Ang Museo Ni San Juan Nepomuceno (San Juan, Batangas)

Posted on 27 February, 2016 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Ang Museo Ni San Juan Nepomuceno

This church museum, inaugurated last October 2, 2015, is located at the second floor of the old parish convent built in 1894 by Recollect Father Celestino Yoldi.

The museum interior

The convent’s grand stairway

Prominently displayed here are a collection of images of saints (St. Mary Magdalene, St. Veronica, St. Martha, St. Salome, St. Peter, St. John the Evangelist, etc.) as well as statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Virgin of Sorrows, the Pieta, Christ Entry into Jerusalem, the Crowning of Thorns and the Risen Christ.

Collection of images of saints

It also houses a collection of old church artifacts, episcopal paraphernalia, ecclesiastical vestments (chasubles, stoles, etc.), , altar silver utensils (censer & boat, chalices, altar candle sticks, etc.), altar balusters, nails used in the construction of the old convent as well as pews and benches, and others.

Collection of old church artifacts

Vestments of priests

There’s also a collection of photos of the town’s church, old ancestral houses, assigned priests (under the Oblates of St. Joseph) and the town’s tourist attractions.

Church of St. John Nepomucene (San Juan, Batangas)

Posted on 27 February, 2016 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

First built with bamboo and thatch in 1843 in San Juan de Bocboc (now called Brgy. Pinagbayanan), it was rebuilt in stone in 1855 by Fr. Damaso Mojica but was destroyed by floods in 1883.

The Church of St. John Nepomucene

In 1894, the church and convent was transferred to its present site by Recollect Fr. Celestino Yoldi. Fr. Bernardo Pena made some notable repairs on the church and convent between 1922 and 1925. Between 1928 and 1935, a bell tower was added by Fr. Domingo Carceller.

Plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

Fr. Carceller also built the baptistery in the first floor of the bell tower. Fr. Inocencio Pena repaired the convent from 1958 to 1959. In 1959, Fr. Daniel Ayucar renovated the sacristy and widened the presbytery in order to accommodate five new altars.

The church’s two-level pseudo-Baroque façade, divided into three horizontal levels, has a semicircular arched main entrance fronted by a porte cochere (a later addition). It is flanked by square pilasters on rectangular pedestals, dividing the façade into three vertical parts, and pedimented semicircular arched windows.

The church interior

The second level has a rose window flanked by two smaller circular windows. Above the circular windows is an arch cornice. The undulating pediment, which forms as the third level, is given emphasis by the curvilinear lines of the side walls. Its statued niche, also flanked by square piers, relieves the plain wall of the second level while its circular window relieves the plainness of the tympanum.

The church’s bell tower

The square bell tower, on the church’s right, designed in the High Renaissance style, has cantons at its corners and semicircular arched windows (pedimented at the lower level). Its uppermost level is octagonal in plan and is topped by a spire.

Spiral stairs leading to choir loft

Church of St. John Nepomucene: Tel: (043) 575–3118 and (043) 575-3994. Feast of St. John Nepomucene: May 16.

How to Get There: San Juan is located 119 kilometers (a 3-hr. drive) from Manila and 43 kilometers from Batangas City.

Church of St. James the Apostle (Ibaan, Batangas)

Posted on 25 February, 2016 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Church of St. James the Apostle

The town’s church and convent was first built in May 1817 by Fr. Barcelona, with Don Eustacio Macatangay provided the finishing touches on the church. The first lines for the current church, with its cruciform plan, were drawn by Arch. Luciano Oliver and its founding stones were laid down, in 1853, by Fr. Manuel Diez Gonzales, O.S.A. In 1869, Fr. Bruno Laredo, O.S.A., completed the facade and roofing. The twin towers were started in 1865 by Fr. Laredo and completed in 1876 by Fr. Vicente Maril (who also rebuilt the façade). Damaged during the July 18, 1880 earthquake, it was repaired from 1891 to 1896 by Fr. Francisco Alvarez.

The church’s Neo-Classical facade

The church’s simple Neo-Classical facade has a recently-attached front portico, wooden doors with geometrical carvings and round Ionic columns mounted on rectangular pedestals. The triangular pediment, with its rose window, is flanked by two square “abortive” belfries. The choir loft is indicated by arched openings with a floreated wreath below it.

Church of St. James the Greater: Provincial Road, Poblacion. Tel: (043) 311–1251. Feast of St. James the Greater: December 30.

How to Get There: Ibaan is located 96.3 kilometers (a two-hour drive) from Manila an 13.4 kilometers (a 30-minute drive) from Batangas City.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.