Cebu church bells were ‘witnesses of history’

FIVE century-old church bells from three Cebu towns were mounted as part of the Cebu Archdiocese’s celebration of the fifth-year anniversary of the Cebu Cathedral Museum on P. Burgos Street.

“The bells are witnesses to wars and natural calamities. They are considered historical artifacts because they are the witnesses of Cebu’s history,” said Prof. Regalado Trota Jose, an author and authority on colonial churches in the country.

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma led the blessing of the five bells, which were cracked and unused bells recovered from parish churches in towns of Sta. Fe, San Remegio and Daanbantayan.

The old bells, made of bronze, were mounted in concrete foundations and set in the garden of the museum, a former convent used by priests.

Each bell was sponsored by donors represented yesterday by Marilu Chongbian, Amado Go, Alit Solon and FC Veloso Properties Inc.

Jose said the bells, which were made in the 1800s, were used to signal or announce various communal activities in the parishes like weddings, feasts and funerals.

In his study of church bells around the country, he documented eight to 10 bells in the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. There were also eight bells on Oslob town and three bells each in Borbon and Catmon towns.

Jose said these bells were moved around from one parish to another, reflecting the movement of the Catholic faithful between Cebu and other regions.

Church bells vary in shape, inscriptions and manner of their installation.

Jose said the early bells in the country, dating back to the 17th century are identified by their elongated hips.

The 18th-century bells are identified with their horizontal rings.

The seal of the religious congregations who commissioned the bells are also inscribed in the object, Jose added.

The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral had eight bells dating back to 1608, each separately used for weddings, baptism, masses and in alerting the communities of danger and emergencies.

Yesterday, the museum also launched a rare exhibit of excavated materials from the Iron Age found in San Remegio town, north Cebu.

They will be displayed in the museum for two weeks.

Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Caridnal Vidal led the ribbon cutting along with Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and San Remegio Mayor Jay Olivar.

Vidal thanked the Cebuanos who continue to contribute in developing the Cebu Cathedral Museum as heritage repository housing valuable ecclesiastical artifacts in Cebu.

“I am very happy because we have a place where we can visit and view all our heritage pieces,” Vidal said in an interview. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya