Grupo Kalinangan present a feature of selected art pieces at the MiraNila Heritage House in Quezon City! take a look at some of the paintings in the MiraNila collection, including works by National Artists Fernando C. Amorsolo and Carlos “Botong” Francisco.
MiraNila was built in 1929 by Conrado Francia Benitez, a pioneering educator and constitutionalist, and his wife, Francisca Tirona Benitez, cofounder of the Philippine Women’s University, the first university for women in Asia founded by Asians. As Conrado and Francisca’s family grew and flourished over time, MiraNila became the cherished gathering place of the family as well as their various advocacies.
Today, it houses a collectionof 3,450 books and over 1,000 pieces of art, furniture, ceramics, and memorabilia initially gathered by Conrado and Francisca and later by their daughter, Helena, herself an educator, legislator, and diplomat.
MiraNila is a declared Heritage House by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on April 7, 2011.
How did MiraNila get its name?
“Perched upon the highest point in San Juan del Monte, MiraNila originally held a commanding view of Manila, its glorious sunsets and night sky view from it torre. It was from here, on August 13, 1932, that 18-year-old Helena Z. Benitez saw the fire raging in Intramuros that totally ravaged and destroyed the old Ateneo de Manila campus. Summoning her brothers, Tomas and Alfredo, she shouted, “Mira à Manila! Mira à Manila!” Having watched many a magnificent view of Manila from its torre, the Benitezes henceforth decided to name their home MiraNila” (Reyes, 2019).
Sources:
Reyes, I. (2019, May 29). This almost 100-year old Cubao mansion is testament to a family’s deep affection for their heritage. ANCX. https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/05/29/19/this-fabled-1929-mansion-in-new-manila-is-a-war-survivor-and-family-legacy
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