Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Vancouver)

Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

Five days after our arrival in Vancouver, Grace, Jandy, Kyle and I had our first mass at the late 19th-century, 700-pax Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

Grace and Kyle making their way into the cathedral

Commonly known as Holy Rosary Cathedral, serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. Located in the downtown area of the city, it is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register and is a legally protected building.

The cathedral’s French Gothic Revival style facade

Designed by architects Thomas Ennor Julian and H.J. Williams in the classic cruciform form (with narthex, nave, transepts and an apsidal chancel), it was constructed under the charge of R. P. Forshaw and Company and the church was completed in just 491 days. At the time it was finished, the building was praised as “the finest piece of architecture west of Toronto and north of San Francisco.”

The right side of the cathedral

The left side of the cathedral

Here’s the historical timeline of the cathedral:

  • In June 1885, the parish was established with Father Patrick Fay, the chaplain to Canadian Pacific Railway(CPR) workers, chosen as pastor.
  • In 1886, construction began for a wooden church
  • In 1888, the wooden church was completed the following year and blessed.
  • In 1890, the church was enlarged and a bell tower was added.
  • On July 16, 1899, the cornerstone for the new church was laid by Archbishop Adélard Langevin of Saint Boniface.
  • In the autumn of 1900, the cathedral’s pipe organ was inaugurated.
  • On October 21, 1900, the church’s seven bells were blessed
  • On December 8, 1900, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the new Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was opened and was blessed the day after by Archbishop Alexander Christie of Portland, Oregon.
  • In 1906, eight bells were reinstalled in the cathedral
  • In 1911, on Dominion Day, the church’s bells were rung, the first peal ever to be rung in Canada .
  • In 1916, the church was elevated to the status of a cathedral.
  • In February 1922, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for beloved local lifeguard and swim instructor Joe Fortes. The cathedral filled to capacity, with thousands of others braving the rain and cold weather to view the funeral procession on the streets of Vancouver.
  • In 1927, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), which administered the parish since 1893, left after difficulties arose from the mortgage agreement that had helped pay for the construction of the cathedral. This was coupled with the “growing manpower shortage” caused by a declining number of members joining the order.
  • In late 1932, the “tin scales” that covered spire of the taller steeple were cleaned and repaired, and the cross atop of it was repainted.
  • In 1936, it hosted an archdiocesan-level Eucharistic Congress, the first congress ever to be celebrated in Western Canada.
  • In 1939, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for Pope Pius XI.
  • On October 7, 1952, the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, a gunman entered the church and fired a round from his rifle at the altar. No one was hurt and he was arrested shortly after.
  • In April 1959, a minor tilt in the bell tower of the cathedral was detected probably due to the drilling and blasting of a nearby tunnel.
  • On October 3, 1953, the rite of consecration as a cathedral, officiated by the Archbishop of Vancouver William M. Duke, was held.  The subsequent solemn pontifical Mass was celebrated by Michael Harrington, the Bishop of Kamloops. Approximately 35 bishops from across Canada and the United States attended the event, which coincided with Duke’s golden and silver jubilees of his priestly ordination and consecration as a bishop, respectively.
  • In 1961, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for former Vancouver police commissioner William Cameron Murphy.
  • In the 1960s, after the Second Vatican Council, the reordering of the sanctuary took place.
  • In 1967, an interfaith requiem was held at the cathedral for former Governor General of Canada Georges Vanier.
  • In September 1981, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for internationally-acclaimed actor Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh
  • On September 19, 1984, Pope John Paul II visited the church as part of his pastoral visit to Canada. Refurbishing took place prior to his visit.
  • From 1995 to 1997, the cathedral was completely re-roofed, with zinc being utilized on the roof to resemble slate.
  • In 1999, the organ was dismantled and transported to Casavant Frères in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec for a two-year restoration.
  • In Easter of 2000, the rehabilitated pipe organ was blessed. That same year, an organ concert series was hosted at the cathedral for the first time.
  • In late September 2001, the cathedral became the first place in Canada to host the relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux during her reliquary’s three-month-long tour of the country.
  • In December 2002, some of the carpeting was removed and replaced with Italian ceramic tiles.
  • From 2004 to 2006, the inside of the church was repainted.
  • On April 1, 2005, a funeral requiem mass was said at the cathedral for Pope John Paul II.
  • On March 23, 2008, during an Easter Sunday Mass at the cathedral, First Nations protesters disrupted the mass by demonstrating on the outside steps. They ordered the Church to “get off native land” and demanded that they disclose the burial locations of children who died in residential schools.
  • On February 12, 2010, the cathedral’s bells were rung during the opening of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
  • On October 30, 2011, a splinter group from the Occupy Vancouver movement marched to the cathedral from the Vancouver Art Gallery, attempting to enter the cathedral and occupy it but were thwarted by Vancouver police officers and Knights of Columbus.
  • In the spring of 2017, the copy of the bronze sculpture Homeless Jesus by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz was installed in front of the cathedral.
  • In 2018, new light fixtures, pews and an upgraded sound system were added.
  • On March 22, 2020, as a result of the Archdiocese suspending all public masses starting from March 21 onwards, in response to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, Sunday Mass was celebrated without a congregation for the first time in the cathedral’s history.
  • In June 2020, public masses at the cathedral resumed with capacity reduced to 50 people per Mass in order to adhere to the physical distancing requirements set out by the provincial health authorities.

