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| This is the intriguing wooden statue declared by the municipal government of Boac as municipal protected historical artifact and treasure. The statue is now displayed at Casa Real in Boac. Photo: Eli J Obligacion |
This is about the thoroughly intriguing story of
what’s believed to be a statue of 'Queen Isabela II of Spain' on one hand and
what’s also commonly believed by some devout Catholics in Boac as an
image 'of the Blessed Virgin Mary'.
It had been kept for nearly two hundred years
(183 years to be exact), in the custody of the municipio of Boac and had
episodes of being moved from place to place for various reasons.
But where did this graven image come
from in the first place? Who is it really supposed to depict?
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| Close-up of the statue. Photo: Eli J. Obligacion |
What do we know about this wooden statue so far?
At one time in 1980s the rebulto was transferred from the municipio to the back entrance of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), Marinduque office at Kasilag
Street near the Boac municipal building. There, it was exposed to the elements as it was placed outside the said establishment, but easily accesible to people such as Marian devotees wishing to adorn it with flowers. There it was venerated, adored, touched with
reverence as followers make their sign of the cross in so doing.
In the 80s after the People Power
Revolution, the newly-appointed Mayor of Boac, Pedrito Nepomuceno with his
strong sense of local history had the opportunity to initiate the return of the
statue to the municipal building. He was apparently one of the few who knew
about the origin of the statue and whom it was supposed to represent.
He was heeded. The statue was returned to the municipio and installed by the landing on the second floor. The flowers and prayers continued, however and no one dared to get in the way.
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| PNRC building that once installed the statue outside to guard the building in the 80s (marked with an arrow). The municipal building is to the right in the background. |
Fast forward to 2013. The late
Konsehal Miguel R. Magalang who also chaired the Boac Historical Society at that
time sponsored a municipal resolution recognizing the importance of the statue,
a wooden statue. The resolution (No. 2013-042 dated August 19, 2013), stated thus:
“Whereas, while the Boac Historical Society and the municipal government are still ascertaining the provenance of the wooden statue of Queen Isabella II, there is an initial confirmed data that its existence is an extraordinary historical discovery on the part of the Intramuros Administration because it is the only existing replica of the bronze statue of Queen Isabella presently installed in the Puerta de Isabel II in Intramuros, in the entire country. It is likened to the Magallanes monument which has a replica in the Province of Cebu and the Anda Monument with replica in the Province of Pampanga;
“Whereas, an existing primary source document from Intramuros Administration #295, which forms integral part of this Resolution as Annex “A”, indicates that the wooden statue of Queen Isabella II was received on June 9, 1836 by the Governadorcillo of Pueblo de Boac, Don Eugenio Bunag…”
Now a date has been revealed to us: June 9, 1836. It was therefore resolved by the 8th
Sangguniang Bayan to excitedly declare “the 1836 wooden statue of Queen Isabella II as a
municipal protected historical artifact and treasure”.
Quite a lot of valuable never-before-heard-of
information indeed!: “Statue of Queen Isabela II”
received in 1836; and a wooden statue.
Basis as “extraordinary historical
discovery” was a document in Spanish dated June 9, 1836. (I fully appreciate the kind help of former Vice-Mayor and incumbent Konsehal Sonny Paglinawan and tourism officer Jing-Jing G. Loto in retrieving the said document. Titled, “Valga para el
Reynado de S.M. la Sra. D. Ysabel II I para los anos de mil ochocientos treinta i seis i treinta i siete”.
The rest of the text was handwritten
in that artful style and script we're so familiar with when poring over Spanish documents, so stylish to the extent that some words and letters are hardly
readable. And that's a must-task for the experts to probe and translate it first into another language. But since the source of the document did not provide a translation of what looks like
a “Certifico”, it seems that we're stuck here.
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| The 'primary source document from Intramuros Administration #295". Titled “Valga para el Reynado de S.M. la Sra. D. Ysabel II I para los anos de mil ochocientos treinta iseis i treinta i siete” |
In the absence of an English or Filipino translation, it should follow that no final conclusion could be made or ascertained on the
“provenance of the wooden statue of Queen Isabella II” as desired. What if the document
which was merely issued during the reign of Queen Isabela II, indeed was actually stating something
else that might be unrelated to the statue?
Something tells me that that could be the case here.
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| Isabela II as a child. Born in 1830, proclaimed sovereign on the death of the king in 1833. The Spanish document in Boac stating it was mentioned during her reign was dated 1836, she was six. |
Some facts about Queen Isabel II.
This observation that must be considered valid is
reinforced by certain now-easy-to-validate historical facts. Like what? Like:
Isabella II (Spanish: Isabel; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until 1868. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, whose refusal to recognize a female sovereign led to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1868, and formally abdicated in 1870. (Wikipedia)
Therefore, as to the date when the statue
was supposed to have been received in Boac, Queen Isabela II was only 6 six
years of age by then. But yes, she was already the
Queen of Spain by 1836 as she "came to the throne as an infant".
It is absolutely
unthinkable that at age six, a graven image of Isabella II as an
adult would be conceptualized at all, and for what so-exceedingly-special reason, if ever?
No replica
Fact is, the first Queen Isabel II
statue presently standing at Puerta Isabel, one made of bronze was erected on
July 14, 1860 in Arroceros (now Liwasang Bonifacio), that’s when Isabel II was
already 30 years old - or 24 years after the questioned Boac certifico document
was issued. And her bronze statue depicted the queen in a regal robe and costume.
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| The Queen Isabel II Statue is located in front of Puerta Isabel II in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. Made of bronze and was funded by donations collected from the city in 1854 and 1855. Ponciano Ponzano, a Spanish sculptor was commissioned to do the work. It was erected amidst festive ceremonies on 14 July 1860 near Teatro Alfonso XII in Arroceros in what is now now Liwasang Bonifacio |
The Intramuros Administration
definitely spoke too soon if it’s true that they claimed among others that the supposed statue in
Boac is a “replica” of the statue now installed at Puerta Isabel. These two are
completely different statues, far from being a copy or reproduction of an original work as what replicas are supposed to mean.
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What may be considered a near replica of
the Puerta Isabel statue may be the one installed in 2013 in Ilagan, Isabela Province (above),
precisely in honor of Queen Isabela II. This province, the second largest in the country, was named after the queen when it was founded in 1856 by a royal decree.
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| Formal photo portrait of Queen Isabela, 1860. She was 30 years old. (Wikipedia) |
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| Reina Isabel II wearing some Orders (Wikipedia) |
