I haven't blogged in a while since I was busy working with the National Artist for Dance for a production of Ballet Philippines' Gala. Most of my free time was devoted to the show's success. However, I wouldn't let an Advocates for Heritage Preservation tour to Lipa just pass me by. Of course I had to join or miss out on a lot of great fun that only van 3 has to offer (there were five vans).
Our first stop was at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Lipa. The church is dedicated to St. Sebastian, Vanguard of the Church and patron of athletes and soldiers. He was a soldier who had been found out to be secretly a Christian supporter during Diocletian's reign in 288 A.D. Despite being under the service of the Emperor, we was punished by being tied to a tree and executed by a legion of archers. He survived the arrows and was nursed back to health by St. Irene of Rome. Later on, he warned the emperor of his transgressions and eventually was clubbed to death. The Lipa cathedral has three versions of St. Sebastian's martyrdom in the left transcept and at the main altar.
The massive church was built on site in 1779 as a result of Taal volcano's eruption in 1754. Originally the church was in another area that was damaged by the volcano's activity and had to be moved to its current location. Fr. Ignacio Pallares spearheaded the building of the church and picked up by Fr Manuel Galiana in 1787. The transept was completed in 1865 by Fr. Manuel Diez Gonzalez and completed in 1894 by Augustinian priest Fr. Benito Vargas. The church was heavily damaged (like everything else in Lipa) during WWII due to the carpet bombing of American forces to flush out the Japanese. In 1944 Msgr. Alejandro Olalla and Fr. Vergara added two side aisles and completed re-construction in 1957. It is now the seat of the Diocese of Lipa.
The church is done in the high Renaissance style with arched windows and entryway. The facade is divided into three segments with superimpositioned columns. The pediment is broken by arches that are centrally located and topped by a turret. On the church door if the high relief of the history of Salvation. the knave and dome are painted in tromp l'oeil style and on the right transept is an pipe organ. We were fortunate to have heard Mass prior to our tour. Lipa is located 85 km south of Manila.
Snacks were served at the Museo de Lipa where various collectibles were curated. One of Lipa's drawing power is the fact that it was at one point, the coffee central of the world after a blight destroyed coffee plantations worldwide. Ergo, a lot of wealth was created and the benefits of which was thoroughly savored by the landed elite at the time. Ex- Governor, now Congress woman Vilma Santos-Recto is an " adopted" daughter of Lipa by virtue of marriage to one of the scions of the Recto clan. Her wedding gown is among the garments displayed at the Museo.
Next stop was at Casa de Segunda. The visit was made more interesting by personal stories by the grand daughter of the former owner after whom the house takes its name. Segunda Katigbak was Jose Rizal's first love if stories are to believed. Born to a wealthy family of Lipa, she was an "interna" sent off to a boarding school in Manila (La Concordia). Rizal's sister was her classmate and it was this opportune event that had made her endearing to the young Jose. Unfortunately, to secure the family,s finances, marriages were arranged among the wealthy and landed elite at the time. Even before they could establish any meaningful relationship, Rizal was dissuaded from courting her and she was married off to a young scion of the Luz clan. That was that! Poor national hero stood no chance of winning her as a bride.
Mrs. Lileth Malabanan was an engaging hostess and story teller. She welcomed us into the home of her grandmother. The house is mostly unoccupied but it gets busy with visitors that come by the bus load... much to her exasperation! It is indeed a lovely house... replete with original photos and books of her proud ancestry and her noble lineage...
Pio and Elma Luistro welcomed us into their ancestral home next. Kape'ng barako, a local version of pilipit and empanditas were served as refreshments. The Aranda ancestral home may not be as old as the others as the house was burned in WWII. However, it had a homey feel as the home was decorated using asian objets d'art. It's an eclectic collection that was thrown into the aesthetics and utilized old wood and varnished with a fine sheen. The azotea has a lot of interesting plants that pique one's interest. Archbishop Obviar used the home as his residence even when he was the Archbishop of Lipa. The home beside it has a quaint Juliet balcony and a chapel that served as their oratorio.
