Why Magellan’s Cross DOES NOT contain Magellan’s Cross

Most of you who had been to the Magellan’s Cross must have read the sign above, that says:

Magellan’s Cross 

This Cross of Tindalo Wood Encases the Original Cross Planted By Ferdinand Magellan On This Very Site April 21, 1521 

So let’s go back in time..
In the year 1521, Magellan and his men were looking for a new route to Malucu, the Spice Island. From Sanlúcar de Barrameda he sailed to the southernmost tip of America, where he found a Strait that now bears his name, the Strait of Magellan . Then he saw a big calm sea, he named it Pacifico.











Photo From Library of Congress





They were sailing day and night across the big ocean Until they saw a small Limasawa island


Magellan landed in Limasawa at noon The people met him very welcome on the shore They did not understand the speaking they have done Because Kastila gid at Waray-Waray man


When Magellan landed in Cebu City Rajah Humabon met him, they were very happy All people were baptized and built the church of Christ And that’s the beginning of our Catholic life
Of course that was according to Yoyoy Villame.















The First Voyage Around The World


Magellan did Plant The Cross No Doubt about it but there were account that cross was:















From Magellan's Voyage Around The World


44 years later, in 1565 Miguel Lopez De Legaspi came to Cebu. I have never read about him seeing or talking about the Cross, he did see the Santo Nino, talked about it.
Why did he not see the Cross? Simple, it was not there.




Fr. Pedro Chirino, SJ and Fr.Francisco Ignacio Alcina two of early Historians who visited Cebu never talked about the Cross. Why? They never saw it because it was not there.
Yes, there is an Old Cross Encased in Tindalo Wood, yes its old and no its not the same Cross Magellan planted in the year 1521.
I love to be proven wrong. If anybody who knew of a document about the cross which dates close to 1521, please send me a copy.

Jesuit house in Parian

A while ago i got an Email  from Dr. Mike Cullinane , am American who is more Cebuano than i am. Dr. Mike had stayed in Cebu in the 70's as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching Mathematics and History in then Cebu Norma College and the University of San Carlos. He was fascinated with Cebu so much that he spends his free time reading anything about old Cebu.  


My friend Gaven Bagares who also was a recipient of the said email, told me to write about it and had it publish in the papers. But i don't have to confidence to write about it, for one i need to dig deeper on the issue at hand, secondly i don't have and outlet. Though i have some friends in the 3 dailies of Cebu so lets go back to reason number one.


I shared the said email to Jojo Bersales, and he asked if  he can write about it, i said why not. Thus his Column Jesuit house in Parian  came out.


For those who don't know the house yet, here is the blog of a good friend Arnold Karl Sancover on the Jesuit House.


The following is the email sent to my by Dr. Mike Cullinane, verbatim


 Resil, Linda, Gavin, and Bino,
    Here is an entry that you will all find interesting pertaining to the Jesuit residence in Panting. I had long assumed (as most of you know) that this was not a residence that had been established by the Jesuits during their earlier missionary assignment in Cebu (ca.1600-1768), but that it probably pertained to the time after they returned to the Philippines in the second half of the 19th century. Well, here's the document that let's us know when the Jesuits acquired the famous casa. The date on the interior wall clearly has very little to do with when the Jesuits acquired and began to use the house as their residence, which appears more likely to be 1880 -- as such, all the Jesuit insignia on the walls were more likely made after 1880. We can still argue (if we wish) that the casa itself dates back to 1730 (which I also doubt, but would love to be proven wrong about). Moreover, all the previous evidence we have (especially from Repetti) pertaining to the things in the house coming from the Villa family now makes sense, since it appears that in 1879-80 the house belonged to the Villa family. Here is a summary of the entry in the Cebu Protocolos (from a transaction I found yesterday in the Morman microfilm of the National Archives collection). Enjoy, Mike