The 49 m. (161 ft.) long, 32 m. (104 ft.) wide (across the transepts) and 19 m. (62 ft.) high (from floor to ceiling) cathedral, built in the French Gothic revival style, has been described as resembling the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France. Cruciform, in the shape of the Latin cross, it is 19 m. (62 ft.) across the nave and the aisles.

The taller bell tower

Its foundations were made of granite while its exterior walls were built from sandstone originating from Gabriola Island.  The cathedral’s “most prominent visual feature” is its two asymmetric bell towers. The taller, 66 m.  (217 ft.) high steeple was originally designed to have flying buttresses at the bottom.

The cathedral interior looking towards the main altar

The cathedral interior looking towards the choir loft

The nave arcades at the interior which, in turn support a Gothic tunnel vault, are supported by Norman columns made from highly polished, red Scagliola marble. Non-structural ribs decorate the vault, with simple molding accenting the intermediate ribs.

Left side aisle

Right side aisle

The cathedra, situated at the center of the sanctuary, is surrounded by a Gothic-style, oak altar-piece, with richly detailed gold foliage and angels set in relief, and two towers of reredos decked with delicately carved angels carrying torches, thuribles and sacred books.

Left transept

Right transept

 

The cathedral originally had seven bells (representing the sacraments) cast at the Fonderie Paccard in Annecy-le-VieuxSavoyFrance. However, when they were found to be out of tune, they were sent to a foundry near Bristol where eight bells were made to complete an entire octave when rung.

Baptismal Font

 

Two of the14 Stations of the Cross

Statue of the Pieta

Operating on change ringing, they are one of the few peal of bells hung in the English style found in North America, and one of three in British Columbia (the others are located at Westminster Abbey in Mission and Victoria‘s Christ Church Cathedral).

Grace and Kyle

The cathedral’s pipe organ, manufactured by the Karn–Warren Organ Company in Woodstock, Ontario, is the “oldest romantic-style organ” in the province “remaining in its original location.” An organ concert is held at the cathedral annually since 2000.  One of the most beautiful organs in the West Coast, it has three manuals, 4 divisions, 42 stops, 51 ranks and 2,899 pipes.

The cathedral’s pipe organ

Of the current 21 stained glass windows (documented by the Institute for Stained Glass in Canada) at the cathedral, the oldest is The Church Triumphant with the Risen Christ among Saints and Martyrs, on the east wall of the sanctuary, next to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin.

Stained glass depicting The Church Triumphant with the Risen Christ among Saints and Martyrs

The most renowned ones are the five windows made by Canadian artist Guido Nincheri whose work can be found in over 60 churches in North America.

Stained glass depicting Jesus with the Children (Guido Nincheri)

They depict Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, on the north side of the west transept; the Baptism of Our Lord (completed in January 1954), Jesus Healing the Sick, Jesus with the Children and the Assumption (completed and shipped out of the Nincheri studios in November 1953 and installed later that year). Started in 1941, it would take 13 years for the work on the stained glass to be completed.

