INTRAMUROS ADMINISTRATION @ 40 (PART 4)
Museo de Intramuros was recently inaugurated at the restored San Ignacio Church on Calle Arzobispo. This is the second Jesuit church, completed in 1899. The Jesuits arrived in the Philippines in 1581 but were expelled from the Philippines and other Spanish Territories in 1768. Their assets were confiscated and when they were allowed to return in 1859, the Order could not recover their ancient premises located where Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila now is.
The new church was widely admired for its woodwork— the elaborate ceiling, retablo, and pulpit were of molave and carved by the celebrated Isabelo Tampingco. It survived for just 46 years. The Battle of Manila in February 1945 destroyed Intramuros. Only San Agustin survived almost unscathed.
The ruins were bulldozed away when the smoke cleared except for the churches. The Dominicans,
however, moved to Quezon City, the Franciscans to Makati, the Recollects to San Sebastian, and the Capuchins to La Loma. Whatever remained of their old structures was demolished to make way for new buildings.
Only the ruins of the Jesuit church survived rehabilitation. Its new owners built their offices and warehouse around and above the surviving walls and alone among the old churches, San Ignacio did not completely vanish.
IA acquired the land and building in the early 1980s precisely with the intention of restoring it into a museum where its collection could be exhibited. Research yielded detailed drawings of the old structure, including the Tampingco woodwork. Architectural plans were accordingly prepared by Ramon Faustmann and an exhibit installation plan
by Martin I. Tinio, Jr., so detailed as
to indicate the contents of each room in a restored convent and church.
There was little funding in the next two decades but the sleeping beauty awoke when funding was obtained and restoration begun during the term of IA’s 9th administrator Marco Antonio Sardillo III.
It seems that the FaustmannTinio plans could not be located and the restored San Ignacio is not quite how it was. The postwar owners had added a top floor to the surviving walls and the addition was not removed. The restored convent therefore now has three floors and the present “nave” is about a third higher than the original.
Work was substantially completed last year under lawyer Guiller Asido, the present IA administrator.
The inaugural exhibit is in the restored convent. It consists of about 30 percent of the entire IA collection, practically all on show for the first time. Esperanza B. Gatbontón, Martin I Tinio, Jr., and Santiago Albano Pilár selected the objects and designed their presentation. Feature are magnificent santos (both images in the round and relieves), paintings (on canvas and on panel), ecclesiastical silver, and furniture (altar tables galore). Both Gatbontón and Tinio were part of the team that built the collection in the 1980s.
Workmen were still busily polishing large silver altar frontals and hacha (tall candelabra) and labels and wall text were still missing last Friday. But today, the Philippines has another historical and artistic landmark.
(To be continued)
Notes: (a) The former Intramuros church sites are now as follows: Sto. Domingo–Far East Bank & Trust Company (now part of BPI); San Francisco – Mapúa University; Recoletos – Manila Bulletin; Lourdes – Silahis Arts and Artifacts; and (b) San Fernando Rey was King Fernando III of Spain (ca. 1201-1262. He was canonized in 1671 and is patron saint of San Fernando, Pampanga and other Philippine towns.
The new church was widely admired for its woodwork—the elaborate ceiling, retablo, and pulpit were of molave and carved by the celebrated Isabelo Tampingco. It survived for just 46 years.