Our Lady of Montserrat Abbey (Manila)

Last updated
Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat
The Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, Manila
Montserrat, Manila 16.JPG
Façade of the Abbey
Metro Manila location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat
Location in Metro Manila
14°35′57″N120°59′35″E / 14.599113°N 120.992946°E / 14.599113; 120.992946
Location638 Mendiola St., San Miguel, Manila, Metro Manila
Country Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Founded1895
Founder(s)Rt. Rev. José Deas y Villar, OSB
Dedication Santo Niño de Praga
Nuestra Señora de Montserrat
Consecrated January 13, 1926
Architecture
Functional statusActive (Abbey and University Church)
Architect(s) George Asp
Style Neo-Gothic (exterior)
Neo-Baroque (interior)
CompletedJanuary 13, 1926
Specifications
Number of towers 2
Number of spires 17
Administration
Archdiocese Manila
Clergy
Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
Abbot Rt. Rev. Austin Cadiz, OSB
Prior Very Rev. Fr.Angelo Legal, OSB

The Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, or Manila Abbey, is a Benedictine men's monastery located on Mendiola Street in Manila, the Philippines. The monastery was founded by monks from Spain in 1895, in the final years of Spanish colonial era in the Philippines and is dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat.

Monastery complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplace(s) of monks or nuns

A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may be a chapel, church, or temple, and may also serve as an oratory.

Mendiola Street

Mendiola Street is a short thoroughfare in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. The street is named after Enrique Mendiola, an educator, textbook author and member of the first Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines. As a street close to Malacañang Palace, the President of the Philippines' official residence, it has been the site of numerous and sometimes bloody demonstrations.

Manila Capital / Highly Urbanized City in National Capital Region, Philippines

Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital of the Philippines. It is the most densely populated city proper in the world. It was the first chartered city by virtue of the Philippine Commission Act 183 on July 31, 1901 and gained autonomy with the passage of Republic Act No. 409 or the "Revised Charter of the City of Manila" on June 18, 1949. Manila, alongside Mexico and Madrid are considered the world's original set of Global Cities due to Manila's commercial networks being the first to traverse the Pacific Ocean, thus connecting Spanish Asia with the Spanish Americas, marking the first time in world history when an uninterrupted chain of trade routes circled the planet. Manila has been damaged by and rebuilt from wars more times than the famed city of Troy and it is also the second most natural disaster afflicted capital city in the world next to Tokyo yet it is simultaneously among the most populous and most wealthy cities in Southeast Asia.

Contents

The resident monks, which belong to the Philippine Pro-Province of the Subiaco Cassinese Congregation (a part of the Benedictine Confederation) also operate San Beda University on the abbey's grounds. [1]

The Subiaco Cassinese Congregation is an international union of Benedictine houses within the Benedictine Confederation. It developed from the Subiaco Congregation, which was formed in 1867 through the initiative of Dom Pietro Casaretto, O.S.B., as a reform of the way of life of monasteries of the Cassinese Congregation, formed in 1408, toward a stricter contemplative observance, and received final approval in 1872 by Pope Pius IX. After discussions between the two congregations at the start of the 21st century, approval was given by Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 for the incorporation of the Cassinese Congregation into its offshoot, the Subiaco Congregation. The expanded congregation was given this new name.

The Benedictine Confederation of the Order of Saint Benedict is the international governing body of the Order of Saint Benedict.

San Beda University private Benedictine university in the Philippines

San Beda University, , and is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines. Its flagship campus which provides tertiary education is situated in Mendiola, Manila. It has an affiliated campus in Taytay, Rizal which only provides elementary and high school. The Benedictine college in Alabang, Muntinlupa known as the San Beda College Alabang is an autonomous institution despite being an affiliate of San Beda University.

History

Origins

In the 19th century, several anti-clerical governments in Spain took measures to suppress the many monasteries there. If they were not closed outright, communities were forbidden by the state to accept new candidates, with the goal of letting monastic communities die out. With time however, exceptions were made for monasteries which would operate in the far-flung regions still a part of Spain's once mighty empire, primarily the Philippines. [2]

As a result of this incentive, the ancient Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Monserrat near Barcelona made the decision to establish a mission foundation in the area of Manila. The plan was for the community to follow the agrarian way of life which was part of the reform then under way by the recently formed Subiaco Congregation (forerunner of the present congregation) and provide pastoral care of the local population. On September 12, 1895, eight choir monks and six laybrothers, under the leadership of Dom José Deas y Villar, O.S.B., arrived in Manila. After being hosted by the local Jesuit community, the monks obtained property for themselves in Surigao, which they occupied on April 25 of the following year. [2]

Barcelona City and municipality in Catalonia, Spain

Barcelona is a city in Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within city limits, its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the Province of Barcelona and is home to around 4.8 million people, making it the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Madrid, the Ruhr area and Milan. It is one of the largest metropolises on the Mediterranean Sea, located on the coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, and bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola mountain range, the tallest peak of which is 512 metres high.

Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support as well as those from religious communities.

Society of Jesus male religious congregation of the Catholic Church

The Society of Jesus is a scholarly religious congregation of the Catholic Church for men founded by Ignatius of Loyola and approved by Pope Paul III. The members are called Jesuits. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations. Jesuits work in education, intellectual research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, sponsor direct social ministries, and promote ecumenical dialogue.

American period

The American occupation of the Philippines in 1898, in the course of the Spanish–American War, changed the new monastery's situation dramatically. Loss of financial support from the Spanish crown for the Catholic missions in the country left the community in desperate straits. Given that, and a desire on the part of the abbot of the community to counteract the new influence of Protestant missionaries, who had arrived under the protection of the American government, the monks decided to turn to education as their focus. On June 17, 1901, they opened San Beda College, named after the great English Benedictine scholar and saint, the Venerable Bede, on Arlegui Street. The curriculum consisted of elementary, secondary and initial university studies, with graduates awarded either a Bachelor of Arts degree or a diploma in business. The college was accredited and affiliated by and to the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in 1906. [2]

History of the Philippines (1898–1946)

The history of the Philippines from 1898 to 1946 began with the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April 1898, when the Philippines was still part of the Spanish East Indies, and concluded when the United States formally recognised the independence of the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946.

Spanish–American War Conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States

The Spanish–American War was an armed conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of USS Maine in Havana harbor in Cuba, leading to U.S. intervention in the Cuban War of Independence. The war led to emergence of U.S. predominance in the Caribbean region, and resulted in U.S. acquisition of Spain's Pacific possessions. That led to U.S. involvement in the Philippine Revolution and ultimately in the Philippine–American War.

Abbot Religious title

Abbot, meaning father, is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The female equivalent is abbess.

By that time, the monastery grounds had become too small for the monks and the college, so the monks purchased land on Mendiola Street. In 1909, they entrusted the pastoral care of the region to Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from the Netherlands and moved to their current location, which they expanded in 1918. The cornerstone of the abbey church was laid on February 15, 1925, and it was completed and consecrated on January 13, 1926 to the Infant of Prague.

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Jules Chevalier at Issoudun, France, in the Diocese of Bourges.

Netherlands Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Europe

The Netherlands is a country located mainly in Northwestern Europe. The European portion of the Netherlands consists of twelve separate provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, with maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Together with three island territories in the Caribbean Sea—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba— it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The official language is Dutch, but a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian.

It was built in a Neogothic exterior, with a Neo-baroque interior painted by Dom Lesmes López, a Spaniard, and Brother Salvador Alberich. [1] [3] The pair worked on the abbey church from 1931–1939, leaving only the back wall of the nave above the entrance blank. Dom Lesmes López's paintings on the vaulted ceiling of the nave include the 16 allegories on the virtues, theology and the Church. "The Apotheosis of the Holy Name of Jesus" were painted over the sanctuary, while on its walls are eight panels on the Nativity of the Lord. Paintings of the Stations of the Cross are also seen within the interior of the church. [4]

Present condition

By 1971, the monastic community had gone from a high point of some 100 monks to a membership of thirty. [1]

In 2010, Rev Aelred Nilo OSB designed the final mural to fill the back wall of the nave, which was then executed by the Italian painter, Francesco Giannini, on 126 square metres of jute canvas. The mural depicts the history of the present congregation, as well as the Resurrected Christ, saints, and various other religious figures, some based on real-life photographs. [5]

National Historical Commission marker

The marker of Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat Manila was installed in 1939 at San Beda University, Mendiola, Manila. It was installed by the Philippines Historical Committee (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines). [6]

Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat Manila
THE PRIORATE OF THE BENEDICTINES ERECTED IN MANILA IN 1904 WAS RAISED TO ABBEY IN JULY, 1924. THE CHURCH DEDICATED TO THE SANTO NIÑO JESUS DE PRAGA AND CONSECRATED ON JANUARY 13, 1926, HAD ITS CORNERSTONE LAID ON FEBRUARY 15, 1925. ITS ARTISTIC DECORATION AND PAINTINGS ARE THE WORKS OF BENEDICTINE FATHER LESMES LOPEZ AND BROTHER SALVADOR ALBERICH. [6]

Related Research Articles

Abbey monastery or convent, under the authority of an abbot or an abbess

An abbey is a complex of buildings used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. It provides a place for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.