Stained glass depicting The Assumption (Guido Nincheri)

The stained glass depicting Our Lady of the Holy Rosary was featured on Canada Post‘s annual Christmas stamp in 1997.

Stained glass depicting Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Guido Nincheri)

In front of the cathedral is a copy of the bronze sculpture Homeless Jesus by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz. Showing a life-size statue of a man with a long overcoat lying on a park bench, his face is hidden underneath a hood and his bare feet with stigmata.

The author beside the copy of the bronze sculpture of the Homeless Jesus by Candian artist Timothy Schmalz

According to Stanley Galvon (the rector at the time), the statue is intended to be “a catalyst to make people think about” the city’s homelessness crisis.

Jandy

Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary: 646 Richards cor. Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 3A3.  Tel: (604) 682-6774. Fax: (604) 331-8406.  E-mail: office@vancouvercathedral.org. Website: www.holyrosarycathedral.org. Sunday mass schedule: 8 AM, 9:30 AM, 11 AM, 12:30 PM, 5 PM.

How to Get There: by Metro, take the Expo Line to Granville Station or the Canada Line to Waterfront Station.  Both are a 5 minute walk away.

National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu)

National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla

Aside from the famed Santo Niño de Cebu, Cebuanos are also devoted to another image – the felicitous and miraculous image of Nuestra Señora De la Regla (Our Lady of the Rule). The image, carved from the trunk of dark Philippine hardwood, is patterned after the original located in Chipiona, Spain. The image is currently venerated at her own altar at the National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla.

St. Augustine, the bishop of Hippo, started the devotion to Our Lady of the Rule in Northern Africa. Using his own hands, he has carved an image of Our Lady which was one of the relics that has survived the destruction of the city of Hippo. Upon St. Augustine’s death, the monks took the image with them when they fled to Spain. 

In Spain, the image survived the destruction and pillage of the Moors.  Miracles were attributed to it and, because of this, the devotion to Our Lady rapidly spread.  In 1330, the Virgin appeared to an Augustinian monk and instructed him to go to the city of Cadiz.  Here, he was to look for a cave where the image had been hidden away. He dug it up and found a hidden underground altar.

Statue of Nuestra Señora de la Regla (Our Lady of the Rule)

The richly vested (given by the devotees as a sign of gratitude to the answered prayers through her intercession) Brown Madonna holds the Infant Jesus in front of her, as if presenting the child to the people and telling them to worship his Son, the God became Man. For several centuries, the Virgen de la Regla was venerated under several names: Virgen Libica, Virgen del Sagrario, Estrella de los Mares and La Virgen Morena, or Morenita.

In the 18th century, when the Augustinian Order was given control over the parish of Opon (now Lapu-Lapu City), the devotion was transported to the Philippines. In 1735, the people first saw a picture of the Virgen de la Regla when the first parish priest, Francisco Avalle, an Augustinian monk, showed it to them. Fr. Avalle, having lived for 10 years in the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Regla in Chipiona, Andalucia, Spain, was a devotee.

The church interior

Upon hearing the story of the Virgin of Chipiona, the Oponganons chose Our Lady of the Rule as their patroness. A big picture, encased in a wooden frame, was  made and placed on the altar.  Miracles began to happen and the devotion flourished.  Later a hardwood statue replaced the picture for veneration. Between 1735 and 1744, a Baroque-style church, made with Mactan coral stone and measuring 60 m. long, 23 m. wide and 14 m. high, was built.

Old Opon church

During World War II, the church was slightly damaged but, in 1960, it was torn down during the term of Dutch Fr. Cornelio Van De Loo, of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who was assigned as parish priest, bypassing 200 years of history, and replaced with a new concrete church.  The priests also sold off the church’s coral blocks and, later, its altar to the University of San Carlos Museum. Thankfully, the spacious and solid convent, built in 1855 by Fr. Simon Aguirre, is still intact.

