Siete Arcangeles de Indang - The Winged Protectors of Upland Cavite

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Siete Arcangeles de Indang
In the historic upland area of Indang, Cavite, it boasts its old Parish dedicated to Pope St. Gregory the Great. Yet, what is interesting is that aside from San Gregorio Magno, the people of Indang also cherish and venerates its one of a kind patrons, the Seven Archangels of Indang, located at the Epistle side of the Altars and the Seven Archangels are attributed to numerous miracles and protection of Indang.

What is also a wonder is that it the painting is the oldest existing painting of the Seven Archangels in the Philippines.

The Icon

The prodigious painting of the Siete Arcangeles of Indang depicts the Seven Archangels in the foreground with St. Michael the Archangel in the middle. The Seven Archangels, also called the Seven Princes of Heaven, as derived from Jewish and Biblical sources, both canonical and apocryphal, Out of the Seven Archangels, Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the most popular and best known due to their mention in the Bible and promotion by the Catholic church over the centuries. Other names however were either based from the Eastern Orthodox Church's Tradition: with the four so called apocryphal archangels: Uriel, Seathiel, Jhudiel and Barachiel.

The famed print of the Seven Archangels that
spread all over Latin America by
Hieronimus Wierix
The origin of the devotion

The widespread popularity of this image dates from the early 1500s, when a related icon or fresco, complete with their names and attributes, was discovered in a chapel of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Palermo,shortly after the Spanish occupation of Sicily.
Originally known as the Seven Princes of Palermo, or the Seven Secret Angels of the Apocalypse, they were adopted as heavenly protectors of the imperial house of Hapsburg.  In the dome of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo, it was a copy of the ancient icon representing the Seven Archangels with their names, according to Byzantine and then Catholic traditions.

In iconography, as well as with their names ending in "el" - "God" - are "Theophors" carriers of God and represented with the following symbols: St. Michael Archangel with the Sword and Lucifer under the feet ; Saint Gabriel Archangel with the jasper and torch mirror; San Raphael Archangel with medicine and Tobia; Saint Uriel Archangel with sword and flame; San Barachiel Archangel with roses to be distributed; San Jhudiel Archangel with crown and scourge, San Seathiel Archangel in prayer.

St. Gregory the Great of Indang, Cavite
The devotion once enjoyed papal and royal endorsement, this devotion and its imagery, much of it based on a widely circulated 16th century print by the Flemish engraver Hieronimus Wierix, spread rapidly across Europe and into the Americas, where it enjoyed a vogue in Mexico, Peru and later in the Philippines.

On the names of the Archangels

It also believed that Pope St. Gregory the Great gave the names of the four remaining archangels: Uriel, Simiel, Orifiel, and Zachariel, while the Orthodox Church had named the names of the Archangels: Uriel, Barachiel , Jehudiel, Salathiel. In 1500 the Church, with some spelling changes, chose the same names of the Orthodox Church for the Archangels. Towards the end of 1600, an ancient Jewish code was found in the Vatican Library, where, besides the archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Uriel, Seathiel, Jhudiel and Barachiel were named.  However, with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Directory on Popular Piety states that the Church does not permit proper names of Angels that are not found in the canonical books of the Bible for the reasons that "the practice of giving particular names to angels, with the exception of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, is to be disapproved of. Popular piety towards the angels, which is legitimate and healthy, can nevertheless sometimes lead to deviations". Yet, despite this statement, it did not dampen the strong devotion to the Siete Arcangeles in the Americas and in the Philippines.
St. Gregory the Great Parish, Indang, Cavite
The devotion in Indang

The Parish of St. Gregory the Great was established originally a or visita of Silang under the Jesuits. The church's historical marker stated that the church was established as a mission station of Father Angelo Armano in 1611 and a separate parish in 1625 under the advocacy of St. Gregory the Great. But, one day, the local priest found a big rolled picture at the back of the church together with some burnt trash. When it was opened, it showed an icon of the Seven Archangels. The origins of the icon were unknown yet is has a striking resemblance to the famed Sicilian print that was circulated all over Europe and Latin America. Soon afterwards, the statue versions of the Seven Archangels were carved as processional images.

Since the discovery of the image, it was immediately enthroned in the Epistle side of the altar. Numerous miracles were attributed to the Seven Archangels and to St. Gregory the Great including the peaceful stay of the Japanese soldiers during the war and a failed attempt to raid the town from bandits.

Siete Arcangeles de Indang
The devotion

The town fiesta of Indang dedicated to St. Gregory the Great and the Seven Archangels is originally celebrated on the second Monday and Tuesday of May, but is now celebrated on the second Sunday of May and the Tuesday that follows as Thanksgiving Fiesta in honor of the divine patrons - St. Gregory and the Seven Archangels. The faithful of Indang also celebrates the actual Liturgical feasts of Pope St. Gregory the Great on September 3, while the Siete Archangels' feast day on September 29, and the non-religious town celebrations set on November 30 until December 2.

All of us have Guardian Angels and it is an age old teaching of the church as stated in the Paragraph 336 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. Through intercession, even the Seven Archangels can come to our aid and we are encouraged to ask for their intercession and guidance.

As we end this blog dedicated to the Siete Arcangeles, here is the following prayer that is prayed by the Sicilians daily  while once a year a devotee, carrying seven white flowers in their honorin honor of the Seven Archangels:

"O glorious Seven Archangels, who are like seven lamps that worship before the Throne of the Most High and to which our protection is entrusted, free us from all evil, take away the action of Satan, implore God merciful for us and allow us to one day contemplate it eternally with you. Amen."

 References:

"Angelic Devotion" (2014), Retrieved on September 5, 2017 from http://www.thequeenofangels.com/the-angelic-host/angelic-devotion/.
"I Sette Arcangeli" (2013), Retrieved on September 5, 2017 from http://www.statoquotidiano.it/29/09/2015/i-sette-arcangeli/382207/.
Gonzales, Dick (2009), “The Miraculous Patrons of Indang, Cavite”, Retrieved on September 9, 2017 from http://www.cavite.info/article/the-miraculous-patrons-of-indang-cavite.html.
Perry, Richard D. (2014), "Art of Oaxaca: The Seven Princes", Retrieved on September 5, 2017 from http://colonialmexico.blogspot.com/2014/06/art-of-oaxaca-seven-princes.html.
Phan, P. C., & Brancatelli, R. J. (2005). "The directory on popular piety and the liturgy: Principles and guidelines : a commentary." Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press.
"Seven Arcangels in the Old and New Testament of Paul" (2012), Retrieved on September 7, 2017 from www.settearcangeli.it.

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