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ANGELES CITY, Philippines – Safety issues and financial capacity will determine the fate of more than two dozen ornate chandeliers that have lit up this city’s Roman Catholic heritage church for more than half a century, according to conservation planners.
Some members of the local Catholic community have protested reported plans to replace the wrought iron and crystal chandeliers of the Holy Rosary Parish (HRP), with fiberglass replicas as it undergoes full restoration.
In response, the HRP restoration committee conducted a survey within the parish community on several aspects the ongoing restoration. The survey concludes on July 10.
Called by locals as Pisamban Maragul (the Big Church), the Holy Rosary Parish Church is this city’s most prominent religious structure. It stands in front of the former city hall, now the site of the Museo ning Angeles.
The church was founded in 1877 and construction continued until 1896. On completion, the church was dedicated to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
It was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2017.
The main controversy centers on 26 wrought iron chandeliers, weighing approximately 100 kilograms each, with 14 considered large-sized and 12 medium-sized.
These were taken down after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that jolted Central Luzon on April 2019 caused cracks on walls and ceilings of the church, Hilina Roman, head of the HRP restoration committee, told Rappler on Monday, July 4.
Parishioners started organizing a campaign to save the iron chandeliers and four crystal chandeliers now stored in the church’s sacristy after hearing reports these would be replaced with replicas or more modern versions.
Rappler talked to two parishioners involved in the campaign but who asked to remain anonymous.
“The program is the restoration of the church, which was damaged by the earthquake two years ago,” said one parishioner on June 26. “Those chandeliers were installed during the great renovation of the 1960s. When you restore, you don’t remove anything. You enhance and strengthen it, especially since the church has been declared a historical significance and cultural value.”
The other parishioner shared childhood memories of gazing in awe at the chandeliers and feeling proud about their church’s grandeur.
“They should exhaust all remedies before deciding on replicas, and I don’t think they’ve done that,” he said on July 6.
Confusion
Roman told Rappler that there is no final decision on the fate of the chandeliers.
“I think it’s just wrong information. If someone asks me if we are going to change the chandeliers, I tell them, no. If we are going to retain them, no. Because we don’t know,” she said.
“There are a lot of things to consider in everything that we do about the renovation of the church,” Roman said in a mix of Filipino and Kapampangan language.
Escuela Taller architect Foom Cobilla, head of the project development and management for heritage conservation, said they aim to protect both the structure of the building and its cultural value.
“Yung HRP has been modified several times already, particularly the raising of the roof and in doing so, they had to put additional structural support before. So what we are seeing right now na bubong pati yung poste (ceiling and posts), yung dome, is relatively modern, not part of the original structure,” said Cobilla.
“Part of the additional structures rest on the original masonry wall. So when we talk about these things, the original masonry wall is old and unreinforced, or lacking the steel found in modern walls,” he explained in a mix of Fiipino and English.
Critical factors
Roman explained that the restoration includes ensuring the church’s heritage value.
The project involves collaboration between the structural engineer and heritage experts to meet safety standards without diminishing the significance and merit of the structure and interior details.
“We cannot just put any image, it has to agree with the liturgy. And then we have to collaborate with our structural engineer. We have consultants and heritage experts (to advise) on what to do, while we act on what the parish can afford,” she said.
Cobilla said it is common in the Philippines and abroad to “retrofit” the structures with new components.
Like most heritage sites, the church has experienced damage from natural occurrences like earthquakes and typhoons, thus the need to insure integrity of the structure.
Even with safety issues being considered, Cobilla said that the chandeliers have long been part of the church’s heritage, a factor in the discussion to retain them. As primary consultants, Cobilla stressed that they also advised against changing the chandeliers into fiberglass replicas.
“If iisipin natin ang safety issues, dun na nagkaroon ng discussion. It’s just a matter of how to do it or how much it will cost, taking into consideration that nothing is final. In fact, as primary consultant, kami mismo hindi nagre-recommend na palitan yan ng fiberglass. Big question mark yan sa akin,” said the architect.
“Lahat naman ng problema may solusyon, if they want it installed. May solusyon naman doon pero may iba pang factors surrounding that particular matter. For example, syempre mabigat yung chandelier kaya kung ano man ang magsu-support, kailangan i-improve or i-enhance so that means additional cost,” Cobilla said. (All problems have solutions, if they want it installed, but there are other factors. For example, those chandeliers are heavy and whatever supports them needs to improved and enhanced, so that means additional cost.)
The HRP restoration committee urged their parishioners to join the survey as results will impact on the decision-making during the restoration. Other issues include the repainting of the baptistry, retaining or replacing the floors of the church, repainting or replacing the church pews.
The HRP was last renovated in 1962 which was known as “The Great Renovation.” – Rappler.com
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