PH Bishops Memorialized: Decoding the Armorial Stained Glass Windows of Santo Domingo Church

The coats of arms of Bishop Clovis Thibault, Prelate of Davao in between the coats of arms of Bishop Patrick Cronin, Prelate of Ozamiz and Bishop Patrick Shanley, Prelate of Infanta depicted on stained glass windows of the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City executed by Galo Ocampo. Photo from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao.

Heraldry can be found almost everywhere and can be depicted in any art form. Most notable of these artforms is on stained glass windows, with heraldry enriching the experience of beholding them, leaving us wondering whose coat of arms they are and what they present. For instance, the Manila Cathedral features several coats of arms depicting the invocations of the Litany of Loreto and symbols of several saints. More prominently featured are the coats of arms of the Republic of the Philippines and the Archdiocese of Manila on opposite sides of the basilica's transepts. These stained glass windows were designed by National Artist and heraldist Galo Ocampo, who also designed the abovementioned arms of the republic and several other state emblems.

Aside from the Manila Cathedral, his other most famous stained glass window work can be found in the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, where the Our Lady of La Naval de Manila is enshrined. The main windows feature scenes from the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, the events of the Battle of Lepanto and La Naval, and the Dominican Martyrs. However, underneath these magnificent windows are small yet intricate windows depicting armorial bearings that are mostly forgotten due to their size, yet for those who have keen heraldic eyes, one will find these inclusions interesting.

Unfortunately, due to lack of interest, the microscopic size, and the lack of available pictures on the internet, the general public is unaware whose coats of arms are these. A now-defunct blog mislabels these coats of arms as that of foreign Dominican bishops, only basing their correlation on the mottos below each arms. However, upon closer inspection, one may determine that, based on the impalements and the distinct artstyle, these are the coats of arms of the Catholic bishops in the Philippines during the time the church was constructed.

Why were the arms of bishops depicted in Santo Domingo Church? Surely it could have been more prominently presented if it was in the Manila Cathedral? We don’t have a definite answer, but most likely it’s because there is nothing to place on these window spaces, so a heraldry enthusiast such as Galo Ocampo has deliberately included the hierarchy’s coat of arms. It should be noted that in 1953, the members of the Catholic Welfare Organization (now the CBCP) convoked the First Plenary Council of the Philippines in San Agustin Church in Manila, strengthening the Philippine church, while in 1954 a Marian Congress was held in Manila, with the highlight being the Solemn transfer of La Naval de Manila to its new home in the new church on October 10, 1954 accompanied by the bishops and the faithful. Thus the Catholic hierarchy played a huge role in the figurative “rebuilding” of the Philippine church after the Second World War.

The coats of arms of the bishops are dated between the years 1954 to 1955, thus the depicted coat of arms are that of the incumbent bishops during this time, including auxiliary bishops, prelates, and apostolic vicars. The majority of these coats of arms are designed by ecclesiastical heraldist and then-Bishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, the Most Rev. Mariano Madriaga.

(Author's Note: It would be better if we could appreciate the windows with good pictures, so if anyone has clear pictures of the windows up close, please don’t hesitate to contact the author through our Facebook page.)

The coats of arms below the stained glass windows of the last three Glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Photo from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao.

The stained glass windows at the façade of the Santo Domingo Church just behind the choir loft depict the last three Glorious mysteries of the Holy Rosary. Below are windows depicting, aside from the coat of arms of the Dominican Order in the far left and right sides, the coats of arms of the six archbishops and the Papal Nuncio during the 1950’s (from left to right): 

1. José Maria Diosomito Cuenco (Jaro)
2. James Thomas Gibbons Hayes, S.J. (Cagayan de Oro)
3. Rufino Jiao Santos (Manila)
4. Egidio Vagnozzi (Nuncio) - center window
5. Julio Rosales y Ras (Cebu)
6. Santiago Caragnan Sancho (Nueva Segovia)
7. Pedro Paulo Santos y Songco (Caceres)

Since this is the only picture I have found with a faint view of the coats of arms, I used clues in the symbolism to determine which coat of arms is which. For Archbishop Cuenco it is the Jaro impalement with the bend sinister charged with roses, for Archbishop Hayes it is the shamrock in canton, for then-Archbishop Santos is the tower on a Gules field, for the Nuncio is the cross-ordinary and the inescutcheon, for then-Archbishop Rosales is the Gules chief with a lily and the rose bush in the main field, and for Archbishop Sancho is the tierced per bend division. 

