I Saw The Angry Christ!
OMG! As in?!
Well, not really Him as in HIM (simba ko)! Just the famous chapel in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Why would He want to see me now anyway, eh I'm a good boy naman, di ba? Please say "yes". Amen!!
The name "Church of the Angry Christ" or "Angry Christ Church" intrigued me. So, when a friend (who knew I was in Victorias City) told me to check it out, I did not hesitate to go find it. For curiosity's sake!
Asking people at the plaza, many said "ah sa Vicmico" or "ah sa VMC". I asked what it meant, they told me it means Vicorias Milling Company - the sugar central of Negros. Wow okay, the "asukal" capital!
So, I learned that this church is not near, but everyone I talked-to said 'it is not really far, kailangan lang sadyain' since not many people go there, especially on a noontime. I said "oo nga naman, tanghali eh"!
They told me to ride a tricycle going there as that is the only way. So I did! I think it is about 4 or 5 kms from the city center. It actually backtracks along the highway that I passed-by from EB Magalona, then it veers left (going southeastward) at a corner that the driver told me is called "crossing sa Canetown".
Yes, not "sugartown" but "canetown"! And the views along the way are wonderful - fields of sugarcane.
There are not many residential houses along the way, though the driver told me that the whole of VMC encompasses not just one, but many barangays out of only 26 in the entire city. So VMC must be vast!
Oh, you know you are 'there' when you see that fences are painted with signages like this one..,
But let's talk about more of VMC later. First, let's go see the "Angry Christ", shall we?!
This is the "Church of the Angry Christ"! But where's "angry"? Ah, it is inside - just at the altar, actually!
Don't confuse this with St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church at the center of the previous town of EB Magalona, okay? It helps to call this one in Victorias City as the "Angry Christ Chapel" - like others do!
Mind you, while the chapel is known for the "Angry Christ", if you look at the top of that façade - above the foyer - those are three big panels of artwork (glass mosaic) depicting three stages in the life of St. Joseph - left panel portrays his marriage to the Virgin Mary; center panel is him in his workshop with Mary and Jesus; and the right side portrays his death - all created by Belgian artist Adelaide Bethune.
And here is the inside of the chapel, viewed as I entered from the main entrance..,
Here is a closer look on that altar area and the transept..,
It's easy to discern though, why people started calling this place "The Angry Christ Chapel", right? Yes, it is how the face and forehead of Jesus Christ are portrayed. He looks like he is really angry (at you)!
Anyway, elsewhere in this chapel, things do look admirably serenely "normal"..,
The surroundings of this chapel, like many in this country, is a cozy well maintained grassy garden.
Across the road, also amidst a grassy lawn and trees is this oldish but still handsome wooden house.
But I was particularly drawn for a closer look at this art installation - which I easily knew is a sundial. It is not common to see big garden sundials nowadays, right? But here is one that is real and still useful!
Oh, my trike driver 'educated' me saying 'it is a boy not a man' and 'it is sugarcane, not just any stick'!
Okay fine and thanks for those important details! Aha, speaking of Manong Trike Driver, I asked him to wait for me, so that he would still be my sure ride, on my commute back to the city center of Victorias.
Why? Well, on arrival at the 'Angry Christ Chapel', it was obvious to me, I would have difficulty hailing a ride goin' back to city center. Why? Eh I think I saw only three humans from the time we veered off the highway! This was a Sunday, just about past 1PM, so technically still noontime. Therefore, siesta time!
Alright.., on our way back to city proper, Manong Trike Driver seemed to already know what interested me, so he (voluntarily) even filled me in with bits of information about where we were! And I did notice (and thankful), he also slowed his vehicle a little bit, when we would pass some of the VMC buildings!
I should call these other sights a 'bonus' for having gone to see the 'Angry Christ' Chapel!
This is the Barangay Hall of Brgy. XVI Millsite (tarp on the fence and name above the door says so)!
I mean what an interesting topic. For example, if that road needs to be repaired/repaved, who will be in charge? The Barangay, the LGU, the DPWH, the VMC management or just the residents themselves?
Aliw 'no?! I wish a political scientist or lawyer could educate us on this. Aba, it's nice to know, di ba?
This is the corner of J.J. Ossorio Ave. and C.R. De Luzuriaga Sr. St. - Ang hahaba ng pangalan!
The wooden house back there looks like a residential home or old office building. But the huge edifice further back, with security gate, must be one of the many factory buildings. I didn't ask manong driver!
This one in the corner lot is surely a residential home. But I liked that signage on the electric post!
Okay, on my way out to the highway, as the trike moved along, I caught good views of some structures as they were mostly to my right. There're many buildings scattered in this very wide expanse of fields.
So many big warehouse-like buildings. It felt like I was traversing the factory towns of Laguna.
Main roads are also wide. On some stretches they're not even using the still unpaved portions!
There's even a St. Joseph Memorial Park along the road. And I wonder if this is only for VMC people!
Manong trike driver told me things to add to my notes, like: VMC is so vast, it even originally stretched to the entire Victorias City all the way to the town of Manapla. Oh really now?! Then again, he probably was telling a historical fact learned from his parents, so it's up to us to verify if we really want to know!
He also told me that aside from "mga elementary and highschools" (yes plural), there's also a Golf and Country Club, a De La Salle College, a Don Bosco Technical Institute, plus other private schools. Wow!
Imagine that, I just went to see an 'Angry Christ' but I saw and learned about some other things! Travel is really educational! Hmm, near some parked trucks, I think I even saw what might be (or have been?) rail tracks. I don't know, maybe I was already over-imagining things or maybe I was already dreaming!
But one thing was very sure.., nasira ang travel schedule ko as this was not part of my itinerary!
I was happy though! So let's proceed, and go on with my tour of Northern Negros!
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