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St. Joseph the Worker Chapel, Victorias

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Coordinates: 10°52′44″N 123°03′59″E / 10.87899°N 123.06647°E / 10.87899; 123.06647
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Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church
Angry Christ Church
Church facade in 2013
Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church is located in Visayas
Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church
Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church
Location in the Visayas
Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church is located in Philippines
Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church
Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church
Location in the Philippines
10°52′44″N 123°03′59″E / 10.87899°N 123.06647°E / 10.87899; 123.06647
LocationVictorias Milling Company complex, Victorias, Negros Occidental
CountryPhilippines
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
DedicationSt. Joseph the Worker
Dedicated1950
Architecture
Functional statusactive
Heritage designationImportant Cultural Property
Designated2015
Architect(s)Antonín Raymond
Architectural typeChurch (building)
StyleModern
Years built1948-50
Administration
ArchdioceseJaro
DioceseBacolod

Saint Joseph the Worker Parish Church, commonly known as the Angry Christ Church, is a Roman Catholic church located inside the Victorias Milling Company residential complex in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It is considered as the first example of modern sacred architecture in the Philippines as well as part of its industrial heritage. The church is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Bacolod and is dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker.

The church was designed by the Czech-American architect Antonín Raymond, himself already recognized as one of the founders of modern architecture in Japan. Raymond designed the church to be earthquake-proof since the Philippines is in an earthquake belt. The St. Joseph the Worker Church is made up of two sections, the nave and the tower. They are connected by movable beams holding the building up well even during earthquakes. Raymond also took into consideration the climate in the Philippine thus he designed the structure to allow maximum air circulation in the hot and humid climate.[1] The church was declared Important Cultural Property of the Philippines in December 2015.[2]

The church is also known for its modern altar painting of so-called "Angry Christ" painted in vivid colors by Alfonso Ossorio, Filipino-American abstract expressionist artist.

History

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The church in 2013

It was built between 1948 and 1950 by the Ossorio family thus it is sometimes called the Ossorio's Chapel [3] The Ossorios originally planned to offer the job to the then young Filipino architect Leandro Locsin,[4] but later changed their mind and selected then-already internationally acclaimed Antonín Raymond. Raymond then had designed buildings in the United States, Japan, India, Indonesia and other Asian countries. This event caused Locsin to change his style to more modern architecture, which made him famous later.[citation needed]

Art in the church

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Mural on the rear wall

The church sanctuary, devoid of any reredos, is dominated by a vibrant-colored mural of a large Masonic eye and an angry-looking Jesus commonly called "The Angry Christ".[1][5] The mural was painted by Philippine-born Alfonso Ossorio, friend of Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still. Mosaics are by the Belgian Adelaide de Bethune. The materials and talents were provided by the local artists Arcadio Anore and Benjamin Valenciano.[6] Arcadio Anore executed Bethune's designs for the brass plates in the pulpit and baptistery while Benjamin Valenciano did the wooden image sculptures inside the church including the images for the Stations of the Cross.[7] Their works were recognized by the Philippine religious arts for introducing a "Filipinized" version of religious themes[8] depicting Mary, Joseph and the characters in the Fourteen Stations of the Cross to have brown skin in traditional Filipino attire.[9]


References

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  1. ^ a b Reyes, Glady (January 20, 2018). "Angry Christ Church: An Icon of Modern Liturgical Art & Architecture in the Philippines". Experience Negros. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Vila, Alixandra Caole (December 25, 2015). "National Museum bares 2015 list of cultural treasures, properties". The Philippine Star. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  3. ^ https://coconuts.co/manila/features/works-alfonso-ossorio-close-friends-pollock-and-dubuffet-leon-gallery/ Alfonso Ossorio - close friend of Pollock and Dubufet
  4. ^ http://www.archdaily.com/790290/ad-classics-parish-of-the-holy-sacrifice-leandro-v-locsin Ossorio offering the project to Locksin
  5. ^ Rivas, Ralf (November 1, 2019). "Inside the church with an angry-looking Christ". Rappler. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Laya, Jaime (June 22, 2015). "A treasure: Victorias' Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker (Part I)". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  7. ^ "Chapel of St. Joseph the Worker (Victorias City, Negros Occidental) – B.L.A.S.T. – Live Life to the Fullest ……… Don't Stay Put".
  8. ^ "VMC nurturing arts in Negros". September 10, 2015.
  9. ^ "Church of the Angry Christ in Victorias City, Negros Occidental". September 29, 2013.
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