[ARTICLE]Maximo Viola "The Savior of Noli Me Tangere"

 

MAXIMO VIOLA

“THE SAVIOR OF NOLI ME TANGERE”

On October 17, 1857, Maximo Viola, a physician and a municipal councilor, who financed the printing of Dr. Jose Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere, was born in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Viola, a supporter of the Propaganda Movement, met Rizal and became his close friend while he was finishing his degree from the University of Barcelona in 1886.

It was while traveling with Rizal in Europe that he learned Rizal needed money to publish the Noli Me Tangere. He offered to help Rizal and 2,000 copies were printed in 1887.

Viola was also supportive of other propagandists, such as Marcelo H. Del Pilar, whom he aided financially.

When he returned to the Philippines in 1887, he spent most of his time practicing medicine. But his communication with Rizal didn’t cease until the latter has been exiled to Dapitan.

When the Filipino-American War broke out, Viola was imprisoned by the Americans, first at the Malate Military Prison and then at the Olongapo barracks, for his refusal to cooperate with the new administration. Even as a political prisoner, Viola continued practicing medicine. He was released from prison on condition that he treat American soldiers afflicted with illnesses previously unknown to America.

He died on September 3, 1933.

The Story of Maximo Viola in Europe with Rizal

After the publication of Noli Me Tangere, Rizal planned to visit the important places in Europe and Dr. Maximo Viola agreed to be his traveling companion. Rizal had received Paciano’s remittance of P1,ooo which has forwarded by Juan Luna from Paris. Rizal immediately paid Viola the sum of P300 which latter kindly loaned so that Noli could be printed. The tour begins at dawn of May 11, 1887, Rizal and Viola, two brown- skinned doctors on a roaming spree, left Berlin by train. Dresden. Rizal and Viola tarried for some time in Dresden. Their visit coincidence with the regional floral exposition First meeting with Blumentritt. At 1:30 p.m. of May 13, 1887, the train, with Rizal and Viola board, arrived at the railroad station of Leitmeritz , Bohemia. Professor Blumentritt, who received their wire, was the station. He was carrying a pencil sketch of Rizal which the latter had previously sent him, so that he could identify his Filipino friend. He warmly received Rizal and Viola. Beautiful Memories of Leitmeritz. Rizal had beautiful memories of his visit to Leitmeritz. He enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Blumentritt Family. The professor’s wife, Rosa, was a good cook, amd she prepared special Austrian dishes which Rizal liked very much. His children were Dolores (called Dora or Dorita by Rizal), Conrad and Fritz. On May 16 at 9:45 A.M., Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train. Prague. After Leitmeritz, Rizal and Viola visited the historic place of Prague. They carried letters of recommendation from Blumentritt to Dr. Willkomm, professor of natural history in the University of Prague. The good professor and his charming wife and daughters welcomed them and showed them the city’s historic spots. According to Viola, “nothing important happened in this city.” Vienna. On May 20, Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful place of Vienna, capital of Austria- Hungary. Famous in song and story, this city fascinated Rizal because of its beautiful buildings, religious images, haunting waltzes and majestic charm. Vienna was truly the “Queen of the Danube”. Danubian Voyage to Lintz. On May 24, Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of the Danube River. As they travel along the famous river, Rizal observed keenly river---the barges loaded with products, the flowers and plants growing along the river banks, the boats with families living on them and the quaint villages on the riverside. From Lintz to Rheinfall (Cascade of Rhine). The river voyage ended in Lintz. They traveled overland to Salzburg and from there to Munich where they sojourned for a short time to savor the famous Munich beer, reputed to be the best in Germany. Crossing the Frontier to Switzerland. From Rheinfall, they crossed the frontier to Schaffhausen, Switzerland. They stayed in this city from June 2 to 3 1887. They continued their tour to Basel (Bale), Bern and Lausanne. Geneva. After sightseeing in Lausanne, Rizal and Viola left on a little boat, crossing the foggy Leman Lake to Geneva. This Swiss city is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, visited by world tourist every year. The people of Geneva were linguists speaking French, German and Italian. Rizal conversed with them in these three languages. Rizal Resents exhibition of Igorots in 1887 Madrid exposition. While Rizal, accompanied by Dr. Viola, was happily touring Europe, an Exposition of the Philippines was held in Madrid, Spain. Upon reaching Geneva (Switzerland) , he received sad news from his friends in Madrid of the deplorable conditions of the primitive Igorots who were exhibited in this exposition, some of whom died and whose scanty clothing (G-strings)and crude weapons were objects of mockery and laughter by the Spanish people and press. Rizal in Italy. From Geneva, Rizal and Viola went to Italy. He visited turn, Milan , Venice and Florence. On June 27, 1887, he reached Rome, the “Eternal City” and also called the “City of the Caesars”.