Between October 1879 and June 1880, the heirs of the Villa family (children of Don Juan Villa and Doña Juliana Diaz): Valentin, Juan, Francisca, Ambrosia, Gavina, Enriqueta, and Maria Villa y Diaz, bequeathed a house and lot that they had inherited to the Jesuit Order to serve as a residence. The house was described as a "casa de mampostería" with its corresponding solar, located in Panting, Cebu City, "lintado por las paredes de piedra y estero que le sirvan de cerco" (bound by stone walls and the estero which serve as an enclosure); the house was given to the Jesuits with five conditions: 1) that the Jesuits will reside in the house ("habitarán a la tal casa") without any rental payment ("sin pagar alquiler ninguna") for 25 years, during which time they will be responsible for its maintenance and repairs ("reparaciones que se hagan en la casa"); 2) if the Jesuits leave the casa or abandon it before the end of the 25 years, the property will revert to the original owners or their heirs; 3) during their occupancy, the Jesuits will dedicate specific prayers for the lives and souls of the members of the Villa family; 4) the Villas and/or their heirs will regain ownership of the casa after the 25 years has elapsed; 5) if at that time, the family or its heirs do not wish to reclaim the property, the Jesuits will purchase it from them for 1,500 pesos; the transaction was between the Villa siblings (above) and Hermano Pelegrin Navarro, SJ, who was negotiating in representation of P. Joaquin Heras, Jesuit Superior in Manila; at the time of this transaction, all the Villa women were "solteras" and vecinos of Cebu City; Valentin Villa was casado, and Juan Villa was soltero, with both the men (Valentin and Juan) listed as vecinos of Matalom, Leyte; the final transaction (6/1/1880) was signed by the incumbent Alcalde Mayor, D. Antonio Cosin y Martinez, and the testigos instrumentales: Alejandro Cedeño, Pedro Gonzales, Jacobo Padilla, Mateo Donato, and Jose Castillo (Cebu Protocolos, Doc 108, 6/1/1880; 1359: 274b-282b)

The way i understand the notes of Dr Mike is that house was Villa's property and was given to the Jesuit for use rent-free.

So the House was indeed used by the Jesuit but its not 1730 but rather 1879-80. It is stated in the Protocolo that they bequeathed the house they inherited. It could still be that the house was built in the 18th century, but it is yet to be proven with documentary evidence such as one above which proves the ownership of the house.

Jojo Bersales sent me this:

 here is rene javellana's response to my column, ka bino:

Dear Mr. Bersales,

Am in Cebu at the moment, but will be returning to Manila on 19 November.

I read your article quoting Dr. Michael Cullinane email to Ka Bino Guerrero on the document of 1879-1880 in which the Villa family donated house to the Jesuits. The terms of donation were standard in the colonial era. The house donated by the Villa may be a different house altogether from that mentioned in the email you quoted.

The dates October 1879 and June 1880, belong to the period of the return of the Jesuits to the Philippines. I have to ascertain from the Jesuit archives in Manila if there are corroborating records from the same era about the house. But as the the email you quoted stands, I have questions about the interpretation of that document.

1. Location. Where was the Villa house? The document mentions that the house is in Panting, Cebu City not Parian. You are probably more familiar with the Cebu but I am checking where Panting is.
2. Lot parameters. The document mentions "paredes de piedra y estero que sirven que la sirven de cerco." If there is an estero near the 1730 house, it is the Estero de Parian but that is now separated by lots from the house and there which is not completely enclosed by a wall. That needs explanation.
3. de mamposteria. The document describes the house as de mamposteria. This is a technical term meaning that the house was made of rubble, i.e. rough stones bound by lime mortar and smoothened by a lime finish. The description may fit the the house, (House B), which was the kitchen and dining hall of the residence when it was occupied by the Alvarez family. The main house (House A) where the date 1730 is found is technically described as "de sillar," i.e. cut-stone. That would have appeared in a document of donation, which would have to pass legal review.

Other details of the house suggest that the residence own by Sy Family is older.

1. By 1879-80, a house like that in the Parian, would not get a permit for construction, granting that the house was of 19th century provenance. Building laws had been passed after successive earthquakes banning the use of tile roofs. Instead a metal roof was prescribed. If it had a tile roof, it must have been in place before the 19th century building codes. This year is the same era as the construction of the San Ignacio Church in Manila, and that had a metal roof.
2. There are very few house built of cut stone that go a full two-stories as in House A. Most are a two part structure like Casa Gorordo, lower floor of stone and upper floor of wood. In Cebu, as far as I know, the only residence which has two floors of stone is the Santo Nino Basilica convento. Two floors of stone fell out of use for residences by the 19th century.
3. Some art details have emerged since the cleaning of the house. The date 1730 or is it 1750, are of the calligraphic style of the 18th century as seen in many documents. The Jesuist seal, the names or monograms of Mary and Joseph also appear in 18th century Jesuit churches and their style was belongs to the 16th-18th century. By the 19th century, the Jesuits used as less elaborate style as seen in their many publications.

