The six senses.

There’s an ongoing exhibit of artworks rendered by the late Msgr. Virgilio Yap at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu. The various display of masterpieces pay tribute to a great artist and priest who died of leukemia at exactly 15 years ago. The exhibit Retrospective, A Collection of Artworks features a collection of abstract works of art including some news and magazine clippings about the artist during his lifetime. Some of his achievements are also highlighted like his unusual rendering of the crucified Christ at the altar of the Gethsemane Parish in Mandaue City, Cebu and his founding of an ecclesiastical museum which is now the Cathedral Museum of Cebu.

The Cathedral Museum of Cebu is located beside the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 AM to 12 NN and 1 PM to 5 PM. Continue Reading »

This is the fourth of several posts that will feature Richard E. Ahlborn’s photographs of historical churches in Cebu.

Photo courtesy of The Latin American Library, Tulane University, Richard E. Ahlborn Collection. Published in this blog in agreement with The Latin American Library. All photos in this post may not be used without first obtaining the written permission of The Latin American Library.

Bishop Sebastian de Foronda (1723-1728) once described the Cebu Cathedral as nothing but a barn overrun by plants and grasses. He may have been right after all since the cathedral looked nothing more than an oversized warehouse if not for the belfry and the facade which gave it the distinct look of a church. Vintage photos show it with plants growing at certain parts of the structure aside from the roofing that badly needed repair and the broken windows that had to be replaced. It was not until the 1930s when the cathedral was improved for it to be worthy of the status as the seat of the diocese that gave birth to Christianity in the Far East. Continue Reading »

The Heritage of Cebu has inked a publication agreement with The Latin American Library of Tulane University to feature Richard E. Ahlborn’s photographs of historical churches in Cebu. Ahlborn came to the Philippines in 1965 to conduct a photographic survey of Filipino-Hispanic architecture and art in the Philippines.

The photographs are rare inasmuch as it features certain portions of existing historical churches in Cebu in its most original form. Post-Vatican II, a number of Spanish colonial churches in Cebu and elsewhere in the Philippines underwent a flurry of “ill-advised” renovations and expansions. The modifications sometimes depended on the taste of the parish priest who is assigned to a particular church. Some photographs also feature valuable church furnishings that are already gone since it have either been sold (sometimes at the instance of the parish priest), stolen or destroyed.

This series will start off today and will run for several weeks.

The church of Carcar, situated on an elevated plain with a commanding view of the town, is one of the few well-built stone churches in Cebu. The harmonious design and the careful layout of the church itself are obviously the works of a lettered architect or planner.

Dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, a legendary 4th century scholar and martyr, the church was built by the Augustinians between 1860-1875 and features various influences including Islamic and Graeco-Roman. Islamic influences are evident in the massive recessed arch above the main entrance and the openings or the windows of the twin belfries while Graeco-Roman traces can best be appreciated at the main altar reredo which features Greek columns, a Roman arch and a gabled pediment. Continue Reading »

This blog will feature some of the remaining historical retablos in Cebu and will run for several weeks.

One of the most sought after sight when entering a Spanish-colonial church in any location in our country is the elaborately carved retablo which serves as a backdrop for an altar. The retablo usually has niches that contain statues of saints and is richly decorated with carvings of different motifs. It captivates the eyes of anyone entering the church from the main door and such may have contributed to the speeding up of the conversion of the natives. I myself have been fascinated with these old retablos that I can no longer count the number of times that I keep coming back to a particular church just to gaze at it. I look at them not on the religious side but as wonderful works of art bearing in mind that these are excellent products of Filipino craftsmanship.

Here in Cebu, some of the old churches that still have retablos are becoming popular sights for tourists and heritage buffs. Unfortunately though there are only a few left since some have been torn down while others were “deliberately removed” and “transferred” elsewhere to become an addition to a collection. Some were also destroyed during the last world war.

Due to my fascination to it, I have decided to dedicate the next few weeks to featuring some of the remaining historical retablos in Cebu. The criteria that I have set is that they must date back to the Spanish colonial era with the exception of the new retablos that were installed at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral in time for the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

The deliberate destruction of our beautiful retablos must stop. I’m hoping that by undertaking this feature I will be able to educate Filipinos with regards to these precious works of art in wood.