After a jobsite inspection in Calumpit and lunch at a local Max Restaurant outlet in Malolos City, Jandy and I still had time on our hands so we decided to go on a sightseeing tour. We drove to Calumpit town proper and made a stopover at the Church of St. John the Baptist. Built in 1575 under the supervision of Augustinian Fr. Diego Vivar-Ordonez, this church is one of the oldest in Bulacan. Both church and convent were finished before 1779. It was originally built with underground escape tunnels which led to the river to provide an avenue for escape for priests with the church treasury if attacked by robbers. Revolutionaries and Spaniards are also buried in the tunnels. During World War II, it was Japanese Gen. Tanaka’s last battlefield.
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| Church of St. John the Baptist |
Originally built in red brick, recent renovations have plastered it in cement (some portions still show the original red brick). A newer triangular pediment was placed on top of the undulating raking cornice of the original. Four Corinthian columns, resting on pedestals, support the cornice and pediment.
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| The bell tower |
Its rectangular facade is divided into three segments. The first level has two rectangular windows on the side panel for balance and contrast. The main entrance has a trefoil arch, embellishments, huge scroll-like decorations and a rose window on the pediment, half-framed by curvilinear moldings, integrated with the second level. Its interior is profusely decorated in the ornate Baroque style. The simple 5-storey, hexagonal bell tower, on its left, was reconstructed in 1829 by Fr. Antonio Llanos, but was burned by revolutionaries in 1899.
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| The church interior |