MAXIMO VIOLA MEMOIR

Dr. Maximo Viola, also known as Lolo Maximo, was born on October 17, 1857, in the village of San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan, to Pedro Viola and Isabel Sison. He was a nationalist, compatriot, and close friend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Lolo Maximo grew up in Bulacan and Manila and was known as the "savior" of the Noli Me Tangere, which he funded in 1887. Lolo departed the Philippines in 1882 to seek a medical degree at the University of Barcelona, which he received in 1886, after studying at San Juan de Letran College and finishing a year of medical studies at the University of Santo Tomas. Lolo first met Rizal in Barcelona in the summer of 1886 while preparing for his final examinations in medicine and surgery. Rizal had recently arrived from Madrid and was traveling through Barcelona on his route to Paris and Germany, where he planned to spend many months studying and writing. (Lolo recalled Rizal's rigorous and methodical approach to the study of the German language in his January 1913 memoirs, "Mis Viajes con el Doctor Jose Rizal," which consisted of putting to memory at least five words of German before sleeping each night.)

Lolo decided to join Rizal in Berlin after finishing his medical studies, and the two were reunited soon before Christmas in 1886. Lolo spent the following six months in the company of his "patient," Rizal, who instructed him in German language studies. Rizal kept a busy schedule in Berlin, which included learning several languages, visiting clinics, and attending numerous anthropological conferences in addition to teaching German. Rizal also finished Noli Me Tangere, a satirical book on the horrors of monastic authority in the Philippines, during this period. The two visitors were blown away not just by the Blumentritts' legendary hospitality, but also by the care and attention they received from their hosts. Every morning after breakfast, Dr. Blumentritt arrived at the hotel on time to give the day's program. He brought his pals to the museum and other sites of interest, even introducing them to some of the city's most powerful people. Rizal and Lolo were feted once again in the evening at the Blumentritt house with a magnificent feast. Dinner was followed by talks that lasted far into the early hours of the morning, with the audible hum of Spanish and German noises blending together. It was close to dawn when Dr. Blumentritt took his friends back to the Krebs.

 According to the pages of the Leitmeritzer Zeitung, Rizal and Lolo's visit became somewhat of a news phenomenon that week. The newspaper reported: “Today, two gentlemen from the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal and Dr. Maximo Viola, arrived for a visit to Professor Blumentritt. Both are members of the Tagalog branch of the Malayan race, and they may be the first of their kind to set foot on Leitmeritz land. They toured sites of importance in our city under the capable supervision of Professor Blumentritt and Robert Klutschak, and after being presented to Mayor Gebhardt, they wrote their names in the city's memory book. The guys attended a board meeting of the Leitmeritz Mountaineering Club on Saturday evening. The chairman greeted the visitors who had traveled a long distance. Mr. Rizal, who is not only a talented poet but also an artist, answered with a humorous and intelligent statement. The audience clapped their hands in approval.”