I am presently working on the Jesuit suppression papers on 1768 and the years that follow. These are under the category of Temporalidades in the National Archives. Some papers are in the Jesuit archives and some are actually in diocesan archives. A fellow researcher, Ricky Jose, discovered the inventory of Indang church in the Archives of the Archdiocese of Manila. The work of reading inventories is tedious but should I find data on the Jesuit House, I will surely communicate it.

I am glad Cebuanos are taking an interest in this house. What ever data can be gathered to clarify the history of this house is most welcome. Please feel free to share this email with whomever want to contribute to a better reconstruction of the house at the Parian. Whatever year it was made, whoever owned it, the Jesuit House is revealing itself as worthy of deeper study; not the least is the obviously Chinese influence, like the flaring roof, the be gua at the end of the roof and the recently exposed painting on the ceiling beams.

I'd be happy to know Ka Bino's email, so we can keep communicating and solve the riddle of this house which has engaged my attention since the 1990s when I published a book on Jesuit architecture in the Philippines.

Rene J

Now the debate is brewing... 

 

Free Walking Tour During the Gabii Sa Kabilin

On the 28th of May, once again there will be a long Night at the Museum, as the Ramon Aboitez Foundation Inc. (Rafi)  in partnership with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries Inc. (VAMGI) presents the Fourth Gabii sa Kabilin(Night of Heritage)
Here is an excerpt of the event's press release:
The Gabii sa Kabilin concept is patterned after the long night of the museum in Germany and other European countries to draw and encourage people to visit museums as a venue for cultural understanding” said Dr. Joy Gerra, Executive Director of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI)-Cultural Heritage Program.
“We would also like to offer our guests a chance to ride the calesa or tartanilla (parada), a mode of transportation at the turn of 19th century as they move around from museum to museum. We also encourage people to dress in period costumes for the event,” she added.Gabii sa Kabilin, the only museum and cultural event of its kind in the Philippines and Asia.


On this special night, families, friends, and tourists can visit Casa Gorordo Museum along 35 Lopez Jaena Street, the Cathedral Museum of Cebu and Basilica del Santo Niño Museum on P. Burgos Street, Fort San Pedro in Plaza Independencia, the Yap-Sandiego ancestral house on the corner of Mabini and Lopez Jaena Streets, Museo Sugbo on M.J. Cuenco Street, 1730 Jesuit House along Zulueta Street, University of Southern PhilippinesFoundation (USPF) - Rizal Museum on Mabini Street, and Sacred Heart Parish along Jakosalem Street and witness the different cultural presentations for a fee of only P100 per person for multiple entry to each venue.


And during the said event Manolo De Cebu A.K.A. Ka Bino Guerrero will conduct a free of charge Walking Tour, that would explore the rich history of the Parian District. Walk by the area where: Don Sergio Osmena learned his Abc, the Ongo sa Parian supposedly live, a beautiful Church which was demolished by order of no less than the bishop of Cebu and many more..


The tour will not only cover History but Gossips as well, hmmm but am sure he will not talk about Willie Revillame nor Kris Aquino, it will be still historical gossips....


For those who are interested in the Walking Tour just be at the assemble place 30 minutes before each run. The tour is for Free but you have to purchase the 100 pesos ticket for the museums.


There are 3 runs for the Walking Tour:


Run                    Time                     Assemble Place
1st                       6:30                     Plaza Hamabar
2nd                     9:00                     Casa Gorordo
3rd                     11:00                    Casa Gorordo

Nine museums to welcome visitors in grander, bigger Gabii sa Kabilin

PRESS RELEASE
      On its fourth year, Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) promises the public a richer experience of Cebu culture and heritage as nine museums welcome visitors from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday, May 28, 2010.
      On this special night, families, friends, and tourists can visit Casa Gorordo Museum along 35 Lopez Jaena Street, the Cathedral Museum of Cebu and Basilica del Santo Niño Museum on P. Burgos Street, Fort San Pedro in Plaza Independencia, the Yap-Sandiego ancestral house on the corner of Mabini and Lopez Jaena Streets, Museo Sugbo on M.J. Cuenco Street, 1730 Jesuit House along Zulueta Street, University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) - Rizal Museum on Mabini Street, and Sacred Heart Parish along Jakosalem Street and witness the different cultural presentations for a fee of only P100 per person for multiple entry to each venue.

