The church was designed by the
Czech architect
Antonín Raymond, himself already recognized as the founder of
modern architecture in Japan. Raymond designed the church to be earthquake-proof since the Philippines is in the earthquake belt. The St. Joseph the Worker Church is made up of two sections, the nave and the tower. They are connected by movable beams holding the building up well even during earthquakes. Raymond also took into consideration the climate in the Philippine thus he designed the structure to allow maximum air circulation in the hot and humid climate.[1] The church was declared
Important Cultural Property of the Philippines in December 2015.[2]
The church is also known for its modern altar painting of so-called "Angry Christ" painted in vivid colors by
Alfonso Ossorio, Filipino-American
abstract expressionist artist.
History
It was built between 1948 and 1950 by the
Ossorio family thus it is sometimes called the Ossorio's Chapel[3] The Ossorios originally planned to offer the job to the then young Filipino architect
Leandro Locsin,[4] but later changed their mind and selected then-already internationally acclaimed
Antonín Raymond. Raymond then had designed buildings in the United States, Japan, India, Indonesia and other Asian countries. This event caused Locsin to change his style to more modern architecture, which made him famous later.[citation needed]
Art in the church
The
mural inside the church, commonly called “The Angry Christ”, is by Philippine-born
Alfonso Ossorio, friend of
Jackson Pollock and
Clyfford Still. Mosaics are by the Belgian
Adelaide de Bethune. The materials and talents were provided by the local artists Arcadio Anore and Benjamin Valenciano.[5] Arcadio Anore executed Bethune's designs for the brass plates in the pulpit and baptistery while Benjamin Valenciano did the wooden image sculptures inside the church including the images for the Stations of the Cross.[6] Their works were recognized by the Philippine religious arts for introducing a "Filipinized" version of religious themes[7] depicting Mary, Joseph and the characters in the Fourteen Stations of the Cross to have brown skin in traditional Filipino attire.[8]