The Church of the Gesù is the Roman Catholic church of the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City in the Philippines. The landmark was designed by Jose Pedro Recio and Carmelo Casas. The edifice’s massive triangular structure symbolizes the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

, as well as the three-fold mission and vision of the school. Its shape and design are also meant to suggest the outstretched arms of the Sacred Heart, and the traditional Filipino '' bahay kubo'' (nipa hut). The site has a total area of and seating capacity for 1,000 persons. The church is situated on Sacred Heart Hill, a small hill overlooking Bellarmine Field, believed to be the highest point in Loyola Heights. In its immediate vicinity are the dormitories (Cervini and Eliazo Halls) and the John Pollock Renewal Center. The peak cross and

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

(see below) of the church can be seen from Katipunan Avenue, which borders the campus to the west. One side of the church houses a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, patroness of Ateneo de Manila and of the Philippines, while another side chapel is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion committed to the Jesuits by Jesus's appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque at a convent in Paray-le-Monial in 1671. In front of the church is a Sacred Heart statue depicting Jesus with welcoming, outstretched arms. At the base of the statue is an inscription from Matthew 11:28: "Come to me all of you who are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and gentle of heart, thus you will find refreshment for your souls. My yoke is sweet and my burden light." The small field to the north of the church has a statue depicting the Agony in the Garden.

History

The Ateneo de Manila acquired a campus in what would become Loyola Heights, Quezon City in the late 1940s. In 1952, when the Ateneo transferred to Loyola Heights from Padre Faura St. in Manila, Fr. William Masterson, S.J. envisioned the construction of a church on the campus. However, only the Blue Eagle Gym (located near the Grade School) stood, having been the first structure built in what would eventually be Loyola Heights. It was not until around 50 years later that construction of the church began. On September 30, 2001 the cornerstone of the church was blessed and laid. The church dedication

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

for the church was celebrated by Cardinal

Jaime Sin Jaime Lachica Sin ( zh, t=辛海梅, 辛海棉, poj=Sin Hái-mûi, Sin Hái-mî; August 31, 1928 – June 21, 2005), commonly and formally known as Jaime Cardinal Sin, was the 30th Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila and the third cardinal from ...

on July 31, 2002 and attended by several distinguished guests, including former Philippine President

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

. In 2005, an 18-bell chime and an Angelus bell were added to the church, a donation from the High School class of 1960 and the College class of 1964. The group also donated an additional five bells in 2010, converting the chime into a 23-bell

. The bells chime at 6:00 am and 12:00 pm.

Distinctive features

Inside the Church's western entrance is a semicircle of

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

depicting the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

. At the center of the semicircle is the church's holy water font. It is placed on a hole on the floor with rim surrounded by the rays of the Jesuits' seal. The stoup itself is an upright brown stone, with a depression on top acting as the basin and the outlet for the water covered with a clay plate with the Jesuit seal. The water circulates over the sides the basin, therefore the water is not stagnant and does not contain any debris, unlike other water font. The altar is supported by a slab of

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

rock, believed to be in abundant supply underneath the Loyola Heights campus. The huge crucifix above the main altar is unusual depicting Jesus still alive looking up to God, contrary to many crucifixes that depict Jesus already dead, his head bowed down.

References

*"The Bells of Loyola", Paulo Alcazaren, The Philippine Star, 7 January 2006
The university Church of the Gesù
''www.ateneo.edu'', Ateneo de Manila University (Article by Jose B. R. F. Ignacio, Photos by: Cocoy Sarmenta)

External links

Ateneo de Manila University

Church of the Gesù

Church of the Gesù (archived)

Church of the Gesù Bell Tower
details of the bells
Church of the Gesu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of the Gesu (Philippines) Ateneo de Manila University Jesuit churches in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches in Quezon City 2001 establishments in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches completed in 2003 Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao

History

Distinctive features

See also

References

External links