The coats of arms below the stained glass windows of Battles of Lepanto and La Naval. Photo from Lakbay ng Lakan blog.

The stained glass windows at the right transept of the church depict the Battles of Lepanto and La Naval. This side of the transept is always hit by sunlight, so the arms are easily identifiable. Below are the coats of arms of the bishops (from left to right, with year of appointment):

1. Patrick Henry Cronin, S.S.C.M.E. (Ozamiz, 1955)
2. Clovis Joseph Thibault, P.M.E. (Davao, 1954)
3. Patrick Harmon Shanley, O.C.D. (Infanta, 1953)
4. Flaviano Barrechea Ariola (Legazpi, 1952)
5. Lino Rasdesales Gonzaga (Palo, 1951) - center window
6. Peregrin de la Fuente Néstar, O.P. (Batanes, 1951)
7. Manuel Porcia Yap (Bacolod, 1952)
8. Alejandro Ayson Olalia (Lipa, 1953)
9. Juan Callanta Sison (Nueva Segovia, Auxiliary, 1947)

It is interesting to note that some coats of arms have variations from the original. The arms of Bishop Thibault has the maple leaves moved to the chief containing the arms of the congregation where he belongs; Bishop Yap has the chief tincture of the diocesan impalement in Gules instead of Or, and his personal arms tinctured a sky blue instead of Gules; and Bishop Sison has the chief tinctured Gules instead of Or.

If observed closely, the mottos of Bishops Cronin of Ozamiz (Quis ut Deus) and Shanley of Infanta (Quis separabit) are incorrectly switched on the windows.

The coats of arms below the stained glass windows of Dominican martyrs San Vicente Liem de la Paz and San Francisco Capillas. Photo from Facebook.

The stained glass windows at the left transept of the church depict the Dominican martyrs San Vicente Liem de la Paz and San Francisco Capillas. This side has a darker area because it is covered by the church convent, but the coats of arms are still identifiable through their impalements. Below are the coats of arms of the bishops (from left to right):

1. William Brasseur, C.I.C.M. (Mountain Province, 1948)
2. Vicente Posada Reyes (Manila, Auxiliary, 1950)
3. Cesar Maria Guerrero y Rodriguez (San Fernando, 1949)
4. Manuel Mascariñas y Morgia (Tagbilaran, 1951)
5. Mariano Aspiras Madriaga (Lingayen-Dagupan, 1954) - center window
6. Alfredo Maria Obviar y Aranda (Lucena, Administrator, 1950)
7. Wilhelm Josef Duschak, S.V.D. (Calapan, 1951)
8. Antonio Floro Frondosa (Capiz, 1952)
9. Teopisto Valderrama Alberto (Sorsogon, 1952)

A minor note on the coat of arms of Bishop Mascariñas, since the only source that we have in digitalizing his coat of arms is a low quality image, could not properly recreate his coat of arms.

Funnily enough, the personal arms of Bishops Madriaga of Lingayen-Dagupan and Duschak of Calapan incorrectly switched places on the windows, but still retain the correct corporate arms.

The coats of arms below the stained glass windows located at the corner of the right transept of the church. Photo from Lakbay ng Lakan.

There are also stained glass windows at the corner of the right transept of the church. This side is interesting because two are coats of arms of dioceses which were in sede vacante (Surigao and Tuguegarao in 1953) and one is a coat of arms I haven’t seen before.

Judging by the uniqueness of the arrangement of symbols and the abundance of landscapes, I can say that the middle coat of arms is not designed by then-Bishop Madriaga, so it must be an arms of a bishop before the 1940’s. I can only conjecture that this is the coat of arms of Miguel Acebedo y Flores (Calbayog, 1937) who was still incumbent of his diocese and died in 1958, since he was the only one without a coat of arms available online, but I could be wrong.

The coat of arms of the Diocese of Surigao is also interesting to note since in 1955 a new diocesan arms was designed by Madriaga and impaled with the arms of Bishop Charles van de Ouwelant.

