Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Author: Fr. Rene B. Javellana, SJ The Legacy of Filipino-Hispanic Churches in the Philippines
By Ortigas Foundation, Inc.(c) 2010 Hardbound, 344 pp.
Twelve years ago, Rafael Ortigas Jr., a successful businessman and a collector of rare books, started an ambitious project--that is, to document all Spanish era built churches in the Philippines--from the Metropolitan Cathedral to provincial parishes. Unfortunately, he died in 2009 before the project was completed, but not before assigning company photographers to shoot over 300 churches, using the Catholic Directory as their guide.
Ortigas Foundation decided to carry on with the project and "La Casa De Dios: The Legacy of Filipino-Hispanic Churches in the Philippines", is a realization of Rafael Ortigas' dream. In this book, we are treated to an overview of Catholic religious life and history, accompanied by snapshots of many beautiful churches--some rarely seen or visited--and which serve as great examples of this rich and formative period in Philippine religious history as well as our evolving ideas of architecture.
At Php3,500, this autographed book carries a hefty price tag, but is well worth the price, as it is packed with well-researched accounts about the character of our colonial architecture and comes with a diverse visual catalogue of Hispanic age church photos.
Fr. Javellana, who also authored books about Bohol churches and colonial architecture, sure knows his turf, ably analyzing art styles, building lay-outs and town plans, while providing commentaries on the contribution of Catholicism to the building of Philippine culture. "La Casa de Dios" is a "good-to-have" book and hopefully will inspire ordinary folks to value their places of worship and preserve their cultural identity for years to come. Mr. Ortigas, bless him, would be happy with the way his dream project turned out to be.
(2 January 2011)
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