The old convent

On Nov. 27, 1954, as a highlight to the Archdiocesan Marian Congress that year, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Julio Rosales crowned the Virgin, the first image from the Visayas to receive such a recognition.

 

National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla: B.M. Dimataga St., Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City 6015. Tel: (032) 340-8081. Feast day: November 21.

Lapu-Lapu City Tourism Office: City Hall Compound, Lapu-Lapu City Hall Access Rd.,-Lapu City 6015. Tel: (032) 341-1644.  E-mail: lapulaputourismoffice@gmail.com.

Cebu Provincial Tourism Office: 3/F, East Wing, Capitol Executive Bldg., Capitol Site, Cebu City 6000. Tel: (032) 888-2328. E-mail: sugbuturismo@gmail.com.

Department of Tourism Regional Office VII: G/F, LDM Bldg., Cor. Legaspi and M.J. Cuenco Sts., 6000 Cebu City.  Tel: (032) 412-1966, (032) 412-1967, (032) 254-3534, (032) 254-6650 and (032) 254-2811. Fax: (033) 335-0245. Email: phdot7@tourism.gov.ph. Airport Office Tel:  (032) 494-7000 loc. 7548.

Cebu Pacific Air has daily flights from Manila to Cebu’s Mactan International Airport.  It also has flights from Clark (Pampanga) and Davao City.  Book via www.cebupacificair.com.

Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne (Taguig City, Metro Manila)

Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne

The Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne, also known as  St. Anne Parish Church or Santa Ana Church, is situated next to the Taguig River and across Plaza Quezon, where the statue of the late Manuel L. Quezon was erected when he was still serving as President of the PhilippinesSaint Anne is the patroness of the church.

The church complex. On the left is the convent

This church, as well as the convent, was first built, in 1848, of nipa and bamboo by Fr. Diego Alvarez, O.S.A..  The construction of the present concrete church, from 1609 to 1611, was supervised by Fr. Hernando Guerrero, O.S.A..

The rightside of the church. On the foreground are statues of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and St. Pedro Calungsod

During the November 30, 1645 Luzon earthquake, both were considerably damaged and later repaired.  Both survived the June 3, 1863 earthquake but the June 20, 1880 earthquake cracked the bell tower sending its bell crashing on the church roof, destroying the choir loft and part of its framework.

Bas-relief of St. Anne

In 1881, the reconstruction of both buildings was started by Fr. Patricio Martin, O.S.A.  and, in 1885, continued by his successor Fr. Guillermo Diaz, O.S.A..   In 1898, the buildings were occupied by American soldiers and used as their headquarters.  Both were restored by Filipino secular Frs. Vicente Estacio (1905 to 1916, he oversaw the installation of the church’s sawali ceiling) and Gerardo Maximo (1938 to 1951).  The fence was left unfinished.

The four-storey bell tower

In August 1943, during the Second World War, hundreds of male inhabitants were incarcerated by the Imperial Japanese, for a number of days, inside the church. In 1987, in preparation for the parish’s 400th anniversary, more improvements in the edifice were undertaken by Msgr. Augurio Juta and Msgr. Emmanuel Sunga.

Historical plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in 1987

On July 25, 1987, a historical marker was installed on the church facade by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The church was also declared and recognized by the government as a cultural property based on the official list provided by the National Commission for Culture and the ArtsNational Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines.

The church interior

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church’s barn-style Baroque facade has flat pilasters, a first level with a centrally located arched main entrance flanked by statued niches; a second level with a centrally located rose window flanked by semicircular arched windows and a triangular pediment with a centrally located statued niche.

The four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has a two-storey square base (with a bas-relief of St. Anne), an octagonal third storey (with semicircular arched windows) and a round upper storey topped by a dome.

The choir loft area

The church houses the Museo de Sta. Ana which contains religious relics and a repository of artifacts detailing the rich religious culture and history of Taguig since 1857.

The main altar area

Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne: 1 Liwayway St., Brgy. Sta. Ana, Taguig City 1637, Metro Manila.  Tel: (632) 8642-4434.  Fax: (632) 8643-5204.