The covered stained glass windows located at the corner of the left transept of the church. Photo from La Naval de Manila page.

There are still three more coats of arms at the right corner of the right transept of the church, but unfortunately, based on current images, this side is permanently covered with a long sheet of blue cloth, so we have no available picture of the three remaining coats of arms depicted on this side.

The latest bishop with a coat of arms depicted on the windows was Bishop Cronin of Ozamiz appointed May 1955 and ordained Sept 1955. Curiously, Bishop de Ouwelant of Surigao was already appointed bishop in March 1955, but their diocesan coat of arms is depicted instead.

Several of the Philippine bishops in full episcopal regalia during the solemn transfer of the Our Lady of La Naval to the new Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City on October 10, 1954. Photo from the Francis Jason Diaz Perez III Collection.

The coats of arms of the Philippine Catholic hierarchy in Santo Domingo Church serve as a reminder of the growth of the Catholic Church in the 50s. In a country ravaged by war, the church, headed by the bishops, sought to rebuild its physical walls and strengthen its faith which still stands today with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Then-bishop Madriaga led the peak of ecclesiastical heraldry in the Philippines during the 50s, providing his services to the whole Philippine hierarchy. The majority of these coats of arms were published on the Dominican-run Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas, and later in 1957, he would publish the corporate arms in Philippine Studies. All these culminated in the construction of the stained glass windows that memorize both the resilient Philippine bishops and the past glory of ecclesiastical heraldry in the country.

(Author's Note: If anyone has clear pictures of the windows up close, please don’t hesitate to contact the author through our Facebook page.)

----------

References:

Lakbay ng Lakan. “Santo Domingo Church, Quezon City: Galo Ocampo’s Stained Glass Windows”. https://lakansining.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/santo-domingo-church-quezon-city-galo-ocampos-stained-glass-windows/November 10, 2020

Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao. “History of Santo Domingo Church”.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tKPStvz-68&t=455s

La Naval de Manila Facebook Page. https://www.facebook.com/lanavaldemanilaofficialpage/

Photo of the Solemn Transfer of Our Lady of La Naval from the Francis Jason Diaz Perez III Collection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lanavaldemanila/865096139/ 

Restoring Accuracy to the Coat of Arms of Jaime Cardinal Sin

The coat of arms of Jaime Cardinal Sin as Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro (1967), Coadjutor Archbishop of Jaro (1972), Archbishop of Jaro (1972), Archbishop of Manila (1974), and Cardinal (1976).

The late Jaime Cardinal Sin is the most influential Catholic prelate in Philippine history, known for upholding social justice and care for the people of God above all. His coat of arms is one of the most iconic and remembered, yet it has fallen into several unfaithful renditions across time. This article will shed light on the original coat of arms of the late cardinal and also attempt to provide an accurate blazon. I wish to thank Ken Matthew Rufin for providing the sources for the original coat of arms of Cardinal Sin as Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro.

The elements of Cardinal Sin's coat of arms remain unchanged since he was made Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro in 1967, with only a few modifications throughout the years. We currently do not have a copy of the blazon and the explanation of the arms, but based on the artstyle and the thematic choices of the blazon, we may verify that his coat of arms was designed by ecclesiastical heraldist Archbishop Mariano Madriaga.

The coat of arms of Jaime Sin, Titular Bishop of Obba and Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro.

From a postcard. Rendered by Madriaga.

Blazon: Tierced per fess. In chief Gules a pilgrim staff Or between two escallops Argent. In fess Or three roses in fess Gules. In base a Latin cross Proper charged with a Sacred Heart of the same all proper.

• The pilgrim staff and the escallops are the most popular symbols of St. James the Great, the namesake of Jaime Cardinal Sin; Gules (red) is selected as the field tincture to allude to the saint’s martyrdom. The same symbols and tincture is also seen in the original coat of arms of the Diocese of Bangued which was also designed by Madriaga.

