Comments on Ivan About Town: Visita iglesia routes for Holy Thursday

That's great to hear! Try the north during your ne...

2008-03-24T23:24:00.000+08:00

That's great to hear! Try the north during your next trip. A lot of beautiful churches to visit there as well.

i watched your guesting on shop talk about a year ...

2008-03-24T20:43:00.000+08:00

i watched your guesting on shop talk about a year ago. i became so interested with the routes you mentioned. little did i know that a year after that i will be able to visit some of it.

the past couple of weeks brought me to 14 churches in 14 towns around Cavite, Rizal and Laguna provinces. it was an experience like no other. i am in awe how a small country like ours is so rich in faith and so abundant with treasures. we should all be stewards of these gifts. you're doing a great job ivan. keep it up :)

Hi Conne, yes I still remember you. Kamusta?

2007-04-10T12:01:00.000+08:00

Hi Conne, yes I still remember you. Kamusta?

Hi Ivan! just dropping by to say hi, hope you sti...

2007-04-10T10:38:00.000+08:00

Hi Ivan! just dropping by to say hi, hope you still remember me from the Central Youth Choir. (Vivo's cuz)hehe! i was googling Visita Iglesia, and saw your bloglink!
I'm surprised! seems you're really good with your craft!
regards and Happy Easter! :)

Conne

Hi. I agree with you wholeheartedly. It's not even...

2007-04-09T13:53:00.000+08:00

Hi. I agree with you wholeheartedly. It's not even a good copy of the original! It's indeed horrible.

In all probability, the ceiling of the church migh...

2007-04-08T17:04:00.000+08:00

In all probability, the ceiling of the church might have been bare. Only a few churches have painted ceilings in the country.

I am inclined to think that in our time, the state of aesthetics in churches would not compare with that of the Spanish colonial ! Angat may have been better compared to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in QC, where proportion is absolutely lacking. Still, the Angat ceiling is just a copy and in all probability, it is a poor copy ( imagine comparing it with the original ).

I think the present time is obsessed with monumentalism, just like what we have in Binondo and Ermita. In addition, there is no originality. If one inspects the church of Santiago Apostol in Betis, one would notice that some portions of the ceiling were actually copies of images that are familiar to us. However, the panels were part of a composition that fits into the scheme of the church's decoration.

I just hope that the youngsters of Angat would have dealt with the powerful images of Micelangelo's work, with he help of their parents.

Am writing to PDI Publisher and Editor in Chief pl...

2007-04-08T08:04:00.000+08:00

Am writing to PDI Publisher and Editor in Chief plus the web sight you give below. BUT how to put a stop to bad taste when it is considered 'good taste' by Priests and parishoners? Is it too late to educate?

Sad to hear that. Dez is a good friend and a staun...

2007-04-08T08:03:00.000+08:00

Sad to hear that. Dez is a good friend and a staunch defender of heritage. But this is one case of gilding the lily.

By the way, we say "Return the church to what it was." But what was it before? What if it was poorly deisgned to begin with? I think it might be better to appeal to aesthetics: visual unity, order, a sense of balance and proportion. It might also help to explain our position in Tagalog. Mas may dating.

Yes, the sad part about it is that centuries of wo...

2007-04-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

Yes, the sad part about it is that centuries of work are bastardized by a few years assignment of a parish priest and misinformed individuals who are not even from the town.

Thank you for posting that insightful comment on t...

2007-04-08T00:13:00.000+08:00

Thank you for posting that insightful comment on the Angat Church murals yesterday. My mom, sister, and I visited the Angat Church during a Visita Iglesia tour by Inscribe. The church's black-and-white tiled floors, carved front pews and doors, and wide span are beautiful; but it was very disappointing to see the church's interior in a new textured concrete finish that reminded me of our garage. Fortunately, the bell tower still evokes much of the church's remaining old charm.My aunt's sister, who was with us during the tour, immediately figured out that the murals were new after spotting Pope John Paul II.

I agree that churches should be faithfully restored rather than be decked with obviously newer additions like ostentatious molding and gold leaf -- which were never part of the structure. Many of the churches we visited yesterday dated back to either the 19th century or the 1960's. With the contemporary paint colors, extensive gold leaf and molding, and other finishes, I couldn't figure out how old the church was (thank goodness for historical/commemorative markers). The "old" structures looked campy and hardly resembled the churches that townsfolk of generations earlier would have remembered.