 

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Light (Cainta, Rizal)

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of the Light

The only church in our bisita iglesia outside of Metro Manila was the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Light in Cainta. When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

Check out “Church of San Felipe Neri” and “Immaculate Concepton Cathedral

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

Porte cochere

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

The four-storey bell tower

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

NHI historical plaque

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The church interior

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

The main altar and retablo

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Te choir loft

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old church bells

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry. Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Parola ng Panampalataya

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors. There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Statue of the Crucifixion

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, RizalView Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Light (Cainta, Rizal)

Church of Our Lady of the Light

This town’s original church (at the time was under the patronage of Saint Andrew the Apostle), designed by Fr. Juan de Salazar, S.J., was first constructed in stone by Jesuit Fr. Gaspar Marco in 1707 and completed in 1716, during the time of Joaquin Sanchez, S.J, while he was still the parish priest.

In 1727, a painting of Our Lady of Light was brought in from the Kingdom of Sicily and was chosen as the new patroness of the church and, by 1760, the church was officially declared a separate parish.

NHI plaque

On February 23, 1853, the church building was damaged by an earthquake, both its roof and one wall collapsed while the walls of the parish rectory or convent sustained cracks.  By 1884 the parish had been named Our Lady of Light (Virgen ng Caliuanagan or Madre Santissima del Lumen in Tagalog and Spanish languages), as attested in the August 5, 1884 letter by Don Mariano de San Juan (the pastor of Cainta) to Fray Pedro Payo, O.P., the Archbishop of Manila.

Church transept

In March 1899, during the Filipino-American War, the church and parish rectory, including the venerated Marian image within, were burned down. The stones from the church walls were later used to build roads. The monogram of the Holy Name of Jesus “IHS” (Latin: Iesus Hominum Salvator), attached at the top portion of the church’s façade, was the only mark left of its Jesuit beginning.

For 67 years, the church was left in ruins, without any significant restoration. On June 10, 1966, after Archbishop of Manila Rufino Cardinal Santos gave permission for the church’s reconstruction on February 15, 1965, the reconstruction of the church began. The facade was kept untouched. When one of the beams collapsed, the reconstruction was halted and further study was conducted to determine if it could withstand earthquakes.

The four-storey bell tower

On June 15, 1967, reconstruction resumed and it was completed and blessed by Rufino Cardinal Santos on February 25, 1968. In 1975, the administration of the parish was turned over, by the CICM Missionaries, to the Archdiocese of Manila, with Monsignor Alfredo Santa Ana, HP, as its first diocesan parish priest. Until 1998, the church was the sole parish in the entire municipality of Cainta.

Parola ng Panampalataya

In 2007, the church was declared as a historical site by the National Historical Institute (NHI),  now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), for its significant role during the Philippines-American War.

Statue of Our Lady of Light

On December 1, 2007, the newly renovated altar and the new historical marker of the church were blessed. On December 1, 2012, an episcopal coronation, coinciding with the parish fiesta, was performed by the local bishop with the assistance of Ms. Henrietta De Villa, former ambassador to the Vatican.

Statue of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

After the burning (during the Filipino-American war in 1899) of the original enshrined icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (a painting of Our Lady of Light brought to Cainta in 1727 from Ferrara, Italy by Fr. Bartolommeo Cavanti, SJ.),  the venerated Marian image was recreated by Philippine National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

Old church bells

On December 6, 2017, the image was granted the papal bull of canonical coronation by Pope Francis and it was crowned on December 1, 2018, the first Marian image in Philippine history to be pontifically crowned as an artistic painting. On the same day as its canonical coronation, the parish church was consecrated and elevated into a Diocesan Shrine.

Bell inscribed with “Ano D 1835 – N.TRA SENORA D LALVZ” (Year 1835 – Nuestra Senora de la Luz”)

The original church, including the sacristy and rectory, measured approximately 44 m. (144 ft. long), 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 11 m. (36 ft.) high. Made of stone and limestone (calycanto), its roof was tiled and had a dome (media naranja), transepts (crucero) and five buttresses (contrafuertos).

