Ateneo Church of the Gesu Heritage

While the Ateneo de Manila University is situated in the middle of a highly urbanized city, it has strived to cultivate places that offer peace and quiet to the members of its community. One such place is the Ateneo Church of the Gesu, located right in the heart of the school. As an emblem of Atenean life, it has also grown to be a shining embodiment of Philippine culture and heritage.

The Making of the Gesu

Nestled in between the various buildings and sprawling greenery of the Ateneo, the Gesu is a beacon of faith, peace, and university life. Plans to build the Church remained in the pipeline for decades until they were actualized in the 1990s. With their design sensibilities and expertise, the Recio+Casas architecture firm was chosen in 1999 to bring the Gesu dream to life. At the forefront was architect Jose Pedro C. Recio, who worked hand in hand with the Ateneo community until the Church was completed in July 2003.

Architecture and Vision

Like arms open wide to welcome each person that may come its way, the Gesu stands across Belarmine Field. The church is tall and wide, distinguished by its slanted roofs, white walls, and wide windows. Its design conceptualization and construction was centered on the goal of representing the Jesuit vision in the Philippine context by serving as an icon for the university.

Utilitarian in nature, the Gesu was built to be lived in and loved by members of the Atenean community. Its spaciousness offers opportunities for prayer and reflection as much as it welcomes large celebrations. Representative of contemporary Filipino architecture, the Gesu’s design also evokes the qualities of the traditional Bahay Kubo and values of openness, transparency, multifunctionality, and harmony with the environment. It also coexists with the flora and fauna of the site, being in close proximity with the university’s Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Gesu’s 2017 Haligi ng Dangal Award

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Philippines’ government agency for the conservation and promotion of the country’s history and cultural heritage, biennially bestows the Haligi ng Dangal award on exemplary architectural works in the Philippines.

In 2017, the Church of the Gesu was selected by the NCCA through the National Committee on Architecture as a Haligi ng Dangal honoree for its expression of Filipino identity and the Atenean mission. It was chosen alongside other esteemed and distinctly Filipino works of architecture such as the Arnaiz Residence, the Ronac Art Center, the Lumot Lakehouse, and the UP Town Center.

The Gesu And The Community

Upholding the Atenean spirit, the Church of the Gesu has also become part of a greater Philippine culture and heritage. Since it was built, it has been a place open for all to dwell in its wide expanses, and will continue to nurture the community that surrounds it.

On Maundy Thursdays, the Church is open to the general public for Confessions, celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, night vigils, and the Visita Iglesia.

For more information on the Church of the Gesu, visit these links:

• https://www.ateneo.edu/gesu

• http://www.ateneo.edu/sites/default/files/attachment/GESU/Article.pdf

• https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/275826/ateneos-church-gesu-now-filipino-symbol/amp/

• https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/design/articles/2014/november/11/one-thing-not-to-miss-in-manila/