Ivan, perhaps in our Letter to the Editor we could include background info on the history of the Angat Church. It would greatly help if people also knew what (fires, earthquakes, etc.) the church has gone through to understand why it's in its current state.

i just want to say thanx to your blog about the vi...

2007-04-07T08:28:00.000+08:00

i just want to say thanx to your blog about the visita iglesia, i remember a tradition that i almost forgot

What I disagree with the caption is the line "One ...

2007-04-07T00:34:00.000+08:00

What I disagree with the caption is the line "One of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines" and the graphics showed the ceiling that was Sistinized. Again like any other churches in Bulacan that was Porte cochered, it may again create a string of Sistinized ceilings. In Balayan, a parish center was built behind the church, also with a Sistinized ceiling. In Luna La Union, it was a circa 1920-30's ceiling painting on tin, this was Agoofied.

The effect of media.

Great post! I am thinking of visiting different ch...

2007-04-06T04:47:00.000+08:00

Great post! I am thinking of visiting different churches when I go home.

p.s. Let's write the PDI and complain about the mi...

2007-04-05T22:07:00.000+08:00

p.s. Let's write the PDI and complain about the misleading caption!

"VISUAL FEAST. Considered one of the country’s most beautiful churches, the Sta. Monica church in Angat, Bulacan, is a pilgrimage destination for the faithful who prefer their beliefs lavishly illustrated. The central frescoes are variations of the Sistine Chapel’s masterpiece by Michelangelo. But both sides of the ceiling portray Philippine events and traditions such as “Simbang Gabi,” the First Mass at Limasawa and “Santacruzan.” Though the church was rebuilt by Franciscans in 1892, the ceiling was painted by Rene Robles only in 1998 and Jess Santos in 2002. RODEL ROTONI"

It's not a visual feast at all! Write them at http://services.inquirer.net/contactus/contactus.php

I was told the murals in Angat Church was the brai...

2007-04-05T21:58:00.000+08:00

I was told the murals in Angat Church was the brainchild of Dez Bautista. He argued that he placed the embellishing there because the old artisans failed to produce manificent artworks that otherwise would have been done in Bulacan. I hope someone who knows him makes him realize the damage he did to the church and the possible damage to that could be done to other churches with that frame of thought. It's really sad.

It's disturbing that many parishes want to copy ei...

2007-04-05T21:56:00.000+08:00

It's disturbing that many parishes want to copy either estampitas or famous murals on their walls and ceilings. Example: the parishes of Binondo and Ermita. The lack of art education among both priests and parishioners is to blame. What to do?

Bad taste is widespread in this country.

Hi Ivan! I totally agree with you! I looked at the...

2007-04-05T21:47:00.000+08:00

Hi Ivan! I totally agree with you! I looked at the front page this morning and was greeted by eek! that horror! Can anything be done about that? It's such a disgrace.

[...] Sure, you know what Visita Iglesia is all ab...

2007-04-05T13:43:00.000+08:00

[...] Sure, you know what Visita Iglesia is all about but do you know why seven churches? Ivan Henares of Ivan About Town has a brief explanation on this [...]

Yes, I read that. If you notice, I left a comment ...

2007-04-04T15:35:00.000+08:00

Yes, I read that. If you notice, I left a comment way back. :)

Here's the URLhttp://monmon.wordpress.com/2007/03/...

2007-04-04T14:24:00.000+08:00

Here's the URL

http://monmon.wordpress.com/2007/03/02/bian-lagot-kayo/

I have been in this blog once. i think ileft a com...

2007-04-04T14:16:00.000+08:00

I have been in this blog once. i think ileft a comment in your article about my classmate's uncle's resort in bagac bataan... about those huge antique houses..

i even made an entry about the issue... i'll just get the URL

This is a great post! Congratulations on the Blogg...

2007-04-03T07:06:00.000+08:00

This is a great post! Congratulations on the Bloggie! =)

[...] and the travel with heritage conservation ad...

2007-04-03T01:34:00.000+08:00

[...] and the travel with heritage conservation advocacy trio of Ivan Henares [...]