A Closer Look at Bulusan's "Campana Mayor" (A.D. 1810)

Parish of St. James the Greater
Bulusan, Sorsogon, Philippines
November 3, 2012

Commissioned under one Padre Cura Eusebio Vizente de la Cruz


Distinct elements of this bell suggest that this one must have come from the foundry of one "Benito de los Reyes," a bell caster from around Manila who was active in the industry from 1808 to 1841.

Around 30 bells were attributed to him (by researcher cited at the bottom of this narrative) and this number includes at least one bell for San Agustin Church (1829).  His bells have been found "as far north as Cagayan and as far south as Iloilo."

Back to those distinct elements.  Here they are:
1. "Benito" bells were known for crosses with emanating rays.  This one at Bulusan has one such cross.
2. The pedestal at the foot of the cross is very "Benito."  To quote the researcher:  "The bells of Benito de los Reyes are marked by a cross standing on a triangular pedestal, the slopes of which are composed of opposing C-scrolls (on a slope, one "C" facing outwards rests on another "C" facing inwards, and so on.)
3. The inscribed year has the first and third digits for "1" in the shape of a fish hook, again, very "Benito."

Although these elements were somewhat copied by Macario de los Angeles (active 1834 to 1847) and Saturnino Limcaco (1849-1864), the fact that Bulusan's "Campana Mayor" is inscribed with the earlier year of 1810 (precedes these two bell casters' active years) must mean that the bell in discussion most probably came from Benito de los Reyes' foundry.


With information lifted from: "In Search of Bell-Casters and Foundries in Spanish Colonial Philippines" by Regalado Trota Jose,  Archivist at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, a Heritage Advocate connected with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA),  of the Society of Ecclesiastical Archivists of the Philippines (SEAP), and author of the book, "Simbahan: Church Art in Colonial Philippines 1565-1898". 

Update: January 21, 2013

 Received previous advice from the elders that Bulusan had at at least two other bigger bells:

1. A legendary one, with one account stating that during one of those Moro raids of old, there was this one bigger bell which was captured and was forcefully loaded to one of the raiders' boats. However, because of its great weight, the pirates had to eventually throw the bell overboard. It is now believed to reside in the depths of San Bernardino Strait. Another account states that it was a golden bell and this singular quality must have been what drove the raiders to loot the tower of this alleged precious relic.

2. An actual bigger bell which several witnesses claim they previously saw on display at the parish rectory's ground floor. This was before the building went through a major renovation in the early 1980s. It was said to have a crack (such as this one in the picture) and as to its size, it was supposed to tower over an average intermediate grader. The bell has since ceased to be on display and still other witnesses claim to have seen it being loaded to a truck of sorts in a rather sneaky way. One could but guess who masterminded such an operation.

Update: June 26, 2015
As confirmed from studies made by Prof. Regalado Trota Jose, what is currently Bulusan's largest bell was not cast in 1816 but in 1810.  The last digit was apparently really a "0" and not the tail end of a "6."