Even media in Prague praised Rizal and Viola for their visit to Leitmeritz, calling them "very brilliant and lovely gentlemen." Rizal stated that he was a native of the city of Calamba, while Viola of Bulacan wrote that she was a native of the city of Bulacan (a province north of Manila). Rizal's address to the Mountaineering Club garnered a lot of attention, especially when it was revealed that he had only started studying German eleven months before. Dr. Blumentritt praised Rizal, saying that extemporizing a speech in one's home language was difficult enough, let alone in a foreign language one had just recently begun to learn.

On the night of Rizal and Lolo's departure from Leitmeritz, Dr. Blumentritt arranged a wonderful surprise for them. He brought his visitors to a pub in Schutzen-Inseln, a postcard-perfect islet surrounded by centuries-old trees. Instead of the "typical" Filipino fare, he served traditional Bohemian cuisine to Rizal and Lolo for his goodbye supper. Rizal and Lolo insisted on having the whole Blumentritt family and several others join them for supper at the Hotel Krebs the night before they left to repay Blumentritt's hospitality.

The entire Blumentritt family met at the railway station the next morning. It was the 17th of May, 1887. After one luncheon at the Blumentritt house, Rizal allegedly presented Blumentritt a pencil picture that he had quickly drew during a break. Everyone was crying, and they were softly embracing one other. And as the train left at 9:45 a.m., tiny Dolores, like a butterfly, flew after it until it vanished from sight, as Rizal later recalled.

Rizal and Lolo continued their trek towards Prague. The following several weeks would take them to some of Europe's most important cities, including Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, and Nuremberg. The two companions traveled into Switzerland on June 2nd, and arrived in Basel the next day. Rizal and Lolo traveled to Geneva on June 14th after seeing Bern and Lausanne on the preceding days. On June 23, the two parted ways, Lolo going to Barcelona and Rizal, who had been in Germany for 15 months, returning to the Philippines via Naples, the Suez Canal, and Singapore.

Rizal and Lolo were to meet again in December of the same year, this time in the home of one Pedro Serrano of Manila. Lolo also remembered meeting Rizal for the final time at the Hotel de Oriente in Binondo in June 1892, just before his arrest and banishment to Dapitan for political treason and religious heresy.

Lolo was an ardent supporter of Filipino rights till his death in 1933. He aided ill and wounded Filipino independence fighters in their fight against colonial dominance during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 and the subsequent Philippine-American War. Lolo was imprisoned by the Americans for refusing to comply with the new administration when the Filipino-American War broke out, first in the Malate Military Prison and later at the Olongapo barracks. Lolo continued to practice medicine while imprisoned for political reasons. With his knowledge of tropical medicine and diseases, American doctors, particularly one Dr. Fresnell, recommended his early release on the condition that he treat American soldiers afflicted with illnesses previously unknown in America. His release was subsequently approved by the U.S. military.

Lolo had a busy life until his death on September 3, 1933, practicing medicine in his hometown and performing medical research on the utilization of snake venom to make anti-venom. He served as head of La Liga de Propietarios, a significant group of rice proprietors, and published two books on tropical illnesses. He was also a passionate designer and maker of hardwood furniture, and many of his creations are still in use today. He was survived by his late wife, Dona Juana Roura, and his three sons, Jose, Rafael, and Silvio, all of whom are now deceased.

 

”NOLI ME TANGERE”

THE REAL MANUSCRIPT

San Miguel de Mayumo Bulacan

 https://traveleronfoot.wordpress.com/tag/maximo-viola-house/

Viola descendants flanking Ferdinand Blumentritt’s grave, Leitmeritz Cemetery

REFERENCE:

Remembering-lolo-maximo-viola.2012. http://myrizal150.com/2012/07/remembering-lolo-maximo-viola/

Today-in-Philippine.2015 historyhttps://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/691/today-in-philippine-history-october-17-1857-maximo-viola-was-born

https://muntingnayon.com/101/101225/

Jeffrey Dangilan. (June 5, 2021). Rizal in Europe with Maximo Viola [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn-bHKmmnn4