Camaldolese

The Camaldolese monks and nuns are two different, but related, monastic communities that trace their lineage to the monastic movement begun by Saint Romuald.

Olivetans

The Olivetans, or the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order formally recognised in 1344. They have formed the Olivetan Congregation within the Benedictine Confederation since 1960.

Downside Abbey abbey

The Basilica of St Gregory the Great at Downside, commonly known as Downside Abbey, is a Benedictine monastery in England and the senior community of the English Benedictine Congregation. Its main apostolate is the Downside School, for the education of children aged eleven to eighteen.

Worth Abbey

The Abbey of Our Lady, Help of Christians, commonly known as Worth Abbey, is a community of Roman Catholic monks who follow the Rule of St Benedict near Turners Hill village, in West Sussex, England. It is attached to Worth School.

Benedictine Congregation of Saint Ottilien

The Ottilien Congregation, often also known as the St. Ottilien Congregation and as the Missionary Benedictines, is a congregation of religious houses within the Benedictine Confederation, the aim of which is to combine the Benedictine way of life with activity in the mission field.

Clear Creek Abbey abbey

Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek Abbey or Clear Creek Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey in the Ozark Mountains near Hulbert in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Tulsa.

Keizersberg Abbey abbey in Leuven, Belgium

Keizersberg Abbey, also known as Mont César Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on the hill Keizersberg or Mont César in the north of the university town of Leuven, Belgium.

San Beda College Alabang

San Beda College Alabang and is an autonomous college affiliated with San Beda University, a private Roman Catholic university run by the Benedictine monks in the Philippines. It is located in Alabang in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila.

Abbey of Saint Scholastica, Subiaco territorial abbey

The Abbey of Saint Scholastica, also known as Subiaco Abbey, is located just outside the town of Subiaco in the Province of Rome, Region of Lazio, Italy; and is still an active Benedictine order, territorial abbey, first founded in the 6th century AD by Saint Benedict of Nursia. It was in one of the Subiaco caves that Benedict made his first hermitage. The monastery today gives its name to the Subiaco Congregation, a grouping of monasteries worldwide that makes up part of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Dom Anscar Chupungco, O.S.B., STD was a Filipino Benedictine monk, who was a noted liturgist, theologian and a mentor to all Filipino liturgists and countless students of the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome and San Beda University in Manila. He was known for integrating local customs and traditions into the Catholic Mass.

Assumption Abbey (North Dakota)

Assumption Abbey, located in Richardton, North Dakota, is a Benedictine abbey of the American-Cassinese Congregation, founded in 1893 by a monk of the Swiss abbey of Einsiedeln.

The Swiss-American Congregation is an association of Benedictine monasteries founded in 1881 in the United States, as a part of the international Benedictine Confederation of monasteries.

Nuestra Señora de Montserrat Madrid

The Church of Our Lady of Montserrat is a Baroque-style church located in Calle San Bernardo, Madrid (Spain).

Ambrose Agius Maltese priest and diplomat (1856-1911)

Ambrose Agius, O.S.B., was a Maltese Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church.

St Benedict's Abbey, Pietersburg (Polokwane), Limpopo, South Africa, is a Benedictine monastery of the Subiaco Congregation. It began in 1911 as a mission territory; the community established a monastery in 1937. As an Abbey Nullius, the monastery governed what is now the Roman Catholic Diocese of Polokwane until 1989. As of 2013, the community numbers 16 in various stages of formation monks, under the leadership of Prior Administrator Jeffrey Steele.

São Bento Monastery abbey in Rio de Janeiro

The Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, more commonly known as the Mosteiro de São Bento (Monastery of St. Benedict), is a Benedictine abbey located on the Morro de São Bento in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Mannerist style church is a primary example of Portuguese colonial architecture in Rio and the country.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "In Search of Silence: The Cloister of San Beda Abbey (Mendiola, Philippines)". Hecho Ayer. April 1, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Santander, Noel. "Benedictine Presence in the Philippines". St. Benedict and the Holy Rule.
  3. ↑ "Abbey Of Our Lady Of Monserrat, San Beda, Manila". Philippine Churches.
  4. ↑ "Churches to visit in QC, Manila". Philippine Daily Inquirer. March 27, 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Paska, Tracey (June 29, 2012). "New mural adorns the Abbey Church of Our Lady of Montserrat". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  6. 1 2 Historical Markers: Metropolitan Manila. National Historical Institute. 1993.|access-date= requires |url= (help)

See also

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.