The St. Joseph the Worker Chapel, commonly known as the Angry Christ Church, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

chapel located inside the

Victorias Milling Company Victorias Milling Company () is a publicly-listed company in the Philippines that was established in 1919. It is largest producer of sugar in the country and one of the largest sugar millers and refineries in Asia. Its core business is the pro ...

residential complex in

Victorias Victorias, officially the City of Victorias ( hil, Dakbanwa sang Victorias; fil, Lungsod ng Victorias), is a 4th class component city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 90,101 ...

City,

Negros Occidental Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is considered as the first example of modern sacred architecture in the Philippines as well as part of its industrial heritage. It is dedicated to

St. Joseph the Worker Joseph (; el, Ἰωσήφ, translit=Ioséph) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. The Gospels also name some brothers o ...

. The church was designed by the

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

architect

Antonín Raymond Antonin Raymond (or cs, Antonín Raymond), born as Antonín Reimann (10 May 1888 – 25 October 1976)"Deaths Elsewhere", ''Miami Herald'', 30 October 1976, p. 10 was a Czech American architect. Raymond was born and studied in Bohemia (now part ...

, himself already recognized as the founder of

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that form ...

in Japan. Raymond designed the church to be earthquake-proof since the Philippines is in the earthquake belt. The St. Joseph the Worker Chapel 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. The church was declared Important Cultural Property of the Philippines in December 2015. The church is also known for its modern altar painting of so-called "Angry Christ" painted in vivid colors by

Alfonso Ossorio Alfonso Angel Yangco Ossorio (August 2, 1916 – December 5, 1990) was a Filipino American Abstract expressionism, abstract expressionist artist who was born in Manila in 1916 to wealthy Filipino parents from the province of Negros Occidental. H ...

, Filipino-American

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

artist.

History

It was built between 1948-50 by the Ossorio family thus it is sometimes called the Ossorio's Chapel The Ossorios originally planned to offer the job to the then young Filipino architect

Leandro Locsin Leandro V. Locsin (August 15, 1928 – November 15, 1994) was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer known for his use of concrete, floating volume and simplistic design in his various projects. An avid collector, he was fond of mo ...

, but later changed their mind and selected then-already internationally acclaimed

. 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.

Art in the church

The

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

inside the church, commonly called “The Angry Christ”, is by Philippine-born

, friend of

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

and

Clyfford Still Clyfford Still (November 30, 1904 – June 23, 1980) was an American painter, and one of the leading figures in the first generation of Abstract Expressionists, who developed a new, powerful approach to painting in the years immediately follo ...

. Mosaics are by the Belgian Adelaide de Bethune. The materials and talents were provided by the local artists Arcadio Anore and Benjamin Valenciano. 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. Their works were recognized by the Philippine religious arts for introducing a "Filipinized" version of religious themes depicting Mary, Joseph and the characters in the Fourteen Stations of the Cross to have brown skin in traditional Filipino attire.

References

External links

Photos on the interior on Beautiful Churches in the Philippines

Angry Christ Church: An Icon of Modern Liturgical Art & Architecture in the Philippines

Angry Christ Church Victorias City
{{coord missing, Philippines Tourist attractions in Negros Occidental Roman Catholic churches in Negros Occidental