Skip to main content

Ecclesiastical Museum at the Santa Barbara Parish Convent

Another museum is opening soon in Santa Barbara, Iloilo - the Ecclesiastical Museum of Santa Barbara. It will feature the ecclesiastical art collection of the parish of Santa Barbara. 
It will be located at the convent of the church of Santa Barbara which has been declared a National Historical Landmark in 1991, and a National Cultural Treasure in 2013. 
A budget of P4.85 million from the Government Appropriation Act of 2017 has been allocated for the project, according to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
The ecclesiastical museum will be the second museum of the municipality, which already has the Santa Barbara Centennial Museum that was built in 1998 as part of the Centennial Freedom Trail Site Project of the Philippine Centennial Commission. The centennial museum houses antiques, artifacts and photos that tell the story of Santa Barbara’s historical heritage.

The ecclesiastical museum will have four galleries with a total area of 393.18 square meters, a curator’s office with an area of 47.29 square meters, and a multi-purpose room with an area of 48.85 square meters.
It aims to exhibit and provide an overview of the different forms of ecclesiastical art and its religious symbolisms, and showcase the techniques used by local santeros to produce the different types of religious images and church furnishings.

The four galleries will include modules on the house of worship, statues of the saints, liturgical objects and liturgical vestments. It will also have audio-visual area.

Built in 1845 by Augustinian priest Francisco Aguerria, it was in this church where General Martin Delgado started the junta that resulted to the first cry of revolution against Spain outside Luzon in 1898.

The Santa Barbara church and convent was also used as the general headquarters and military hospital of the revolutionary forces.
The NHCP is now accepting bids for the museum curatorial design and execution, and once a contract is awarded, the winning bidder is expected to complete the project in 150 days.

The church and convent was restored for the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day in 2015 where then President Benigno Aquino III celebrated the national event.

Credits: Text and last photo c/o Nereo Lujan 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Santa Barbara Centennial Museum

The Santa Barbara Centennial Museum was built in 1998 as part of the Centennial Freedom Trail Site Project of the Philippine Centennial Commission. The museum houses antiques, artifacts and photos that tell the story of Santa Barbara’s historical heritage. The museum has two wings: the left wing is the historical wing while the right wing has been designated as the changing museum. In the historical wing is Gen. Martin Teofilo Delgado’s Exhibit. The items on exhibit here are: Gen. Martin Teofilo Delgado’s Exhibit – the greatest revolutionary hero of the Visayas, and the first Filipino Governor of Iloilo under the American regime. 1. GMTD’s bed 2. GMTD’s backbone – spared by the Delgado clan for display to the museum with document of permission 3. Documents written in Spanish attesting of him as the first Filipino Governor of Iloilo 4. Photos of him with his family 5. Frames explaining the Cry of Santa Barbara and his biography 6. Revolutionary insignia o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Take a HERITAGE WALK down historic Santa Barbara

There is so much for you to discover in Santa Barbara. From its pivotal role in the quest for freedom for the Ilonggos - as retold in history books, to its heritage as manifested in centuries-old structures, surviving customs, traditional ways of life and gastronomy. No other town has contributed this much to the Iloilo’s history, economy and tourism than Santa Barbara. In this regard, the Municipal Tourism Office is spearheading a Heritage Walk/Trail designed for locals and tourist alike to discover, experience and enjoy what the historic town has to offer. Marvel in the beauty of the newly restored CHURCH and CONVENT (A) built in 1849 and declared as a National Historical Landmark and a National Cultural Treasure. Discover the town’s rich culture and historic past at the CENTENNIAL MUSEUM (B) . See one of the biggest Philippine flags atop one of the tallest flagpoles in the country displayed 24/7 at the FLAGPOLE PARK (C) . A monument dedicated to GEN. MARTIN TEOFILO DEL...
1 comment
Read more

Iloilo Golf and Country Club - The oldest golf course in the Philippines

About a hundred years ago, very little was known about the game of golf in this part of the world, in the Philippines in general and in Iloilo in particular. Then a year or so after the turn of the century a group of Englishmen came to the country, employed by the Philippine Railway Co. whose purpose was to build the railway that was to connect the City of Iloilo to what was then the town of Capiz now Roxas City.  Among them were Scotsmen who then and even now are known to be lovers of the game of golf. Venture to say that to satisfy their needs of playing their favorite pastime, they consequently had to build a golf course. They looked for an area suited for their golf course which they found just outside the rural town of Santa Barbara conveniently located near the route of their railroad about 15 kilometers from the City. And they found that site amid the gently rolling hills. Not much was needed to be done to build a golf course in this area save cleaning level s...
6 comments
Read more