March 1, 2009

Something old for something new

THEME DAY: GLASS • During the 1930s, the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University was along Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. All of its buildings were destroyed during WWII. When the Jesuits rebuilt the campus, they also built a circular chapel on the grounds. In Germany, Fr. Raymond Annable, S.J. found a set of stained glass windows depicting the Stations of the Cross and the walls of the chapel were designed specifically for them. In the 1950s, the university's main campus was moved to its current location in Loyola Heights, Quezon City and the Padre Faura land was sold to John L. Gokongwei, one of the Philippines' wealthiest businessmen. Fifty years passed before the light of the sun shone through those stained glass windows again, when they were installed in the Church of the Gesù in 2002. They provide a beautiful backdrop to the church's unique holy water font, made out of a single piece of volcanic rock with a water circulating system built inside it. Reflected on the stained glass panels is the crucifix over the altar and the windows of the two other sides of the pyramid-shaped church.

stained glass windows and holy water font of the Ateneo Church of the Gesù

Rough, smooth, faceted, colored, smoky, translucent, transparent, mirrored—look at or look through glass with the City Daily Photo bloggers. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

44 comments:

अविनाश said...

very informative post, thx 4 sharing

nino said...

Wow! Great photo of this artfully installed stained glass panels. I also like the idea of a volcanic rock made smooth with water flowing over it -- and holy water to boot.

Jilly said...

This works so well as a mix of old and new. Such beautiful panels. I love the light coming through and all set against that gorgeous sculpture in the centre of a beautiful floor.

Fio said...

Hilda - always on the highest level :)
Thank You!

angela said...

This is stunning and if anyone passing through doesn't enlarge the photo they'll have missed a visual treat.
This is my favourite so far.
The word verification is "enchant" :))

Anonymous said...

Very impressive photograph, Hilda. The scene must be outstanding when you are there in person.

Reena said...

wow, ganda. mabuti they were salvaged pa. :) i haven't been inside the gesu yet. the last time i was inside the campus was to get my sister's diploma 2 years ago. :)

cieldequimper said...

Simply beautiful!

Priyanka Khot said...

the contrast of colored glass and the grey stone in the centre is stark.

A Happy March

Joy said...

Hilda, that is beautiful! We don't have that at La Salle :D Would be good if you could photograph them individually.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comment. Come back tomorrow!


joy
A Pinay In England
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Juergen Kuehn said...

The details in the large version are stunningly beautiful. This is high art of a stained-glass window.
Thank you!

Tara said...

This is elegant, I never realized Ateneo was in P. Faura before, thanks for the info. Excellent post for the theme day.

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Hilda: Thank you for inspiring us to jump on the bandwagon and participate in theme day. Your picture is fabulous. So far, we don't have any comments :(
Perhaps our problem is that we post very early and are on one of the last pages. But, we'll keep trying!

GreensboroDailyPhoto said...

Thanks Hilda! We went back into our GLASS theme day photo and revised the text now that we realize that it is NOT A CONTEST!

I guess the contest is voting for a theme! Ha ha ha on us! Having a great time seeing the glass of the world!

Jan

Anonymous said...

Wow, Hilda - this is amazingly beautiful. Thank goodness these stained glass windows found a new home where they can be appreciated once again. Gorgeous.

abc said...

Great picture. Especially when enlarged the full splendor of the stained glass becomes clear.

Shantaram said...

Beautiful! Were you actually saving this up for so long?!!

Judy said...

An amazing work of art. Fantastic for the glass theme.

Halcyon said...

What beautiful stained glass! Excellent choice for the theme day.

Unknown said...

Great choice, Hilda! The place looks amazing!

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

this is truly gorgeous and full of beauty, serenity, and peace. Quite the story. A wonderful post for theme day.

Lilli & Nevada said...

This is so beautiful and good information as well

Hope said...

Hilda, this is breathtaking in it's beauty! A very serene and peaceful place. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with all of us.

Kim said...

Hilda, this is an amazing and humbling image! Thank you for sharing the full story of the journey of those windows to daylight. They are in a style I've not seen before, so real, so present. Reminds me of elements of Georges Rouault's or Franz Marc's styles translated to glass. The font in their midst makes this a beautifully meditative Lenten scene. If I ever get to visit you this is on my "I have to go see this" list.
-Kim
Seattle Daily Photo

Sterl the Pearl's Daily Pics of Boulder said...

Wow! Beautiful! Great one for Glass Day! :)

marley said...

That is stunning stained glass, so colourful. Excellent choice.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Not only a visual feast but a cerabal one too. Fabulous potted history. Well done for going the extra yard for this post.

Kerri said...

The panels are beautiful and so colorful!

Mo said...

What stunning pictures. I love stained glass.

Keith said...

What a powerful set of windows and a great photo! I'm glad they survived intact all those years.

Lisa Wilson said...

That's just perfect!

Sally said...

How exquisite!

PJ said...

This is perfect, Hilda. The stunning stained glass panels, the volcanic rock, and between them the tile floor. Elemental.

Missy said...

Great shot and thanks for the info regarding that glass :-)

magiceye said...

fascinatingly beautiful

escape said...

i too like looking at glass panels as much as i love paintings. this one is elegant.

Kate said...

Now this is something I would love to see. To really appreciate all the panels must take some time and repeated visits. Thanks also for the history.

Dina said...

Even more than the stained glass, I love the baptismal font. Talk about Living Water!

lunarossa said...

Absolutely beautiful! Thanks, Hilda. All the best. Ciao. A.

Hilda said...

Shantaram:
You silly goose! ;D

Dina:
It's only a holy water font, not a baptismal font. Since the Church of the Gesù is not a parish church, baptisms — and weddings — are not allowed there.

Gerald (SK14) said...

o wow that looks sparkling

raf said...

What could be more perfect for the theme than this wonderful post. So well done, Hilda! Thank you for taking us there!

Fabrizio Zanelli said...

Well Hilda, thank you so so much. Enlarging the photo it's possible to catch all details of this wonderful realization. A very great job !

Arnaud said...

Whaouuu, that's a fantastic shot, i love it !!