Santo Cristo del Tesoro - Old Manila's Great Treasure

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Santo Cristo de Tesoro of Colegio de Sta. Isabel, Manila
In the streets of Taft Avenue Manila where Colleges and other commercial buildings nestle its streets, there is a hidden treasure that lies in this seemingly busy metropolis. That treasure is the centuries old image of Santo Cristo del Tesoro venerated in the Chapel of Santa Isabel College in Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila.

The venerable image of the Crucified Christ is not just a treasure because of its antiquity and historical value, but its miracles that he wrought to his devotees through the centuries that he garnered much love and affection by many from the students ad non students of Sta. Isabel College and some Manilenos of old who still remember the glory of this image of the dark skinned Jesus Crucified.

The Feast day of this venerable image is every September 14, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross where we commemorate the recovery of the Cross from the Persians and the victory of the Cross over Paganism when Emperor Constatine decalred Christianity as official ste religion and signals the the end of Paganism.

Features of the image

The image is that of Jesus Crucified made of dark wood. The style of carving is clearly that of Spanish origin for the blood marks and other details are intricately carved in place if the image will be observed closely. The image has its own set of jewels from nail heads and Tres Potencias covered with precious stones, the Crown of Thorns made of gold and other heirlooms that the image acquired from the gifts of generous devotees through the centuries.
Details of Santo Cristo de Tesoro

History

The image arrived in the country in 1631 from Acapulco for the Real Casa de La Misericordia. It was a gift of Don Juan Lopez, a captain who gave up the career of the sword, for that of charity. He was then bookkeeper of the above mentioned charitable institution.

The crucifix was placed in a shrine near the treasury of the Real Casa de La Misericordia as a guardian keeping a vigilant eye on the treasures of his beloved children. In fact, the crucified Christ proved that the treasury remained inexhaustible in spite of the many poor whose cries for alms and mercy were unfailingly answered. Day in and out, the number of grateful devotees to the image increased. The Walled City of Manila counted the Santo Cristo del Tesoro among the images of popular devotion.

 Miracles

What began as the poor's material treasure became an infinite treasury of divine grace, open to all who seek the Lord's mercy in their needs. Even in the mission fields of China and Japan, the missionaries have attributed the conversion of the pagans to Santo Cristo del Tesoro. In times of drought, the Archbishop of Manila with his parishioners joined in a solemn procession in honor of this image, imploring for rain, and the events that followed did not fall short of the trust he and the people of Manila had placed in the Black Christ.

The Palladium of Old Manila

With the tremendous miracles of the Santo Cristo, the image, along with the miraculous image of Nuestra Senora del Santisimo Rosario de La Naval de Manila of the Dominicans of old Santo Domingo Church and the image of San Francisco de las Lagrimas of the Real Monasterio de la Purisima y Nuestra Madre de Santa Clara of the Franciscan Poor Clare nuns became known as the Palladium of Old Manila.

As the Santo Cristo is advocate against drought in the country, the Santo Rosario of the Dominicans is the Manila's succor against invaders and guide in political crisis the country has faced as she has proven in the Famed Five La Naval battles of 1646. In turn, the San Francisco de las Lagrimas (St, Francis of Assisi in Tears) is the succor against earthquakes and the local insurgencies.



The devotion during World War 2

Durimg the Second World War, the Santo Cristo was whisked away from the old Santa Isabel College to San Agustin Church and later transferred to Colegio de Sta. Rita of old Calumpang (now Plaza del Carmen of Quiapo). The image was later transferred to his new site in Ermita. In those dark days, the devotion to Santo Cristo del Tesoro found its way into the dreaded Fort Santiago and other places of torture. Freed or liberated prisoners form the fort went to the chapel of Santa Isabel College in Intramuros to bend their faltering knees before His image in fervent and humble thanksgiving.

 The Devotion still lives on

 Much of Santo Cristo del Tesoro is written in the secret pages of the human heart and much is kept in the unfathomable depths of many human souls that has gone along the road to Calvary under the protective wing of the Holy Cross of Christ.

In the Book of Life, we will find sometimes the complete history of three hundred and sixty years that has formed a part of an epoch of grace that will end in eternity. We see glimmer of the exuberant life of grace in the hundreds of eyes that are lovingly raised to Santo Cristo del Tesoro,who venerated this prodigious image for centuries from all walks of life flock to the humble chapel of Santa Isabel College to pay homage to the only true treasure they possess in their life - Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Reference:

"Novena to Señor Santo Cristo del Tesoro" (2000), Santa Isabel College, Ermita, Manila.

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