Christianization of the Philippines Revisiting the Contributions of Baroque Churches and Religious Art (original) (raw)

Simbahan: Church Art in Colonial Philippines, 1565-1898

1991

Simbahan is a must reading for lovers of Philippine history, art, architecture; for curators, antique collectors, art educators; but especially for bishops, parish priests, seminarians, pastoral councils and the many custodians of our rich and opulent colonial heritage. Carefully researched and copiously illustrated, this book on colonial church architecture and art comes after three decades of abstinence, during which no national survey of colonial churches was done.

The Participation of the Local Clergy in late 18th Century Philippine Art

Philippiniana Sacra

Most Philippine church historical accounts were prepared by religious congregations, principally the Augustinians, Augustinian Recollects, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Jesuits. The majority of their members were Spaniards. As such, most of the churches and church art created during the Spanish colonial era are credited to them. In a way, such church art has suffered from a certain odium in that they are "reminders of foreign friar oppression. " To get a more balanced view, it is important to know that a number of churches and liturgical art were built or commissioned by members of the diocesan, also called the secular clergy. Members of this clergy were subject to the bishop, and not to the provincial in the case of the religious orders. Furthermore, they were largely drawn from both the native and mestizo population. Although the published literature on the local clergy's role vis-à-vis art is practically nil, leads are gradually turning up in the form of archival sources, piecing together of time lines, and actual examples of architecture and works of art. This article will present some examples of the seculars' contributions to Philippine art in the waning years of the eighteenth century.

Lucio Gutierrez, O.P. and the Study of the Christianization of the Philippines

Philippiniana Sacra

Fr. Lucio Peña Gutierrez, O.P. may be considered as having contributed significantly in the field of studies in the Ecclesiastical History of the Philippines and Philippine history in general. As a dedicated scholar, he campaigned for a more fair and objective view of the Philippine History. His studies tried to dispel a number of myths in the way the Spaniards carried out the evangelization and conquest of the Philippine Islands. He has shown that the experience of the Philippines is unique and the transformation of such scattered group of islands into a Christian nation could be considered one great success story for the Catholic Church. Anyone who would read Philippine history has to keep in mind Christian spirit that imbued the missionaries and secular rulers from Spain. To say, for instance, that the friars were the ones who destroyed the indigenous culture of the Filipinos and prior to their arrival was bliss in these Islands is anachronistic, ideology based and disprovable by...

Church realities in the Philippines: 1900-1965

Anuario De Historia De La Iglesia, 1999

This year, 1998, the Philippines commemorates the centenary since her independence from a foreign domination. At the time of this writing, it is «all-systems-go» for this former Spanish colony, with both government agencies and non-government organizations pooling all human and material resources for a successful once-in-a-lifetime celebration. In the academe, various historical societies have been organized-if not revived-both in the national and regional levels, in an effort to put into writing slices and fragments in history that have been for long relegated to oral traditions and folklore. «What happened to the Church in the Philippines of the post-Spanish era?» Or, «How did the Filipinos fare being Catholics after our forebears left their shores for good?». These are questions perennially posed by modern-day Spanish nationals about the country Spain had ruled for close to four centuries. A short paragraph culled from a paper presented to the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre in 1995 by a Spanish lady-scholar shows the demographic profile of contemporary Philippine Church: «The Philippines is a clear testimony of the good seed of faith sowed there by the Spanish missionaries, and the pastoral efforts of those who followed them thereafter. Today in those islands there exist thirteen ecclesiastical provinces with a total of thirty-one suffragan dioceses.