Daily Archives: 2 April, 1999

Visita Iglesia (Tayabas and Lucban, Quezon)

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Today being Good Friday, Jandy and I also joined Jun and Jane’s relatives for the visita iglesia, the traditional visit to 7 churches.  We motored to the nearby town of Tayabas, just  23 kms. from Sariaya, and dropped by the St. Michael the Archangel Minor Basilica were we recited the 14 Stations of the Cross.  The longest Spanish colonial church in the country and also one of the oldest, this 103-m. long church was first built by the Franciscans in 1585, repaired in 1590 by Pedro Bautista, changed into brick in 1600, destroyed by an earthquake in 1743 and later rebuilt and enlarged in 1856 by building a transept and cupola. The church’s roof was changed to galvanized sheets in 1894 and its belfry contains an 18th century clock, the only one of its kind in the country, that chimes every 30 minutes.  It was made into a minor basilica on October 18, 1988 and has an antique organ, a balcony over the altar and a now unused tunnel from the altar. 

St. Michael the Archangel Minor Basilica
Our second and final stop of the visita iglesia was the town of Lucban, a quiet old Franciscan town of 35,128  people whose name was derived from a delicious fruit of the same name which looks like a small pomelo or suha. The “poor man’s Baguio,” Lucban lies 1,500 feet above sea level at the cool, damp shadow of Mt. Banahaw de Lucban whose clear, ice-cold waters flow through the little canals of the town.  It is almost as cool as  Baguio City in December.  There are also has numerous old and stately Spanish colonial houses.
 
Church of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
Here, in front of the town’s shady plaza, is the moss and vine-covered Church of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.  It was first built in 1593, ruined in 1629, reconstructed between 1630-1640, seriously damaged by fire in 1733 and reconstructed in 1738. Its convent was built in 1743.  It was partially destroyed in 1945 during World War II and finally reconstructed by the Philippine Historical Commission in 1966. However, it’s somewhat modern interior, which enshrines the venerated image of San Isidro Labrador, doesn’t blend in with its centuries-old exterior (my opinion).   The church is surrounded by gardens and grottos and fenced in by old stone walls called quince-quince.

 

Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Sariaya, Quezon)

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We next walked towards the town’s church and plaza.  A typical Spanish town, the town’s church (St. Francis of Assisi) and the municipal hall all face the plaza.  The plaza has a circular patio flanked by a row of 8 torch-bearing statues of the Muses of Liberty as well as a statue of our National Hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, inaugurated on December 30, 1924.

Church of St. Francis of Assisi
The present St. Francis of Assisi Church was first built in 1599, the second in  1632 and the third in 1641.   The structure, on its new site after the earthquake of 1743, was built in 1748.  Ruins of the original church still remain in Brgy. Tumbaga.   Inside the church are some fine old santos and the venerable image of the famous Crucified Christ of Burgos (Sto. Cristo de Burgos).  An object of pilgrimage every Friday, the image was sent from Spain by galleon and installed in the old church at Tumbaga.  The church and the village was burned after a Moro attack but the image was found intact amid the ashes.  When the settlement was transferred to its new location, the image was wrapped in white cloth and carried by four men.  After resting under a great tree, the four men found the image  to be extremely heavy and could not lift it even with help from the other townspeople.  Taken as a sign from God, they built the new church on the site.

The Ancestral Houses of Sariaya (Quezon)

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The next day, Good Friday, Jandy and I explored the town’s ancestral houses in detail, bringing along my point and shoot camera and videocam.  Sariaya is known for its ornate and imposing American-era mansions built by illustrados (landed gentry) like the Cabunags, Enriquez, Gala, Luna, Obordos, Ramas and Rodriguez clans, all coconut planters who once grew rich from 1919-30 from the once profitable coconut industry.  In 1945, the town was set afire by Japanese troops, destroying many of its stately ancestral homes.  A big fire also occurred in the 1960s.  

Dona Margarita Rodriguez Ancestral House

The burnt-out shells of these homes can still be seen around town.  Surviving ancestral homes are scattered around the town plaza and along Rizal St., perpendicular to the highway.  They create a beautiful and nostalgic setting that reflects the town’s illustrious past.  Beside the house we stayed in is the old, and equally stately, ancestral home owned by Jun’s grandmother, the late Dona Margarita Rodriguez, an old maid who died in the 1950s.

Enriquez Mansion
Beside the town’s church is the impressive Enriquez Mansion at the corner of Gen. Luna and Rizal Street, along the national highway.  Formerly owned by Natalio Marquez, Quezon’s former governor, it was sold to Bienvenido Marquez.  An American-style house, it has a red-tiled roof and Spanish-Moorish inspired arches and twin turrets.     At the back, along Rizal St., is the then Alvarez Residence.  Built in 1703, it is the oldest in the town and it once served as the town’s municipal hall.