No other church built during the Spanish colonial period can speak of the Kapampangan good taste more than the centuries-old Betis Church in Guagua, Pampanga. A must-visit church of the province an hour north of Manila, the Betis Church is nicknamed the "Sistine Chapel of the Philippines" because of the immense explosion of color inside brought about by its exquisite wall and ceiling murals. Indeed, the church is a celebration of the Kapampangan artistic skill. It is among the oldest churches of the province and one of the 26 churches declared by the National Museum as National Cultural Treasures in 2001.
Betis was established as a visita of Tondo on May 2, 1572 a few months after the province of Pampanga was created in December 1571. The church was said to have been built in stages for over a century beginning in 1600 when Fr. Fernando Pinto, a visiting priest from Lubao, built the first structure possibly with light materials. He was followed by Fr. Jose de la Cruz, another visiting priest who built a church and convent of strong materials. The work went on from 1660 to 1770. The façade of the current church is believed to have been completed in 1738, while the rest of the church was finished in 1770.
A former town of Pampanga which was fused with Guagua during the early 20th century, Betis is known for its carvers who create furniture in the Baroque style. These craftsmen are noted for their ability to make use of foreign motifs and fuse them with local forms, and the Betis Church is a testament to the skill of these Kapampangan artisans at improvisation and absorption of diverse cultural elements.
The church measures 50 meters long, 12 meters wide and 10 meters high. Its façade is generously ornamented. According to Fathers Pedro Galende and Rene Javellana, “Rendered in stone, stucco, and timber the church draws inspiration from disparate sources and brings them together without any trace of disharmony. The facade calls to mind the delicacy of Wedgewood ceramic, save that the appliqued white motifs are Baroque instead of the traditional Classical cameos. These appliques achieve the fineness of filigree, in the teardrops and ribband above the rose window of the pediment, and in the espejito de mano (hand mirror designs) on the side panels of the second level.”
The genteel façade however does not offer any hint of the splendid interior that awaits any visitor who enters through its intricately carved doors. Spectacular trompe l’oeil paintings and real wood carvings provide a lavish texture to the interior of church.
Renowned 19th century painter Simon Flores was responsible for many of the paintings in the church. Flores was said to have filled the walls and ceilings of church with scenes from the bible. But these were heavily retouched in the years that followed and it is no longer possible to assess the artistic genius of his original work. There are however, several large framed paintings inside the church as well as the convento which are directly attributed to Flores.
The artisans did not scrimp on inspiration since the moment you enter the main entrance, you are welcomed below the choir loft by the faux-covered ceiling that serves as a prologue for the “visual and tactile extravagance of the interior,” as Hawaii-based architect Roger Gaspar puts it. He adds that “a painting of Jesus as a shepherd occupies the central portion of the ceiling. But the fascination here is short-lived, since the lavish trompe l’oiel of the nave’s ceiling is clearly visible at this vantage, and one cannot help but to be drawn deeper into the church’s interior.”
This fascinating interior is sharpened up by the natural light entering through rectangular and rose windows found on either side. “The visual spectacle,” Gaspar adds, “intensifies at the crossing. Here, the interior opens up to an octagonal dome. Like the rest of the church, the dome was not spared from the painter’s zealous brush. The dome depicts a heavenly scene of clouds and religious images that are lit by natural light entering through the windows of the drum. The four piers that hold up the dome are also profusely ornamented. Each pier is painted with one of the four evangelists, similar to many western traditional churches.”
A fitting climax to this outburst of creativity is the ornately-carved three-tiered altar with niches framed by solomonic columns encrusted with gilt flora that dominates the center of the church. Heavily decorated with angels, flora, sunfaces and stars together with several niches containing the statues of saints, the retablo of the Betis Church is a fitting testament to the unparalleled talent and skill of the Kapampangan carver.
Galende and Javellana give an explanation as to why this outburst of creativity seems to blend together. They mention that “the gold and white retablo of Betis Church is an effective counterfoil for the riot of color that explodes on the ceiling and walls of the church. Yet the whole decorative scheme coheres, perhaps brought about by the skillful use of earth tones for borders, frames, divisions and transitions between Biblical scene and the next.”
Indeed, Betis speaks highly of the resilient Kapampangan spirit. We must consider ourselves lucky that this treasure was spared from the lahar which engulfed neighboring towns, standing proudly as a legacy for future generations of Filipinos.