Old bell inscribed with “S. ANDRES APOSTOL – SIENDO CURA EL PRESVITERO D. AGUSTIN MENDOSA – SE PVNDIO ESTA ESQVILA MAYO 15 D 1847” (“St. Andrew the Apostle – When Don Agustin Mendosa was parish priest – who built this small bell on May 15, 1847”

The nave’s spacious presbytery had windows and skylight (claraboya) while the belfry had four bells, two of which were small bells rung by rotation (esquitas). The baptistery, with an arched ceiling, was situated at the bottom of the belfry.

Statue of Resurrected Christ

Flooring was made of wood. It also had a choir loft, communion rail, pulpit and three doors. Five retablos are found inside the church, with the original picture of the Our Lady of Light enshrined at the central niche.

Statue of the Crucifixion

The sacristy measured approximately 8.2 m. (27 ft.) long, 7.3 m. (24 ft.) wide and 5.5 m. (18 ft.) high. The parish rectory, with a kitchen, two brick chimneys, four rooms and offices, measured approximately 37 m. (120 ft.) long, 15 m. (48 ft.) wide and 7.3 m. (24 ft.) high.

Church interior

The larger reconstructed church measures 68 m. (223 ft.) long, with a transept 42 m. (138 ft.) wide, and with walls 10.5 m. (34.4 ft.) high. It has a semicircular arch main entrance and four lateral doors.

There are separate chapels for the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady of Light and Saint Andrew, both enshrined at the sides of the sanctuary.

Main altar

When we entered the churchyard from the main road, we only saw the side entrance near the altar. To see the beautiful façade, we had to first enter the church then go out the front door.

Side altar

It’s simple, two-level Early Renaissance façade, with superpositioned paired columns, has semicircular arch statued niches, a square window at the choir loft and a circular window at the tympanum of the triangular pediment.  The attached four-storey bell tower, on the church’s right, has semicircular arched windows.

Choir loft

Church of Our Lady of Light: Andres Bonifacio Ave. (near Cainta Junction), Brgy. San Andres, Cainta 1900, RizalView Map>>> Tel: (02) 8655-0840.  Feast of Our Lady of Light: December 1.

How to Get There: Cainta is located 29.1 kms. from Manila and kms. (a drive) from Antipolo City.

Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Pasig City, Metro Manila)

Immaculate Conception Cathedral

The mother church  and the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Pasig, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also called the Pasig Cathedral, is one of the oldest structures in the city. This church was first built by Augustinian missionaries in 1575.  Initially consecrated to the Visitation of Our Lady (consecrated on July 2, 1573), on April 25, 1587, the parish was changed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the Augustinian priests during that time.

The Neo-Classical and Colonial Baroque facade

The present structure, started before 1639, was said to have been finished during the brief British occupation of Manila from 1722 to 1747 (when it was converted into horses’ stables and served as the British military headquarters) and its belfry used as a watchtower against the Spanish defenders.  In 1764, it underwent repairs.

Historical Plaque

The stone convent was built by Fr. Felix Trillo.  In 1879, the church was restored by Fr. Simon Barroso who also replaced the roof with galvanized iron. From 1910 to 1979, the parish was administered by the CICM Fathers, after which the Filipino clergy took over the pastoral leadership of the parish.

The four-storey bell tower

In 2000, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral was declared one of the Jubilee churches in the Archdiocese of Manila (the parish was a part of this archdiocese until August 21, 2003 when the district was elevated as a separate and independent diocese on October 2001, with the elevation of the parish into the status of a cathedral).

Porta Sancta

On December 7, 2008, the Solemn Canonical Coronation of its patron as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Pasig  was led by Edward Joseph Adams (the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines), the Bishop of Pasig, and the entire faithful in the diocese.

The cathedral interior

In February 2021, as part of the Celebration of the 500th year anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines, the cathedral was named as a Jubilee Church in the Diocese of Pasig along with the Diocesan Shrine of St. Martha and Parish of St. Roch in Pateros and the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Anne in Taguig City.

The choir loft

The main altar and retablo

On March 25, 2022, after a 7 year-long restoration and renovation of the cathedral (including the addition of ceiling paintings), the cathedral was inaugurated and blest by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara.