• The fess contains three red roses. These are symbols of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (rosary, from the Latin “rosarium” meaning “a garland of roses”), the patroness of the parish in New Washington, Aklan, hometown of Cardinal Sin. Three roses are placed to allude to the then-three mysteries of the rosary. The symbol also hints that it was Madriaga who designed the coat of arms since it is only him in Philippine ecclesiastical heraldry who uses roses as symbol of the Holy Rosary instead of the actual rosary itself, as seen in the former coat of arms of the Diocese of Daet and the former coat of arms of Bishop Manuel Del Rosario. However, instead of the typical Azure (blue) field color and the green leafed rose as in the aforementioned coat of arms, a pure red rose and an Or (gold) field is used. We may speculate that this is patterned after the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Jaro. Throughout his early life and seminarian studies in the Saint Vincent Ferrer Seminary of Jaro, he was under the said archdiocese until the establishment of the Diocese of Capiz in 1951, where he was ordained to the priesthood. The roses in the coat of arms of the archdiocese allude to the miracle of the roses witnessed by St. Elizabeth of Hungary, titular of the archdiocese.

• The base symbols are tricky to decipher since we don’t have the original explanation. At first glance, the shape of the cross may be confused to a Greek cross where its sides are equilateral, but it is actually a Latin cross which the horizontal crossbeam is positioned higher from the center. On its center is a red heart which at first glance might be the Immaculate Heart since the wreath surrounding it is in Argent (silver), but in the later coat of arms of the cardinal, it is actually the Sacred Heart, just with a silver crown of thorns. I have attempted to find the possible connection of the Sacred Heart to the life of the cardinal, but came empty handed. We may just speculate that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the personal devotion of the cardinal, but with the cross underneath, it might suggest something else. I just hope we may find more sources in the future so that this may be clarified.

His motto is the most famous one yet: “Serviam”, which translates to “I will serve”.

The coat of arms of Bishop Jaime Sin as Apostolic Administrator of Jaro,

removing the miter and crosier after the 1969 Vatican instruction.

An engraving on the Rectory of the Jaro Cathedral. Rendered by Madriaga.

After the Vatican instruction issued in 1969 which suppresses the miter and crozier as external ornaments of a bishop's coat of arms, then-bishop Sin had his coat of arms modified to remove such elements. It was in 1970 when he was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the archdiocese due to the ailing Archbishop Jose Maria Cuenco. Later in January 1972 he was made Coadjutor Archbishop, and ten months later on October he succeeded as Archbishop of Jaro.

The coat of arms of Archbishop Jaime Sin of Jaro, painted on the dome of the

Jaro Cathedral. Amateur photo by the author. Rendered by Madriaga.

Blazon: Tierced per fess. In chief Gules a pilgrim staff Or between two escallops Argent. In fess Or three roses in fess Gules. In base a Latin cross Argent charged with a Sacred Heart proper.

As archbishop, his coat of arms was properly impaled as per heraldic custom with the coat of arms of the archdiocese. The symbols of his personal coat of arms remained the same, except for the tincture of the Latin cross which was changed to Argent and the crown of thorns into Sable. The only source that we have on his coat of arms is painted on the dome of the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, but due to its height, we can only manage to take amateur pictures. If based on the design of the galero and scroll, this might have still be designed by Archbishop Madriaga as based on his similar design for the coat of arms of Archbishop Antonio Mabutas of Davao.

The coat of arms of Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila.

Photo by the Jaime Cardinal Sin Learning Center. Rendered by Galo Ocampo.

Final Blazon: Tierced per fess. In chief Gules a pilgrim staff Or between two escallops Argent. In fess Or three roses in chevron Gules. In base a Latin cross Or charged with a Sacred Heart proper.

Later as Archbishop of Manila in 1974 and Cardinal in 1976, his personal arms was impaled with the arms of the said archdiocese. This time, his coat of arms was designed by Filipino National Artist and heraldist Galo Ocampo, who also designed the cardinalate coat of arms of Rufino Cardinal Santos. The modifications made to his personal arms this time are the Latin cross which was changed from Argent to Or, and the roses from a fess to a chevron arrangement. The latter might not be a wise choice since a personal coat of arms must not have major modifications, but this might be made so that the roses may occupy the whole space of the fess.

Curiously, there is a heavily modified version of the cardinal’s coat of arms where the field is divided per fess, the Azure chief has a checkered bend between two scallops and the Or base has the three roses. Was this officially endorsed or allowed by Cardinal Sin? We’ll never know, but the fact remains that any heavy modification of a coat of arms except for impalement is not allowed in heraldry, let alone an unofficial one for official use.

