Photo by Francis Edward Arinton
Artifacts from the Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora De Aranzazu are featured in San Mateo Rizal’s Municipal hall as part of the city’s Septemberfest: History Exhibit. The exhibit is scheduled to last for three days, spanning from September 13 through 15, 2023.
The exhibit themed “BALIK-TANAW: SIMBAHAN AT BAYAN SA KASAYSAYAN NG SAN MATEO” is a retrospective of San Mateo’s historical events. The exhibit displays artifacts, photographs, and documents pertinent to the city’s past.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is the two church bells of the parish, preserved from the years 1816 and 1865 respectively. Both artifacts still retain the scars inflicted from the Second World War. At either side are two wooden carvings of Saint Anne and Saint Anthony the Great from the 1800s, both of which were previous residents of the parish’s facade. All mentioned artifacts, of which, were lent by the Aranzazu Shrine for the event. At the back of the exhibit is an abridged summary of San Mateo Rizal’s history from the 16th century onwards, giving credence to both the religious and nationalistic aspects of the city’s past.
Other notable artifacts from the Aranzazu Shrine: a diorama of the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Aranzazu based on its appearance in 1716; a baptismal font from 1952; a wooden carving of Saint John the Baptist from the year 1800; the image of Our Lady of Aranzazu in Plaster of Paris, dated to the 1950s.
Aside from displays featuring the parish, there were a number of World War II and miscellaneous artifacts in the exhibit, newspaper clippings featuring San Mateo Rizal, as well as a timeline of each of San Mateo Rizal’s mayors, among others. (Angelica Ysabelle Capili)
