Residents vow to protect Sta. Ana Church’s treasures

MANILA, Philippines — Residents of Sta. Ana, Manila vowed to protect paintings adorning the ceiling of the centuries-old Sta. Ana Church from further deterioration.

Among the features of the 303-year-old church that is under threat is the “camarin dela Virgen,” or the dressing room of Our Lady of the Abandoned, the church’s patron.

The camarin of the National Shrine of the Our Lady of the Abandoned was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum in 2008.

“The church has several significant features that need protection and preservation for the present and future generation of Filipinos, one of them the camarin,” the National Museum stated in its declaration.

“Constructed from 1720 to 1725, the camarin has retained much of its original appearance with painted ceiling, gilded plasters, azulejos tile floor, capiz windows and other original features,” it said.

The National Museum also described the camarin’s wood ceiling paintings – 11 panels portraying the significant moments in the life of Jesus – as “the only one of its kind in the Philippines and apparently the oldest datable Philippine painting.”

The paintings were restored twice, once in the 1970s and again in 2008. The last restoration, which cost P2.6-million, was funded by the National Museum, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the parish itself through a three-way agreement.

However, parts of the ceiling paintings are flaking, with chips falling to the floor, the church said.

Some Sta. Ana residents blamed the paintings’ deterioration to the construction of a condominium building a few hundred meters’ away from the church.

Teacher Erwin Elazegui, 45, said there is a need to preserve the church’s “treasure” that is the camarin, as he observed parts of the ceiling paintings have been flaking since May this year.

“I can say this is the only treasure that we have in Sta. Ana, as a resident and a devotee of Our Lady of the Abandoned. This place will not be declared a national cultural treasure if the items here are not significant,” he told The STAR in a mix of English and Filipino yesterday.

His pledge to protect the centuries-old church and the camarin from outside threats such as construction of new buildings is Elazegui’s way of giving back to Our Lady of the Abandoned, whom he believed granted his wishes and those of his family.

“We should continue the legacy of the former leaders of the church who preserved (our) heritage. It would be a loss if future generations do not see this,” he said.

A group of middle-aged and elderly women visiting the church also expressed their concern over the damages in parts of the camarin.

Aside from the camarin being a National Cultural Treasure, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines named the Sta. Ana Church as a Historic Building in 1936, describing it as “the first Franciscan mission established outside Manila in 1578,” referring to Intramuros.