Licsi, John David P.

2/5/2014
1C
Reaction Paper on
Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat Tour
Brief History of the Abbey
The Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat, or Manila Abbey, is a Benedictine men's
monastery located on Mendiola Street in Manila, the Philippines. The monastery was founded in
1895 by monks from Spain during the final days of the islands being a part of the Spanish
empire. The monastic community of the abbey operates the prestigious San Beda College on the
grounds of the abbey. They belong to the Philippine Pro-Province of the Subiaco Cassinese
Congregation, a part of the Benedictine Confederation. (source: wikipidea.com)
Reaction
Before we started the tour, we were told that to appreciate the art and architectural
designs of the abbey we must have the mind of a curious man. We must be curious. We should
ask questions for us to understand every art piece found in the abbey. And I agree. For a person
to fully understand art, he must know not only the artist or his story, the reason for such work,
the scene depicted in the work or the work itself but also the story behind the work, the world
when the work was made and interpretation of the work in the present or how was it contrasted
in the present.
The architectural design of the church is a neo-gothic architectural design. It means the
revival of the gothic architectural design. We started the tour from the front of the church called
the narthex and made our way to the chancel or presbytery. I had somewhat an overview of the
abbeys rich history. We were told that most of the journalists, reporters, artists and other people
were very interested, moved and affected by the colorful glass doors of the church. I agree with
the most people. The door is indeed very interesting. It was made of a mixture of glass and
plastic. It made and left almost all of the people curious and hanging. Another most interesting
fact about the abbey is that it has no corners. It is one of the features of a neo-gothic church.
We spent most of our time in the tour understanding the art panels installed on the ceiling
of the abbey. These arts present different scenes which correspond to a certain virtue. Under a
virtue, there is also another scene which corresponds to its vice. These fantastic artworks were
made by Fr. Lesmes Lopez, a Spanish monk. Curiosity arose when we were asked why Fr.
Lesmes Lopez used a woman as a subject of the artworks. The reason was that the virtues in their
greek translations are feminine. The art panels are indeed beautiful and the way the virtues were
presented is ingenious.
We had a chance to join the monks in their evening prayer although it is not part of the
tour. The prayer lasted for about 10-15 minutes. When they prayed, they sang the prayers
accompanied by a bamboo organ. I didnt have that much observation when they prayed because
I was praying on my own.
My conclusion is that the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat is beautiful / stunning and
one of a kind. Its not just an abbey but it is a place where people can communicate with God.