The Earth Chapel

Three Negrense artists unite in building the “Earth Chapel” to visually express their common advocacy on environmental protection. The chapel is located near the Greenheart Hermitage of the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos in Bacolod City, Philippines.

Greenheart Hermitage gathered three artists to build a chapel, made of indigenous materials (the structure is made of mud, bamboo, rice straw and stalk and cogon grass) and recycled materials (wine bottles, discarded tiles, discarded wood slab, etc.).

Marisol Alquizar, a visual-artist who dedicates her time building mud houses in the island of Negros, designed the chapel.

 Brother Tagoy Jakosalem, a Rekoleto friar and an official presenter of The Climate Reality Project, did the interior and conceptualize the incorporation of renewable energy into the structure – making the chapel true to form and function in its liturgical scheme.

Nunelucio Alvarado, a leading social-realist artist in the country, designed the crucifix for the chapel, from his pen and ink version of “Kristo ni Alvarado” transformed into a colorful mosaic as the centerpiece of the chapel – Christ as a suffering sacada, offering his suffering for the sake of all. For Alvarado “The Christ that I made is a sugar worker, he is like a sacada who is nailed by oppression and abuse… in the same way, the Christ that we nailed on the cross because of our sinfulness.”

The interior of the chapel

The chapel is the first solar-powered religious edifice in the country, it is envisioned both to have a sound spiritual and environmental atmosphere, LED lights are used to illumine the interior. Wine bottles are incorporated in the structure, natural lighting effects emanating from the green-colored wine bottles, serving as recyclable stained-glass windows.

The St. Francis of Assisi Pledge

The chapel, started its skeleton from the hands of volunteer students, who are all active members of the Tsinelas of Hope, offering their time to give life to the chapel.

We are envisioning the chapel to be the center of our ecological reflection, owing to the spiritual inspiration of our Creator; hoping to be transformed to be men and women of faith committed to protect and preserve the earth.

CREDITS:

Photo Source: http://www.facebook.com/greenheart.hermitage

Text: http://www.uno-r.edu.ph/