Tuesday, April 29, 2014

BenCab Museum @ Baguio City, Benguet

Cordillera art, beautiful scenery, awkward masterpieces, and a beautiful blend of art and nature, welcome to the BenCab Museum in Baguio City.

BenCab Museum showcases the indigenous art created by the Ifugaos (and other ethnic tribes) as well as the works of other Filipino Artists.

When we got here, it was raining heavily. Residents said that it rains every afternoon  starting April 1. The other destinations we will go to are very far away, so we decided to rent a taxi for the trip.


It displays the art collection, ad the artworks of National Artist Benedicto Cabrera este BenCab.

"Bulol" at the staircase

Among the indigenous artworks by the ethnics of the Cordilleras are the "Bulol" which is a deity worshipped for good harvest.


Abstract sculpture at the balcony, probably by Arturo Luz
Driftwood-like sculpture (?)


The Museum is divided into different sections (according to the museum website) :

1. BenCab Gallery
2. Maestro Gallery
3. Patio Salvador
4. Cordillera Gallery
5. Erotica Gallery (NSFW)
6. Larawan Hall
7. Phil. Contemporary Art Gallery 1
8. Phil. Contemporary Art Gallery 1
9. Print Galley
10. Sepia Gallery

 Indigo Gallery



Cordillera Gallery
This particular artwork, painted by Raymond Halili, is smaller than the palm of the hand! :D

"Bulul" statues adorning the wall in front of the balcony entrance



View from the Balcony

Woodwork from the Cordilleras


Philippine Contemporary Art Galleries (?)
"Wag mo damdamin ang mga bagay, dahil ang mga bagay ay walang damdamin" (Do not emote much on things, because things do not have emotion) Correct! XD

Artworks displayed in the museum


Erotica Galley NSFW

At the ground floor is the Cafe Sabel which offers fresh and natural food from the museum garden. It also has a nice view of the garden.
 

 Ducks! :D
 One clumsy step and I fall down the mini cliff.....


Opened Tuesdays to Sundays 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Closed on Mondays, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.


Admission:
General: PHP 100.00
Students and senior citizens with valid ID: PHP 80.00
Special rates for student groups with prior arrangement.


(According to the Museum website)


I would surely go back here again next time I visit Baguio City again. :D

Monday, April 14, 2014

The Manila Cathedral @ Intramuros, Manila

The Manila Metropolitan Cathedtal-Basilica (Basilica Minore of the Immaculate Conception) was closed for two years due to extensive renovation. It recently opened on April 9, 2014.

On April 11, 2014, after my review classes, me and my friend decided to visit the cathedral and see the changes. Of course, it became more grand, even having flat screen televisions for church goers who are seated far way from the altar.


(yes I also take awesome shots. Sometimes I am just too tired to use the good ones on the previous posts XD)

Ehem...moving on....

The Cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of the Philippines. It is also one of the 12 Minor Basilicas in the Philippines (the others are the churches of San Lorenzo Ruiz (Binondo), The Black Nazarene (Quiapo), Our Lady of Piat (Cagayan), Our Lady of Penafrancia (Camarines Sur), S. Martin of Tours (Taal), S. Michael Archangel (Tayabas), Our Lady of Charity (Agoo), Malolos Cathedral, S. Nino (Cebu), S. Sebastian (Quiapo) and Batangas City Cathedral. FYI)

It was destroyed seven times during the course of its history during the Spanish occupation, namely due to these reasons:

Manila Cathedral 1.0: (1581-1588) damaged by fire; destroyed by typhoon
Manila Cathedral 2.0: (1591-1600) destroyed by earthquake
Manila Cathedral 3.0: (1641-1645) destroyed by another earthquake
Manila Cathedral 4.0: (1681-1751) became structurally unsound due to typhoons & earthquakes; had to be demolished
Manila Cathedral 5.0: (1760-1852) destroyed by earthquake
Manila Cathedral 6.0: (1858-1870) destroyed by earthquake
Manila Cathedral 7.0: (1879-1945) casualty of war during the Battle for Manila

(The Urban Roamer, 2011)

Then on 2012, it was closed for renovations ( we don't want what happened to the Bohol churches to happen to the cathedral, right?) The church of San Francisco de Dilao in Paco served as the cathedral during the time of the renovation (that's why it is now called a Pro-cathedral).

When we got there, it started raining lightly. We thought it would stop immediately, but when we looked outside, it was raining HEAVILY. We were trapped in the cathedral for more than an hour.

So, we decided to roam around a bit. We noticed some changes. The cathedral became more illuminated. TV screens and CCTV cameras were also added. Some of the chapels were also open so we decided to enter each open one.

Stained Glass Window at one of the chapels

One of the chapels (probably the baptistery)

A list of the archbishops of Manila


 One of the many statues which adorn the Cathedral

 The pulpit 

The tympanum of one of the side doors


The tympanum of the main door of the entrance has a description that says:
"Tibi cordi tuo immaculato concredimus nos ac consecramus" L.
Which means "We consecrate to your immaculate heart and entrust to you (Mary) for safekeeping"

More photos:

Before the earthquake which destroyed the belfry (courtesy of Wikipedia)

 ...after the earthquake (courtesy of sepiaera)

File:Manila Cathedral before.jpg
The cathedral before the war (courtesy of Wikipedia)



The old interior (courtesy of pinoyshooter)


After the war....(courtesy of secretconfessionofshopaholicgoddess)
 

The 8th church under construction (courtesy of Dennis Raymond)



All the racket which is happening in the cathedral during the 2-year renovation (courtesy of Manila Bulletin)

Sunday, April 13, 2014

San Agustin Church @ Intramuros, Manila: Part 2

On the last post of this church, I promised that I would post more photos of it. So, this is part 2! :D

 The church was renovated last year to make the church look like it is made of adobe bricks again.
And of course, the ornate door which is both loved and hated in the community.
Photography is not allowed in the exhibition rooms, plus a major part of the museum is under onstruction, so expect that I only have a few pictures to show you. :(

The hallway of the museum which used to be the convent.

The entrance to the church from the museum. Even though the church is closed (or there is no mass), you may enter it through the museum for a small fee.
The historic altar
The pulpit (where the priest tells the homily)

One of the many tombstones/epitaphs that is scattered in the church.
Confession box



The courtyard



The columbarium (if you are lucky enough, you will spot the tomb of Juan Luna in the older parts of the columbarium.)



Pathways around the garden in front of the current convent. (The current convent is the third picture)
The fountain in the middle of the garden

I hoe I can visit again next time! :D