Next, it was back to the Museo de Lipa where we were served, Tulingan (tuna), Bistek (beefsteak), Binagoongan (pork stirfry in shrimp paste), Laing (taro leaves stewed in coconut cream) and fresh fruit for dessert. A fiesta suite of local dances was presented by a college dance troupe and they performed the Subli (a coquettish dance using bamboo clappers as castanets), Sayaw sa Bangko (a courtship dance to lively music jumping over wooden benches, and a muslim dance of T'boli women whose title i can nit recall at the moment.
After lunch, it was a short drive to the Luz-Librea- Bautista ancestral house now converted into a guest house for Carmelite nuns. This massive house has a lot of character! Wide stairways lead to the recibidor to welcome guests and then it opens up to a main sala. Some furniture remain that give you a glimpse of its glorious past. An Ah Tay four-poster bed complete with carved head and foot board is in one of the bedrooms. Apparently, the last heir was a Carmelite nun, who upon her deathbed, bequeath the home to the order.
Since we're at it... the next visit was at the Convent of the Carmelites in the heart of Lipa. The convent is a favorite spot of devotees owing to its controversial post war occupants. Sister Teresing Castillo witnessed an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary atop a bush in the garden. She along with other postulants had experienced miracles such as a shower of rose petals that filled the entire convent with a sweet perfume. They had reported the incident to the Vatican who had sent an emissary to check on tghe veracity of the report. Archbishop Obviar could not deny the miracles and so Archbishop Versoza also went to check the reported sightings. Rome had decided that it was a hoax and decided to quelch the growing influx of people to the site. That ended the " hysteria" and Sister Teresing Castillo left the convent only to visit intermittently. Reports that the shower of rose petals even followed to her home in Baclaran and then she passed away last year.
The devotion to Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Grace did not end when she left the convent. Even to this day, devotees come for quiet reflection and petitions for various causes. As a concession to her strong faith in God and her devotion to the order, her mortal remains were laid to rest at the side of the church as she was not able to take her vows. Lately there is a resurgence on the growing petition to declare the incidents in Lipa authentic apparitions.
A few meters away was another church dedicated to Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Grace. The spanking new church built of land donated to religious worship is done in Italianate design with eight super impositioned pilasters on each side framing arched windows. the pediment is a broken triangle topped with a cross and finials on each side. The bell tower is topped with a cupola and the middle segment has arched windows. The interior has a simple retablo done in gold leaf and framing an image Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Grace..
Padre Garcia was our second to the last stop for the day. We visited the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. Established in 1778 by the Augustinian Recollects, the church was in an area called Lobo but was moved due to pirate raids. The town was burned by the revolutionaries during the Fil-American war and deserted. It was called Lumangbayan due to the transfer to the present day Rosario. By 1928, the church was administered by the Oblates of St. Joseph under Rev. Fr. Fanchini,OSJ. He was murdered by the Japanese on 14 February, 1945 and after the war the Order reconstructed the church. By 1949, Rosario was renamed Padre Garcia after Vicente Garcia who was a native parish priest.
Last on our list was the church of Ibaan, Batangas. The church of St. James, the Apostle was built in 1817. In 1854, it was rebuilt by Fr. Manuel Diez Gonzalez. In 1859, Fr. Bruno Laredo, O.S.A. completed the facade and roofing. The twin towers were started in 1865 by Fr. Laredo and completed in 1876 by Fr. Vicente Maril. Fr. Francisco Alvarez repaired the church from 1891-1896 after it was damaged in the 1880 earthquake. The facade has 3 sets of round pilasters mounted on rectangular bases. The pediment is adorned with a rose window.
Just recalling the events of the day is enough to tire me out. The rains and the long itinerary were balanced out by the fun, laughter and the camaraderie of the AHP family... five vans in all and some privately owned vehicles that went as far as 135 kilometers south of the metro.
