Guadalupe Philippine monastery older than Jamestown

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Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: Guadalupe Philippine monastery older than Jamestown
Language: English
Source: The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume 7 (Issue No. 8) August 1927
Year: 1927
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Fulltext: August, 1927 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 19 Guadalupe: Philippine Monastery Older Than Jamestown Great Mission Trail Series: Second Paper on Augustinians Before going on to the Jesuits and the friar rders that followed the Augustinians to the ,‘hilippines, it is desired to devote a little space to the first permanent mission structure built in the islands, which the authorities seem to agree was the Augustinian sanctuary of IVuestra Sefiora de Guadalupe. The sanctuary, built in 1601, was demolished by Wheaton’s Flying Brigade, March 13, 1899, supported by fire from the mosquito fleet in the river. This fleet was made of light-draft boats acquired in the victory over Spain and designed for coast and river patrol purposes. Wheaton’s brigade was organized “to clear the enemy from the country to the Pasig and to strike him wherever found,” and the sanctuary had been utilized as an enemy stronghold and rendezvous. The Augustinians were, of course, later reimbursed for the damage to their property, undertaken solely as a neces sary act of war. The Journal is fortunate in being able to reproduce an engraving from a photograph taken by the authors of Campaigning in the Phil ippines, showing Guadalupe prior to the bombardment. It is typical of the Philippines, forever hiding their light un der a bushel, that the noble ruins are now enclosed by a high barbwire fence, tagged with no-trespassing notices, instead of being, as they ought to be, open and advertised to the public. It shoud be the business of a caretaker to see that vandals do not pen-^nife their im mortal names on the historic walls, but such is not the case. However, in visiting the place do not be dismayed ky either the fence or the ■arnings to keep out. Go in; " ' " i watchman wanders up, explain the purpose of your uins dominate the near Fort Wm. y. The road leads e right of the river • ,the fort, a little st.-- beyond San Pedro !; c. ind if you go out by .. . they will let you T at the Guadalupe station ; ad you will have an interestig Stroll through the village, hich straggles up the hill. 'Workmen employed in Mat la live here, building their own houses and paying ground rent to the administracidn. Such, in times gone by, was one of the sources of regular revenue to the friar missions, but it is said that the income from the Guadalupe estate never exceeded Pl,000 the year, for which reason the original purpose to use it as a theological seminary could not be carried out. But to the reader of today, the sanctuary had even a better use made of it, as will be seen immediately. Under the guidance of a courteous young friar of the present Augustinian community in Manila, the writer has often rummaged in the dusty shelves of the shadowy basement of the monas tery in the old walled city of Manila—seeking stray volumes about the Philippines. On one such excursion he picked up a paper-back: Viajes por Filipinas, de Manila a Tayabas, by Juan Alvarez Guerra, who made Philippine collections for world expositions in Europe and was at one time governor of Camarines Norte. He wrote about his Philippine travels in the 1870’s. Going to Tayabas by river boat (for there were no roads straight through, as now), he noted the following about Guadalupe: “The sanctuary of Guadalupe was the first Philippine temple in which brick and stone were employed for the walls. It was constructed by an Augustinian friar, a relative of the immortal Herrera, to whom the world is indebted for the Monastery of the Escorial. He who directed the Guadalupe sanctuary later gave his genius wider rein in the magnificent works of St. Augus tine’s in Manila, truly a laurel leaf in the illus trious name of Herrera.” There it was, in a dark corner of a moldy shelf careening in rickety fashion from pillar to pillar of a foundation arch of St. Augustine’s, that this old and saffron copy of Guerra was found. Touch the pages and they crinkle to pieces. Unfortunately a rather priceless commentary on later Spanish times in the islands was printed on very inferior stock; yet JOURNAL readers are assured of further quotations from this rare and excellent authority—especially on rural customs. Fray Juan de Medina, O.S.A., wrote of Guada lupe early in the 17th century. “It is,” he said, “the most frequented house of devotion in the islands, both by Spaniards and by. natives.” A recent authority adds, “The father provincial of the Augustinians, repre senting his order, took under his charge the support, education and teaching of abandoned and orphan children. They transferred the children to the lower part of the convent at Guadalupe, which was spacious and well ven tilated. There they opened workshops of sculp ture and ceramics, painting and modeling, and there they remained until 1892, when the schools, workshops and children were transferred to the buildings constructed for that purpose in the village of Malabon.” Fray Buzeta’s diccionario came out in 1851, giving still another glimpse of Guadalupe. “The Augustinians always have at Guadalupe a prior, who is usually a priest superannuated in the mission work. The elevation of the place is notable; it is reached by the ascent of hundreds of steps hewn from the rock. It dominates the whole province of Tondo (now Rizal) and is one of the most picturesque places in the islands. The health and spaciousness of the sanctuary, together with the character of the instruction given by the prior, bring many persons there for convales cence, and youths to pursue their studies. “It is also notable for the famous Fiesta of St. Nicholas of Tolentino. On this saint’s day, September 10, the infidel Chinese, established (in business) in Manila, hold a celebration at Guadalupe. It is very significant to a thought ful man, who knows how to appreciate and value the customs of peoples, to see, on this day, those infidel votaries of the sanctuary arriving in their gayly decorated boats from Manila, whence they attract the entire city. They