Wednesday, December 06, 2006 Inside the Cathedral Museum By Jenara Regis Newma
FINALLY, after a decade of being closed, the Cathedral Museum of Cebu is once again open to the public.
The original museum, conceptualized by the late Msgr. Virgilio R. Yap, was to occupy the whole convento of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, which it does today. When it was first opened in 1995, the museum was only a one-room affair at the ground floor. That room is now called Virgilio R. Yap Memorial Chapel, which houses the Carmen collection “which comprises a tabernacle, gradas and altar panels made of wood encased in etched silver.” Here are also found some santoses and some ornate chairs used by priests during Mass.
When one enters the museum lobby, there is a photograph of the convent taken in 1947. To the left is the chapel and to the right is the wide staircase going to the upper floors which houses several galleries, the first being a gallery of photographs and illustrations depicting the growth of the Catholic faith in the island. The second gallery contains the memorabilia of His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal who, when he was first assigned in Cebu, was a resident of this convento as the parish priest of the cathedral. Among his memorabilia are prayer books, notebooks and a sample ballot used in the election of a pope, as well as a cardinal’s ring given to him by his predecessor, Julio Cardinal Rosales, and the vestments he used during his Episcopal ordination, his elevation to the cardinalate.
Gallery three shows how churches were constructed in the Spanish era and shows photographs as well as actual building materials used. The fourth gallery is a Gathering of Saints, exhibiting a collection of statues of saints from various parishes, including one of St. Joseph at his deathbed. The fifth gallery is a display of chalices and ciboriums, of priestly vestments and other accoutrements of the liturgy of the Mass and the sacraments of the church. The sixth gallery is a sample bedroom of a priest.
The whole building, is of course, also a museum artifact, with its antique staircase and wooden second floor. It is a structure built in the 19th century and portions of its “insides” are also displayed in some parts of the museum.
Being developed is the patio fronting the lobby, which will house a coffee shop and museum shop. Beyond this will be a garden which, when finished, can be used for receptions and other gatherings.
The Cathedral Museum of Cebu has taken years to materialize but it has been well worth the wait. Finally, Cebu has a church museum worthy of its being the Philippine seat of Christianity.
