SILANG, Cavite – Due to public demand, a new 74-page (second) edition of the “Ang Matandang Simbahan ng Silang” (The old church of Silang) is now available at the parish souvenir shop.
This is due to inquiries for additional copies from other towns and institutions of the initially released 42-page monograph which compiles documents submitted to the National Museum as part of the multi-sector application to declare the church and retablos of this town’s Nuestra Seǹora de Candelaria (otherwise known as Silang Church) a National Cultural Treasure.
The publication which is intended not only for the people of Silang but also to all Filipiniana book lovers interested in local history, arts and architecture, is jointly published by the Silang Parish Council for Culture and Heritage (SPCCH), Nuestra Senora de Candelaria Parish of Silang, Far Eastern University Institute of Architecture, and the Community Affairs Office of the LGU- Silang Office of the Municipal Mayor, shared book co-author Phillip Lacson Medina.
“The second edition is an improved version of the initial publication, which comes complete with Silang’s notable bas-reliefs and additional photographs from the day of declaration,” Medina said.
A National Cultural Treasure, Silang Church is considered as the oldest standing structure of colonial baroque architecture in Cavite, truly an architectural and engineering marvel worthy of such recognition.
Through the Office of the Mayor and the Sangguniang Bayan, the Local Government of Silang, recognized the immense value of the church and its retablos citing historical accounts, academic studies and technical reports as part of its request to the National Museum.
A tripartite committee between the government, the church and the academe jointly spearheaded the documentation in support of this endeavor for people of Silang wherein approval was achieved after two years.
Municipal mayor Emilia Lourdes ‘Omil’ Poblete aggressively pushed for this initiative so “that all of us Silangueños, will) continue to uphold the richness of our history and our treasured heritage.
This “eternal treasure, something we will always be proud of,” will guide local folks to fully embrace their values, which not only the present generation to fully hold on to in their lifetime more so for the generations to come, adds Poblete.
The book documents the tripartite committees’ joint efforts, as written in articles made by Poblete (on Silang’s geography and demography), vice mayor Aidel Belamide (on social institutions’ roles and responses on conservation), local historian Teresita Unabia (on church history) and local art historian Medina (on the retablos’ aesthetics and social significance).
If the initial edition (rose pink) was offered free to all local school libraries, the second edition is sold for a fee, proceeds of which will benefit future conservation studies and repairs of the retablo.
Another book on Silang Church will be published soon through the auspices of national cultural agencies. This is part of the much-awaited 425 years of Christianity in Silang by 2020. (Gladys Pino/PNA)