fetch along the military band and make a thousand prepa rations for the festivities. They form a gala procession at the river and elaborately manifest their veneration for their patron saint.” Buzeta doubted their sincerity; he deplored the fact that their gaming, during three days and nights, and their carousals, polluted their ostensible devotions. San Nicolas district in Manila, notoriously a Chinese quarter, is named for their patron saint. Early in the Christianiza tion of the Philippines, some Chinese, voyaging in a sampan about to capsize in a typhoon, appealed to St. Nicholas to save them, at the same time pledging him their future fealty. So the bargain was struck. Nor was this the only miracle in their benefit. Washings of the Pasig along its western bank in Santa Ana, up the river from the parish church, have recently uncovered relics of an old Chinese burial ground. It was here that their village of San Nicolas existed, and here the celebrated pefia stood— a crocodile turned into stone at the saint’s command. The reptile had pursued a Chinese who was crossing the river at that point. Find ing himself about to be devoured, the celestial 20 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL August, 1927 appealed to the saint, who cursed the reptile, with results as stated. From this the fame of the saint’s image, then in the village chapel, grew amazingly; and the account of what ensued shows a very human side of the friar’s character. The receipts from the annual fiesta in the saint’s honor were very lucrative, and were equally claimed, says Fray Zuniga, writing about 1805, by the parishes of San Pedro Macati and Guadalupe. The archbishop of Manila settled the matter by ordering the image taken up to the sanctuary, where it should henceforth Guadalupe Before Its Destruction be worshiped, and that the chapel be torn down, the village abandoned and the houses either removed or destroyed. Such grave matters, one perceives, were then held to be within the sole power of the spiritual administration to dispose of; the secular author ities were not consulted, nor did they interfere. Times are changing. More than the secular authorities, the people themselves would now be consulted about the abandonment of a village. Their complaints would have merit in the courts; at the least it would be necessary to reimburse all losses incurred by the government’s order. But it was long ago when San Nicolas on the Pasig was destroyed, back indeed in the days when even Protestant bishops in England had, and exercised, the power of hanging. In a quite striking way, Guadalupe links the past with the present: there was absolute power, but the industrial school for orphans was main tained. “The printing plant,” says Fray Medina, “was bought by the voluntary donation of some religious (friars) through economies practiced in the missions by dint of privations and a life of poverty and mortification. * * * Fray Francisco Mercado, who took his vows in Manila in 1611, gave generous sums to the province from his own funds, showing special favor to the convents of Guadalupe and Bantay.” An other Augustinian (to whom the example of charity is set by St. Augustine himself, who gave the poor the bed on which he died) gave the sanctuary all he ha'd, $1,000 Mex. The image of Our Lady that was in the sanc tuary chapel was a celebrated replica of the one in Guadalupe, Mexico, and the miracles attrib uted to it were innumerable. It was, of course, more famous than the image of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, but both were in the chapel when the revolution of 1896-1898 drove the friars from the provincial missions into Manila or into prison, according to their luck. It is said, even, that the image of Our Lady was still in the chapel when the American troops shelled and burned the place, and that it remained un damaged. Nothing is definitely known of what eventually became of this image and that of St. Nicholas, but the Augustinians believe the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was taken away by devoted Filipinos, who probably have pre served it as an object of veneration, and that in the same spirit the image of St. Nicholas of Tolentino was taken away by devout Chinese. Quaint legends abound in all regions of the islands. Now that we are in the vicinity, have you heard of the sinful but beautiful creature of merry 17th century days in Manila, Dona Jeronima, the sybarite? No doubt this fabled wanton was a royal governor’s favorite. No doubt, too, boatmen on the river can still point out the cave named after her. Her sumptuous home, where much wickedness took place nightly, stood on an eminence on the opposite bank of the river from Guadalupe, in the outskirts of the town of Pasig. In those days, as well as much later, wealthy Spaniards and highcastes had country places on the river. Such a place was Dona Jeronima’s. Being the woman she was, she of course coveted a luxurious bath: she had workmen hew one out of the live rock at the base of the cliff, and turn the river through it. Down to this Roman pool she had stone steps cut. Dona Jeronima lived her gay day and journeyed on to face the penalty. The river washed endlessly at the hewn rock, giving it in time the appearance of the mouth of a cave instead of a courtesan’s bathing place. Legend at last connected it with the gigantic caves of San Mateo, and awful tales were told of it as the lair of both highwaymen and evil spirits. Dona Jeronima splashes along its slippery caverns, falling on the slimy stones, rising and walking again; and ringing her hands and moaning with remorse for her dissolute life. An old wives’ tale, to curb youth’s too brazen propensities—the prototype of modern sermons on vice.—W. R. Mobiloil Mak the chart your guide Captain Charles A. Lindbergh On His New York To Paris Non-Stop Flight Used Gargoyle Mobiloil “B” Exclusively The Lindbergh New York to Paris Flight marks another great achievement for flying and for a Mobiloil-lubricated plane. Facing great hazards of winds, fog and ocean, Captain Lindbergh could take no chances with faulty lubrication. He chose Gargoyle Mobiloil “B” as the one oil supremely qualified to meet the demands of his Ryan monoplane. So, once again, Gargoyle Mobiloil has played a vital part in history-making adventure. 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