book, often depicted as the
Doctrina Christiana. Only known surviving copy by Fray Juan de Plasencia.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Circa 1590s. It is not known what Calungsod looked like, as no contemporary depictions survive. The writer Alcina, who was a contemporary of Calungsod, described male Visayan
indios of his time as usually more corpulent, better built, and somewhat taller than the
Tagalogs in
Luzon; that their skin was light brown; that their faces were usually round and of fine proportions; that their noses were flat; that their eyes and hair were black; that they – especially the youth – wore their hair a little bit longer; and that they already started to wear
camisas (shirts) and
calzones (knee-
breeches). Pedro Chirino, S.J., who also worked in the Visayas in the 1590s, similarly described the Visayans as well-built, of pleasing countenance, and light-skinned. Calungsod is often depicted as a teenaged young man wearing a
camisa de chino that is sometimes bloodied and usually dark, loose trousers. His most famous attributes are the
martyr's palm pressed to his chest and a catechism book, which artists often show as the
Doctrina Christiana. He is depicted in mid-stride, occasionally also bearing a
rosary or crucifix to indicate his missionary status. In some early statues, Calungsod is shown with a spear and
catana (cutlass), the instruments of his death.
In art The first portrayals stated to be of Pedro Calungsod were drawings made by
Eduardo Castrillo in 1994 for the
Heritage of Cebu Monument in
Parián. A bronze statue representing Calungsod was made and forms part of the monument. Sculptors Francisco dela Victoria and Vicente Gulane of Cebu and Justino Cagayat, Jr., of
Paete, Laguna, created statues representing Calungsod in 1997 and 1999, respectively. chapel, dedicated to him. When the
Archdiocese of Manila in 1998 published the pamphlet
Pedro Calungsod: Young Visayan "Proto-Martyr" by theologian Catalino Arevalo,
SJ, the 17-year-old
Ronald Tubid of
Oton, Iloilo, then a student-athlete at the
University of the East, was chosen to model for a portrait representing Calungsod. This was said to be the basis for Rafael del Casal's painting in 1999, which was chosen as the official portrait for Calungsod. This claim was denied by clergyman and book author Ildebrado Leyson, who asserted del Casal did not use an actual person as basis for the portrait. The del Casal image is the first to feature a
Christogram, the Seal of the Society of Jesus, with which Calungsod was affiliated. The original painting is now enshrined at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Pedro Calungsod in Cebu City. Several statues representing Calungsod were also commissioned for the beatification, with one brought to Rome and personally blessed by Pope John Paul II. This became the "Pilgrim Image", now enshrined at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the
Black Nazarene of the Society of the Angel of Peace in Cansojong,
Talisay, Cebu. Another image was enshrined at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Pedro Calungsod in Cebu City. Both images depict Calungsod wearing a white
camisa (shirt) and trousers, with the martyr's palm, a rosary, and a crucifix pressed to his breast. During the
novena before his feast day, a replica of the
catana used to kill him is set into the arm of the statue. For the canonization celebrations, the chosen sculpture by Justino Cagayat, Jr., represented Calungsod in mid-stride and carrying the
Doctrina Christiana and the martyr's palm pressed to his chest. This image was brought to Rome for the canonization festivities. Upon its return to the Philippines, the image toured the country. When not on tour, the image is enshrined at the Cebu Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Pedro Calungsod in the archbishop's palace.
In film Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir is a Filipino film with
Rocco Nacino in the title role released on December 25, 2013, as an official entry to the
2013 Metro Manila Film Festival. It was written and directed by Francis O. Villacorta and produced by HPI Synergy Group and Wings Entertainment. ==Criticism==