PIETA

The scene of the Pieta shows theSPOLIARIUM

Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ after his
crucifixion, death, and removal from the cross, but before he was placed in the tomb. This is one of
The painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the bloody carnage brought by
the key events from the life of the THEVirgin,
FIRSTknown
MASSas INthe Seven Sorrows of Mary, which were the
LIMASAWA
gladiatorial matches. Spoliarium is a Latin word referring to the basement of the Roman Colosseum
subject of Catholic devotional.
where Thethe first
fallen and dying
Catholic mass gladiators are dumped
in the Philippines was on and devoid
Easter of of
Sunday their worldly
March possessions.
31, 1521 officiated
DOXOLOGY
by Father Pedro de Valderrama in the shore of a town islet named as Limasawa in therelation
An examination of each figure reveals that their proportions are not entirely natural in tip of
to the other.
Southern Julie Although
theLLuch,
At Leyte.center oftheir
the
Limasawa makerheads
Luna’s
is dubbedaresculpture,
ofpainting
the proportional,
as are fallen
the birthplacethe Virgin’s
hasgladiators
helped
of Roman body
to being
greatly isadvance
larger by
dragged
Catholicism than
the
in Christ’s
feminist
Roman
the body. She
cause
soldiers.
Philippines. in
On
THE SPANISH QUADRICULA
appears
the so largeparticularly
Philippines,
left, spectators that if sheamong
ardently stood their
await up,
womenshe would to likely
artist.
chance tower
strip off theover her son.ofThe
combatants theirreason
metalMichelangelo
helmets and
did this The mural
was probablydepicts
because Fr. Pedro
it was Valderrama
necessary officiating
so that the
the Virgin mass
could in an improvised
support son altar
her side on in lap;
her the
other armory. In contrast with the charged emotions featured on the left, the right meanwhile
presence After
of discovering
Ferdinand that she could
Magellan, save herself
Pigafetta through art, in 1993, she created what she
had her body
presents been smaller,
a somber mood. An it might
old man have been(chronicler
carries avery
torch
ofor
difficult
perhaps
Magellan),
awkward Spanish
searchingforforher histoson
soldiers,
have heldaand
while an the
adult
woman
considers
natives Quadricula’
a “turning refers to theofgrid
point” piece usedItby
artwork. the
is made in Spanish
of wood.colonizers
The sculpture in their
of a urban
womanplanning
portrays of
awe.
male
weepsas gracefully the as she does. death of her loved one.
Manila,
like death andoras “superimposed
a woman on the
in the edge landscape
of dying because of the conqueredsins,
of problems, territories,” says Hofileña.
or sickness. 
In herof utter
The subjects
Another the sadness and
fine Quadricula/Hocus
example of a devastation,
paintings
historical she set
are
paintingseems theresigned
isin the time
First of to what
the
Mass has happened,
Patronato
at Limasawa and
Real,bya subject
Botong
Doxology is consists
The Spoliarium is theofmost
two valuable
life-size works representing
oil-on-canvas the by
painting sameJuanwoman.
Luna, One is sprawled
a Filipino educated
becomes
that enveloped
is of special
Francisco. in graceful
interest
The artwork, towhich acceptance.
Hofileña. 
was commissionedMichelangelo’s
by the talentnationalin carving draperywas
government, is matched
created by
to
on the Academia
at the ground, cold de and
Dibujolifeless. The other
y Pintura is alive with
(Philippines) and arms
at theoutstretched
Academia deasSan sheFernando
looks up to in Madrid,
his handling
commemorate of the
The termtherefers
human
400 to forms
years in theof
theofpower
PhilippineChrist
royaland the Virgin,
patronage
Christianization bothwas
granted
which ofbywhom retain
Cebuathat
the papacy
held in sweet
in tenderness
controlled
1965. the
heavens.
Spain. With a size of 4.22 meters x 7.675 meters, it is the largest painting in the Philippines. A
despite the very
appointments tragic nature
of Church of this
officials, a key scene.
featureThisofis,theof building
course, of thethe
moment
Spanish when the Virgin
colonial is
empire.
historical painting, it was made by Luna in 1884 as an entry to the prestigious Exposicion de Bellas
confronted with
Missionaries
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
werethe reality
willing oftothe death of her
administer son.
conquered territory for the Spanish Crown in return for
Artes (Madrid Art Exposition, May 1884) and eventually won for him the First Gold Medal.
extensive concessions. This led to the colonial system of governance decried by Jose Rizal in his
novels. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS
Saul Hofileña, Jr. imagined a conquistador FIRST
and a friarFLOOR
laying out the Quadricula of intramuros
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SECOND
aided by angels bearing the symbols of conquest, emblems FLOOR
of the four religious orders, and the
barajas españolas, a vice tolerated, but heavily taxed to finance the construction of the walk.
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THIRD FLOOR

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FOURTH FLOOR

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