(1) Cardinal Sin's coat of arms on a stained glass window, the basis of a rendition on the

floor of the Manila Cathedral. (2) His coat of arms rendered by Araldica Vaticana.

(3) His coat of arms rendered by SajoR in Wikipedia.

There are also other inaccurate versions of the cardinal's coat of arms: One seen on a stained glass window and on the floor of the Manila Cathedral which depicts the pilgrim staff as a sword instead, the Latin cross with a longer vertical crossbeam, and the roses into Argent, which is already a tincture rule violation. This was the basis of the rendition done by Araldica Vaticana albeit the roses in Gules and the pilgrim staff without a hook. This later became the basis of SajoR's version on Wikipedia. Currently, the only issue is that the pilgrim staff is still mistaken to be a sword, but with a better depiction as the author had done in the first image of this post, we may avoid this confusion.

----------

References: (to be followed)

Industrious Bees: The Coat of Arms of Archbishop Emilio Cinense

 

The coat of arms of then-Bishop Emilio Cinense of San Fernando, Pampanga.

From the Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas. Rendered by Madriaga.

Today is the episcopal anniversary of the first archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga, the late Most Rev. Emilio Cinense y Abrera. His coat of arms is one of the simple blazons made by the late Archbishop Mariano Madriaga, but is profound in its intended meaning and on who it represents.

His coat of arms is published in the Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas in 1957, explained in full detail by the Filipino ecclesiastical heraldist, and with the help of Msgr. John Brillantes of EEPH, the coat of arms may be blazoned as: Vert, a rose Gules in between three bees Or, two and one, heads toward the rose.

The coat of arms of Archbishop Cinense impaled with the former corporate arms

of the Archdiocese of San Fernando. Rendered by GiovanniYosh12 in Wikipedia.

• The Vert field is a color alluding to hope, while the rose is a symbol of Our Lady and alludes to the archbishop's Carmelite affiliation as a Tertiary member.

The rest of the explanation has to do with the several meaning of the archbishop’s name “Emilio”.

• Gules, which is the tincture of the rose, alludes to his name derived from the Latin “aemulus” which means “festive, sharp”, further evolved from “aima” which means “blood” according to the Lexicon Totius Latinitatis.
• As for the bees, it alludes to the meaning of the name from Latin origin meaning “vigorous, assiduous” according to the Diccionario Onomatologico, and from Teutonic origin meaning “industrious”, from the Latin, Norse, Hebrew, and Anglo-Saxon root “amal” which means “work” according to What to Name the Baby by Evelyn Wells.
• Bees are in fact a symbol of industry and assiduity, which is why they are depicted facing the rose to collect their food. This also alludes to Archbishop Cinense as a builder and repairer of churches, and the bishop as the father and shepherd, his sweetest food is the Eucharist and sound doctrine, and as a protector and uniter of flock in charity.

The motto is a shortened verse from Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.”

The only point of concern for this coat of arms is that the rose violates the rules of tincture, as Archbishop Madriaga would do in several of his works. The rose cannot be tinctured as Proper since the field is already Vert, while changing its color will lose its intended canting. A fair solution might be placing the rose on a bezant (gold roundel) to complement the tincture of the bees.

Archbishop Cinense's coat of arms is one of the very representative examples of Madriaga's works which are simple, not overloaded with symbols, but rich in symbolism.

----------

References:

Madriaga, Mariano. “The Arms of Bishop Cinense,” Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas 31, no. 348 (1957): 484. https://ustdigitallibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/boleccledef/id/52326

First of Many: The Coat of Arms of Archbishop Mariano Madriaga

 

The personal coat of arms of Archbishop Mariano Madriaga, unimpaled

from the corporate arms of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan after his

retirement in 1970. Engraved on his tombstone in the Minor Basilica of

Our Lady of Charity. Photo provided by Bro. Kendrick Panganiban.

Today marks the 122nd birthday of Archbishop Mariano Madriaga. The first coat of arms the late Filipino ecclesiastical heraldist has ever designed might have been his own when he was made bishop in 1938. We still cannot tell if he did assume his personal coat of arms when he was a priest, however, as a bishop, a coat of arms is always a must.

