Symbol of God’s love in various styles on exhibit in Pampanga

By: Tonette Orejas - 10 years ago

THROUGH A GLASS CLEARLY Various kinds of crosses that Catholics associate with Christ and the Christian faith are on exhibit at Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies in Angeles City until Holy Wednesday. The exhibit resumes for two weeks starting April 6. (Below) photos of faith, classical, popular and ornate representations of the symbol of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. E.I. REYMOND T. OREJAS/CONTRIBUTOR

ANGELES CITY, Philippines—Crosses of all kinds, representative of their times and styles while remaining to be the powerful symbol of Christ’s sacrifice for Christians, are on exhibit here until Holy Wednesday, and for another two weeks from April 6.

The exhibit features crosses on rosaries, necklaces and reliquary pendants (called paru-paro). It also shows crucifixion bottles made by prisoners at the start of the 20th century.

One such crucifixion bottle depicted an entire Calvary scene, complete with the principal stick figure of the crucified Christ shown surrounded by santo (saint) figures of Mary, St. John, the Three Marys (Tres Marias) and Roman soldiers.

Retired advertising executive Alex Castro put together the show at the Center for Kapampangan Studies at Holy Angel University, to give viewers a sampling of the different representations of Christ on the Cross as executed by artisans in the Philippines, the largest Catholic nation in Asia.

“It was believed that prisoners passed the long lonely hours by skillfully putting together these disparate santo pieces inside a bottle, reflecting on Christ’s sufferings as they did so. Once finished, these bottles were sold as cheap religious souvenirs,” Castro said.

The crucifix—an important symbol for many Christian groups, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, Methodist and Anglican churches as well as the Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic and other Oriental Orthodox churches—emphasizes Jesus’ sacrifice, his death by crucifixion which Christians believe brought about the redemption of mankind.

Style classification

The Angeles exhibit, “Krus ng Kristo: The Art of the Cross,” includes a variety of vintage crosses, some of which are family and heirloom treasures, that represent the “cross that Jesus Christ carried, on which he was nailed, and on which he died so mankind could find its salvation,” wrote Castro in his exhibit notes.

He classified the crucifixes on exhibit according to the style classification of artist Fernando Zobel de Ayala in his book, “Philippine Religious Imagery”—folk or popular, classical and ornate.

In folk crucifixes, Castro said the “body of Christ is often misshapen, with limbs either too short or too long.”

From deadpan to whimsical

“Even the expression of the dead Christ ranges from deadpan to whimsical. Folk crosses were often painted with bright hues using vegetable dyes or house paint, and embellished with floral patterns. Rayos (rays) cut from tin were sometimes added to emulate classical-style crucifixes,” he said

Classical crucifixes, he said, show more refinement and realism in the carving, “adhering to iconographic disciplines and showing a higher level of skill.”

“This style abounded when more contemporary models were made available to artisans—holy pictures, lithograph posters of saints, imported religious icons—and when commercial talleres (wood carving workshops) started to flourish in the country,” he said.

Master carvers

Local master carvers in Manila, Paete (Laguna), the Ilocos provinces and Betis (Pampanga) experimented with copying Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and other Western prototypes, he said.

These crosses were carved from hardwood species—batikuling, molave and kamagong.

The ornate ones, Castro said, were embellished with silver, gold, gems, metallic thread and heavy embroidery.

Famous crosses

As an additional feature, the exhibit shows photographs and the background to the so-called famous crosses of the country. These are the Magellan’s Cross in Cebu City; Alitagtag Cross in Batangas; Kambal na Krus in Tondo, Manila; Apo Lakay in Sinait, Ilocos Sur; Sto. Cristo in Pakil, Laguna; and Apo Sto. Cristo de Lubao and Apo Señor of Guagua, both in Pampanga

The exhibit will be closed for the Holy Triduum—the three-day period that begins on the evening of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday and ends on Easter Sunday, recalling the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus—and will resume for another two weeks, starting April 6.