already written on the rectangular, stone-topped base. In Spanish, it reads: “Los que tocadas de la peste invocoven  mi siervo Roque se libraren por su intercesion de esta cruel de enfermedad.” (Those who are touched by the plague, invoke my servant Roque, and, through his intercession, you will be freed by his this cruel disease)

This SAN ROQUE was possibly made in the 1930s, as it came with a gothic-style wooden urna popular in the era. I have a special interest in the saint as I lived at the San Roque Rectory of the San Roque Church in Blumentritt, Sta. Cruz, Manila, the church that my late uncle, Msgr. Manuel V. del Rosario founded in 1958, and which he served until his retirement in the 1980s. 

248. "HUDYOS" AS CHARACTERS OF LENT

HUDYO BELIEVE? A century-old head representing a blue-eyed "Hudyo", possibly, a temple officer.

 “Hudyo!!”—this is a popular collective term for those wooden figures found on processional religious tableaus representing soldiers, sentry guards, cavalry men and centurions. Associated with tormenting Christ during his Passion, these “Hudyos”(Jews) —represented with stern expressions, beards, moustaches, sideburns and wide-open googly eyes are cited in several Gospel passages.

 For example, Herod had a personal army that consisted not only of Jews but also of foreign mercenaries. Pilate and other Roman governors also kept Roman soldiers, with some recruited from Greece. Events involving soldiers include the following scenes that have been visually translated into religious tableaus familiar to most Filipinos.

 Arrest of Jesus. John 18:3 mentions the presence of a contingent of Roman troops to support this arrest. Jesus Before the High Priest: When Jesus appeared before the high priest, only Jewish officers were present (Matt 26:58). They struck Jesus and beat him up after the verdict. Jesus Before Pilate: Pilate ordered Jesus to be beaten and mocked by his soldiers (Matt 27:27-30). Most were recruited from the Syrian Greeks, known for their hostility towards Jews.

 Jesus before Herod Antipas: Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, hoping to avoid the problem of executing Jesus. Herod’s soldiers, who were probably Jewish, mocked Jesus and gave him a royal robe (Luke 23:6-12).

 The Fall of Christ: The most popular depiction of soldiers, spearmen and footmen are on tableaus depicting the three falls of Christ (primera, segunda, tercera caida). The fallen Christ is shown surrounded by hostile looking soldiers armed with spears, lances and standards.

 The Crucifixion: Roman soldiers presided over the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Calvary scene, they are attendant figures positioned at each side of Jesus, holding lanes and spears.

 Figures of “Hudyos” are sometimes included in pasos like Simon the Cyrene Helping Jesus (guards behind the cross), Scourging at the Pillar (guards doing the actual whipping), Crowning of Thorns, Paciencia (the seated Jesus flanked by guards), Guarding of the Tomb, Piercing of Jesus (by Longinus).

 Because of the way they are presented on Lenten tableaus, the mere sight of uniformed “Hudyos” with their devilish expressions and weapons, can instill fear and panic among children watching the Holy Week processions.

In a way, their presence brings in relevant aspects of the historical and cultural background of the event, helping us to retell the story more dramatically, which is an essential part of preaching from narrative passages.

REFERENCE:http://www.thegoodbookblog.com/2011/mar/14/soldiers-in-the-gospels/

133. THE ROAD TO CALVARY

I have always wanted an antique ivory Calvario tableau for my collection, but their availability—not to mention their prohibitive cost, have thwarted this dream. The closest I could get to owning one was when I purchased in Apalit, this part-ivory Crucifixion set. One look and you will know that it’s been put together—the wooden Christ with one outstretched arm, actually is part of a 2-character tableau that included the now-lost figure of St. Francis embracing Christ.

Two ivory santos have been redressed and added to the crucifix-- San Juan and a Dolorosa—which originally was a Magdalena. The two had ivory heads and hands (many missing fingers though). The santos were crammed in a primitive urna, and it is in this state that I bought them, with the intent of separating the two ivory figures and putting them on separate bases. This was what I actually did, with the help of expert santo restorer, Dr. Raffy Lopez. I gained two individual ivory santos but now lost a tableau!

 I forgot about owning a Calvario tableau until, this year, I chanced upon this antique wooden crucifix that was so badly disfigured and messed up with silver paint. But I really didn’t care much for the wooden Christ—it was the silver grabado cantoneras that appealed to me. The crucifix was set on what seemed to be its original base that simulated a stoney mound. Since I could afford it, I bought the crucifix and had it immediately restored.

A month and a half later, the Crucifix was returned to me—and the painted restoration stunned me.

 The new encarna showed the exceptional carving of the figure—from Christ’s pain-racked expression to his bloodied physique—one of the finest I’ve seen. Raffy had given me an old wig that fitted the Cristo perfectly.

Rummaging through my own stock of old santo stuff, I found a small silver thorny crown that also matched the head size of my crucified Christ.

Meanwhile, at the recent Greenhillas Antique Fair, I found an almost complete set of silver fittings for a standard crucifix, including these INRI and the symbolic sun with a face, with a spring mount.

From another old crucifix, I salvaged 3 silver potencias, which were of the right size for my Cristo. I was rather pleased with the result.

It was at this point that I toyed with the idea of assembling my own Calvario —using this completed and fully restored crucifix as the focal point of the tableau.

The ivory San Juan and Dolorosa were almost proportional in size to the crucified Christ and I figured they could be re-set on the original stoney mound where they could stand flanking the dying Christ figure. In the past, I have seen many Calvarios that featured wooden Christs matched with ivory Johns and Marys, so I thought I could do the same here.

Again, I took the ivories to Dr. Lopez who dismantled them from their bases and staged them on the restored base which had been raised to half an inch, then refinished and repainted.

 The final step was mounting the crucifix on the mound—and the pleasing results are on this page. The road to recreating my own Calvario is done. Consummatum est!!