He was one of the few bishops with a heraldically proper coat of arms in 1938. Other bishops had borne a coat of arms that is full of realistic religious imagery and landscapes, examples are the coats of arms of the Servant of God Alfredo Verzosa and the Venerable Alfredo Obviar. However, what sets the coat of arms of Archbishop Madriaga apart from the others is that the symbols are not all borrowed from religious symbolism. In fact, it was one of the earliest Filipino ecclesiastical coats of arms in the a form of canting: a rebus or visual play depicting the bearer's name, as well as his hometown.

Coat of arms of Archbishop Madriaga impaled with the corporate arms of the

Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. Rendered by GiovanniYosh12 in Wikipedia.

Here is a blazon given by Msgr. John Brillantes of Escudos Eclesiasticos PH: Azure, issuant from a base Vert charged with a flaming heart transfixed with an arrow fesswise all Or, a whistling pine tree Proper between the monogram of the Blessed Virgin Mary Or in chief and two pears Or pendent, stalked and leaved in nombril; overall two arms and hands clasped in fesse Argent.

As of this time, we do not have a copy of the official description of the archbishop’s coat of arms, but based on research on similar themes of his coats of arms commissions, we may interpret the symbolism as such:

• His given name is the masculine form of the name Mariana, possibly evolved from the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, hence her monogram is in chief.
• His last name evolved from the Basque word "madari" which means "pear", hence this fruit is placed between the tree.
• The pine tree alludes to the etymology of Agoo, from aroo or agoho, referring to whistling pine trees abundant on the western coast before the Spanish colonization.
• The clasped hands represents union, the literal translation of La Union, where Agoo is located. 
• The heart pierced by an arrow is possibly in honor of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine and patroness of Agoo. Interestingly, the archbishop's birthday coincides with the feast of the Conversion of St. Augustine according to the Roman Martyrology.

His motto translates to “I will remember the mercies of the Most High.”

Coat of arms of Pope Leo XII, which the coat of arms of Archbishop Madriaga

closely resembles. From the "Heraldischer Atlas" by Hugo Gerhard Ströhl (1899).

His coat of arms bears a striking resemblance to that used by Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903, one year after the Madriaga's birth. The late pontiff’s coat of arms is blazoned: Azure, on a mount in base a pine tree proper; between in dexter chief a comet, or radiant star, argent, and in base two fleurs-de-lis or. Over all a fess of the third. 

Coat of arms of then-Bishop Madriaga impaled with the a version of the

corporate arms of the Diocese of Lingayen. Notice the realistic depiction of the

whistling pine tree. From the "Carlista Episcopology" by Fr. Ral Jaden C. Paguergan.

Rendered by Madriaga.

Coat of arms of then-Bishop Madriaga impaled with another version of

the corporate arms of the Diocese of Lingayen. From a letterhead dated 1947.

Rendered by Madriaga. Photo by Manolo Quezon on Facebook.

A depiction of the coat of arms of Archbishop Madriaga impaled with the former
corporate arms of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. Notice the clasped hands
have different skin color and sleeves. From a marble depiction located on the floors of the Dagupan Cathedral. Rendered by unknown artist. Photo by Vicky Salvador on Facebook.

Another thing I have observed is that he slightly modified his coat of arms either when the see of the Diocese of Lingayen was transferred to Dagupan in 1954, which prompted a new diocesan coat of arms, or on its elevation into an archdiocese in 1963. The pears were only added later during the aforementioned time, and the clasped hands with plain sleeves were changed to one with darker colored skin and the other with a black sleeve with white squares. The change on the clasped hands might be a misinterpretation by other artists, we can only verify this if we have an official copy of his coat of arms drawn by the archbishop himself.

Finally, there is the unknown cavity at the lower left side of the base, which Madriaga explicitly drew in two renditions of his coat of arms when he was Bishop of Lingayen. Does this allude to a lake? In any case, this cavity cannot be expressed in heraldic terms.

Overall, the coat of arms of the renowned Filipino ecclesiastical heraldist basically gives us the idea of the archbishop's process in the conceptualization of coats of arms of his fellow bishops during his prime years in ecclesiastical heraldry, which will be featured in future articles.