More museums participate in Gabii sa Kabilin
      Rediscover Cebu’s rich history by going on a walking tour to the museums. Ride a tartanilla and experience Cebu’s colourful past. Visit the Cathedral Museum of Cebu and the Basilica del Santo Niño Museum for a glimpse of religious relics and old statues and images.
      Learn how Filipinos lived in the Hispanic times at the Casa Gorordo Museum. Or explore the richness of colonial architecture when you visit the Yap Sandiego House and the 1730 Jesuit House in the old Parian district. Know interesting things about Jose Rizal, our national hero, at the USPF-Rizal Museum. And be attracted to the beautiful contemporary paintings of Cebu’s very own artists at Sacred Heart Parish.
      Listen to traditional Cebuano love poetry and music by local performers or watch dance performances by the Sandiego Dance Company and other dance troupes. Watch reenactments of Rizal’s last moments as well as award-winning indie films.
      Parada or tartanilla rides are offered at between Fort San Pedro and Basilica del Sto. Nino Museum. Mini-buses are offered from Museo Sugbo, Fort San Pedro and Sacred Heart Parish.
      To be a part of this one-of-a-kind experience, get your Gabii sa Kabilin tickets at the respective participating museums for P100 per person. Ask any of the tartanillas to bring you to Fort San Pedro and Basilica del Sto. Nino Museum for only P50.00 per person.
      Definitely a must-do this summer vacation, Gabii sa Kabilin is on many counts a wonderful way of spending your Friday night. Whether you are with family or friends, this cultural event is sure to be an enjoyable learning experience where you will see and experience museums beyond their collections.
More activities await visitors of Gabii sa Kabilin
      “The Gabii sa Kabilin concept is patterned after the long night of the museum in Germany and other European countries to draw and encourage people to visit museums as a venue for cultural understanding” said Dr. Joy Gerra, Executive Director of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI)-Cultural Heritage Program.
      “We would also like to offer our guests a chance to ride the calesa or tartanilla (parada), a mode of transportation at the turn of 19th century as they move around from museum to museum. We also encourage people to dress in period costumes for the event,” she added.
      Gabii sa Kabilin, the only museum and cultural event of its kind in the Philippines and Asia, is organized by RAFI in partnership with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries Inc. (VAMGI).

I’m joining Cebu Blog Camp 2010

As a neophyte in blogging, i am very excited to join the Cebu Blog Camp. I knew that by joining the event, i would acquire more knowledge and skills  to upgrade this lousy blog of mine

The Cebu Blog Camp 2010

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More Walking Tours for Cebu

Pasiyo Sa Kabilin is the Flagship Heritage Walking Tour of Cebu. A brainchild of Commissioner  Tetta Baad of the Cebu City Tourism Commission , she is also the one who conceptualized the Cebu Province's Suroy Suroy Sugbo as well as the famous tag line "Cebu an Island in the Pacific".

Come June the Pasiyo would be a year older. But this early reviews of it are mostly positive, but of course it have some negative too, which were already addressed. But the men and women behind the Pasiyo keeps on researching and developing the total experience.

Soon to be added in the Walk:

OSMENA WALK: A walking tour that would explore the legacy of the Grand Old Man of Cebu Don Sergio Osmena. This walk would also Feature the 3 Generations Of Osmenas. There will be a mix of Historical Facts, Fiction a.k.a gossip and more..

COLONIAL WALK: A walk that traverse the Oldest Street in The Philippines.

CARCAR WALK: A walking tour around the Heritage City of Carcar. Beyond the Ampao and Chicharo, visit some of the colonial mansions of the Ilustrado.

ARGAO WALK:  Arogao one of the remaining intact Pueblo in the Philippines. The Walk will relive the footprints of the colonial past. And of course a visit in the town would not be complete with out sampling the Torta de Argao.

DURANO WALK:  A walking tour that pay homage to the Strong Man of North(Nope not Marcos, not that North) Don Ramon Durano. See the Legacy of the Man who puts Danao to where it is now.


As of the moment all of the above mentioned tours are in the development stage, a team of researcher are digging into the archives to come up with Tour Commentaries  that are factual and some gossips on the side.

The Night the Light Shines

The event started with a walking tour "Pasiyo sa Kabilin" Cebu's very own Heritage Walk. The walk start from Fort San Pedro, a Tartanilla ride to Magelan's Cross, then to the Basilica del Sto Nino, onwards to Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, A Tartnilla ride traversing Colon Street which end at Binakayan Street to visit the 1730 House, then to the Yap-Sabdiego House.

A picture of a guide in an Ilustrdo outfit by Reynan Villena

The Switch-on is a culminating activity of the 2 million peso worth of rehabilitation and lighting project funded the the Dept of Tourism and executed by Cebu City.

Now the Heritage Monument is bathed with light....

 Thank to the Giver of Light...