Restoration Nation

Last Saturday was a red-letter day for friend and Mabuhay Guide Chito Tayag. He and his business partner Dr. Raffy (sorry, can't recall his last name)formally opened their exhibit of restored ivory images of centuries old santos.

The ribbon-cutting was preceded by a thanksgiving Mass at the seminary of San Agustin Church in Intramuros. Though it was the first time some of the Mabuhay Guide attendees were allowed inside the seminary, we couldn't help but admire the plush modern interiors that blended well with it's old world Philippine earthquake baroque exterior. The richness of the dark wooden flooring and the seats were a smart contrast to glass panels with sepia prints on the life of Saint Agustin. These panels also served to define the voladas of the prayer room.

Yael Fernandez, June Recto and myself were able to attend the Mass while Jeff Velasco caught up with us for the ribbon cutting ceremonies at the Sala Recibidor. The venue was festooned with aranas of kiping from Lucban,Quezon and strands and strands of fragrant Sampaguita garlands. The doors of the Sala Recibidor swung open to reveal a bevy of Marian images atop carozas. The smallest image was that of the Penafrancia with other manifestations of our Lady vying for attention. The Mater Dolorosa and the image of the Nstra. Sra. Del Rosario loomed in resplendent attire over everyone. But one image struck me with a beautifully carved face and doe-eyed countenance. That particular image was just too pretty to ignore.

We were then led to the Claustro San Pablo on the second floor in which another ribbon-cutting ceremony took place. Unfortunately, picture taking was prohibited in this section as most of the images were privately owned. 150 images were on display. Some were tableaux of the Calvary scene. Some were of the Holy Family, still others were icons of the Virgin Mary and of other patron saints. Each and every image was splendidly robed with finely detailed "inuod" embroidery.

The reception at the corridor was catered by Tamayo's. Hosts Chito and Doc Raffy were flitting from one table to the next eventually joining us in animated conversation. They then disappeared with some other guests to scrutinize the other collections. 

My personal favourites were the Sto. Rosario whose image appears above and the icons of the Nstra. Sra. Del Pronto Socorro and the Nstra. Sra. Virgen de las Dolores de Turumba and the Bambina.

As we left the exhibit, we caught a glimpse of the San Agustin facade decked out in Christmas lights. It was too difficult to resist taking another photo.