----------

References:

Photo of personal coat of arms of Archbishop Madriaga from Bro. Kendrick Panganiban.

Photo of coat of arms of Pope Leo XIII from the "Heraldischer Atlas" by Hugo Gerhard Ströhl (1899): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ströhl_Heraldischer_Atlas_t49_3_d01.jpg

Paguergan, Fr. Ral Jaden, compiler, “His Excellency Most Rev. Mariano A. Madriaga” in Carlista Episcopology (unpublished manuscript, 2013).

Photo of coat of arms of then-bishop Madriaga from Manolo Quezon on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=2740710835956995&set=gm.2482692611750476

Photo of coat of arms of Archbishop Madriaga from Vicky Salvador on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10154964087255200&set=a.10154963902310200

Archbishop Mariano Madriaga: Ecclesiastical Heraldist of the Philippines

Most Rev. Mariano Aspiras Madriaga, J.C.D., D.D.

1902-1981; late Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan

Photo: Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas

If we are going to think about ecclesiastical heraldry in the Philippines, one famous example that comes to mind is the coat of arms (or simply “arms”) of the Archdiocese of Manila: the red and blue tinctures, charged with the castle, the crescent moon, and the half-lion, half-dolphin creature which we colloquially call a “merlion”. The “corporate arms”, as it is called in heraldic terms since it is used by an institution, is always impaled with the personal coat of arms of the incumbent Archbishop of Manila, starting from the Most. Rev. Gabriel Martelino Reyes in 1949, indicating the archbishop’s “marriage” to his Archdiocese. This is just one of the many corporate arms proudly borne by several dioceses here in the Philippines, a testament to how heraldry reflects the visual identity of the bearer. 

Now imagine this: what if we did not have corporate arms for dioceses? They would not have a stable visual identity and might resort to either using the arms of the incumbent bishop which changes over time, or by creating a logo instead. It is laudable that these heraldic traditions have continued in our country despite the many heraldic blunders several graphic artists have made. 

One begs the question: how did the heraldry of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, unique as it is, evolve into what it is right now? The answer lies in a person unknown, yet his legacy has shaped the visual identity of the church in the country. Let me introduce the man who has undoubtedly made a great contribution to and started a “renaissance” of ecclesiastical heraldry in our country. He is the late archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan, the Most Rev. Mariano Aspiras Madriaga.

Archbishop Madriaga was born on May 5, 1902, in Agoo, La Union, and was baptized five days later in his town parish. He entered public schools in 1911 and graduated in 1918 with the highest general average in the whole province of La Union. In addition, he received the Lucero Prize for having the highest written exam average among graduating 7th graders across La Union. In his first year at UP High in 1918, he received the Dean Benitez Prize for winning the Spelling Contest and the Menias Prize in “Current Events” for his speech on “The League of Nations.” He later taught at Luna Academy in Agoo from 1921 to 1922 and graduated from UP High in 1923

In 1925, he entered the Conciliar Seminary of Vigan (now the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary) after discerning his vocation through the influence of Bishop Peter Joseph Hurth, who tutored him in Latin and made him his traveling companion cruising the China Sea to Hong Kong for health reasons. He attended first-year Philosophy at the Seminary-Collge of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, from 1924 to 1925 under the Jesuits. At the end of the school year, he received a Gold Medal from the renowned Jesuit Provincial, Fr. Joaquin Villalonga, SJ, for his highest ratings. He then attended San Carlos Seminary in Mandaluyong as a second-year Philosophy student from 1925 to 1926 under the Spanish Vincentians. He returned to Vigan, completing his Theology studies under the SVD Fathers from 1926 to 1929.

Due to a severe typhoid fever that afflicted him in March 1929, his chances for ordination were slim. However, because of the “mercies of the Most High,” he recovered and received priestly ordination on March 15, 1930, from then-bishop Santiago Sancho. He then served as parish priest in several parishes in the Diocese of Nueva Segovia and worked in the diocesan Curia. Less than a year after his pastoral assignments, he left for Rome on August 3, 1932, to study Canon Law at the Pontifical Institute of St. Apollinare (now replaced by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross) and graduated on January 8, 1937. He was also known to be a good organizer, in which he was assigned as secretary of the Curia in his diocese.

Madriaga was initially appointed by Pope Pius XI as auxiliary to Bishop Francisco Reyes of Nueva Caceres through a secret consistory held on December 16, 1937, but was voided due to the bishop’s death a day before the appointment. Another consistory held on March 17, 1938, appointed him as the successor to Bishop Cesar Guerrero of the Diocese of Lingayen, who was transferred to Manila as auxiliary to Archbishop Michael O’Doherty. He took possession of the diocese on May 23 of that year, and was consecrated the following day by Archbishop Gabriel Reyes of Cebu, together with several other bishops of the Philippine hierarchy. He was only 36 years old when he was made bishop.

The Diocese of Lingayen was one of the worst-hit places during the Second World War, leaving the cathedral in ruins. This prompted Bishop Madriaga to transfer the see of the diocese to Dagupan, officially renamed the Diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan on February 11, 1954. The see was later elevated into an archdiocese on February 16, 1963, with Madriaga as its first archbishop.

Aside from being regarded as a “scholarly bishop”, he was also proficient in sculpting and the arts, which contributed to his expertise in heraldry. The first possible coat of arms he was commissioned to design for a bishop other than his own was that of his colleague, the Auxiliary Bishop Juan Sison of Nueva Segovia, which was published in the local Catholic newspaper The Cathedral Chimes on May 19, 1947, and in the Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas in September of the same year. In that article, he was introduced as “perito en heráldica como es” (an expert in heraldry as he is), which might infer that he was already an established heraldic expert even before the gradual publication of his works in the Boletin. After his successful commissions for the coats of arms of Archbishops Gabriel Reyes of Manila and Julio Rosales of Cebu, Madriaga became the go-to bishop for ecclesiastical heraldry in the Philippines.

Archbishop Madriaga retired on February 7, 1973, at the age of 70, although he continued to be active in designing heraldic works. He died on November 1, 1981, and is buried in his hometown in the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Charity.

----------

References:

Paguergan, Fr. Ral Jaden, compiler, “His Excellency Most Rev. Mariano A. Madriaga” in Carlista Episcopology (unpublished manuscript, 2013).

Peraud, Fr. Pierre, compiler, The Episcopate of the Philippines (1987).

“Excmo. y Revmo. Sr. Dr. D. Mariano Madriaga: Obispo de Lingayen, I. F.,” Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas 16, no. 180 (July 1938): 433-435. https://ustdigitallibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/boleccledef/id/57850.

Abella, Domingo. “More on Episcopal Succession,” Philippine Studies 8, no. 1 (January 1960): 180. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42720436.

Introductions

Welcome to my first blogpost! I am Johnel Dimco, also known as GiovanniYosh12 in Wikipedia, head artist of Auxilium Christianorum Ecclesiastical Heraldic Arts and member of Escudos Eclesiasticos PH.

As I started the vectorization project of all the coats of arms of Filipino bishops and archbishops uploaded to Wikipedia in 2021, I have made many discoveries regarding the history of ecclesiastical heraldry in the Philippines. It’s very disheartening to witness that, in several heraldic circles, Filipino heraldry is being maligned due to the many bad coats of arms our bishops adopt. This usually stems from the lack of knowledge on the heraldry rules, thinking that a coat of arms is just a mere logo.

Inspired by other blogsites of heraldic researchers and artists such as Fr. Guy Selvester of EXARANDORUM and Dr. Chad Krouse of Walsingham Wanderings, I started this blog to share my research on how ecclesiastical heraldry in our country came to be, and its impact to our visual identity as the Catholic Church of the Philippines. Although I have already shared about past coats of arms in our Facebook page, I feel it can be limiting since most of the work done is in the pictures and not on the caption.

I am excited to share in the following days articles on my insights on select themes of Philippine ecclesiastical heraldry, dissecting select coats of arms of Filipino bishops and corporate arms, and introducing the people behind its design. I will be also sharing some of my commissioned work and delving deeper into the design choices we made. Take note that articles will be solely the opinion of the author, so I am not representing the opinions of all the members of the Escudos Eclesiasticos in my articles.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Help of Christians, and her blessed Spouse, Saint Joseph, intercede for us and our work!