Ceiling painting

Its plain Neo-Classical and Colonial Baroque façade has triglyphs that separate the first level from the second and third level; semicircular arched doors and windows, and small rose windows and the Augustinian symbol of the stylized heart on the second level.

Left side altar

Right side altar

Its triangular pediment, with its centrally located statued niche and supported by slender Doric columns, is topped by a Renaissance-influenced min-balustrade lacing the raking cornice.  The massive five-level bell tower is located on the church’s left.

Old church bells

Candle gallery

Immaculate Conception Cathedral: Justice Hubson St., Plaza Rizal, Brgy. Malinao, Pasig City 1600, Metro Manila.   Tel: (632) 8641-1784 and (632) 8864-6197.  Fax: (632) 641-3460. E-mail: iccpasigdop@gmail.com.

Church of San Felipe Neri (Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila)

Church of San Felipe Neri

In 1870, seven years after San Felipe de Neri (now Mandaluyong) was separated from Sta. Ana de Sapa, Fr. Gavino Ruiz, incumbent parish priest was authorized to purchase the 1-hectare church site and, on March 25, 1870, the cornerstone of the church was blessed.

The church’s Neo-Gothic facade

The church’s Neo-Gothic facade

In 1883, Rev. Fr. Gregono Azarga, OFM, who took over the parish, obtained a permit to spend 39,100 pesos for the construction of the church. A manuscript, dated June 22, 1894, handwritten by Captain Municipal Pascual Francisco, already reported the existence of this church and its convent.

Buttresses at the right side of the church

Fr. (later bishop) Manuel C. Sobrevinas (parish priest from 1975 – 1979), Fr. (later bishop) Gabriel V. Reyes (parish priest from 1979 – 1981) and Fr. (later bishop)  Francisco C. San Diego (parish priest from 1981 – 1983) made repairs at the church.

Centennial anniversary plaque

150th anniversary plaque

Msgr. Salvador Jose (parish priest from 1983 – 2000) constructed the new convent at the right side of the church and the auxiliary chapels on the left.

The church’s interior

AUTHOR’s NOTES:

The church’s single level, Neo-Gothic façade has a semicircular arch main entrance flanked by statued niches and twin bell towers with pyramidal roofs.  Its triangular pediment has a centrally located statued niche.

Choir loft

Church of San Felipe Neri: cor. of Boni Ave. and Rt. Rev. C. Aglipay St., Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila. Tel: (632) 8531-2931 and 8531- 4827. 

How to Get There: Mandaluyong City is located 7 kms. from Manila and 8 kms. from Pasig City.

Minor Basilica of San Sebastian (Manila)

Minor Basilica of San Sebastian

The earthquake-proof Minor Basilica of San Sebastian (better known as San Sebastian Church), an example of the Gothic Revival architecture in the Philippines, is the first and only steel building in the Philippines and in Asia, the second in the world after the Eiffel Tower of Paris and probably the first prefabricated building in the world.

The basilica complex

It is the church of the Parish of San Sebastian and also a Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Nuestra Senora del Monte Carmelo) and is under the care of the Order of Augustinian Recollects (who also operate the San Sebastian College-Recoletos adjacent to the basilica).

The author with son Jandy

This church was originally founded by Fr. Rodrigo de San Miguel as a nipa and bamboo church in 1621 (on land donated by Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a devotee of the 3rd-century Roman martyr Saint Sebastian). The original structure, made of wood, burned in 1651 during a Chinese Filipino uprising and rebuilt with bricks with a single tower. Succeeding structures, which were built of brick, were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, June 3, 1863 and July 19, 1880.

The Neo-Gothic facade

In the 1880s, Fr. Esteban Martínez, the parish priest of the ruined church, proposed construction of a new church and approached Spanish Engineer Genaro Palacios y Guerra to build a church that will withstand the earthquakes. Planning to build a fire and earthquake-resistant structure made entirely of steel, Palacios completed a design that fused Earthquake Baroque with the Neo-Gothic style.

Augustinian Recollect Fr. Jesús Pastor Paloma noted that the bottom part of the church was designed to resemble a ship’s hull, so that it would sway during an earthquake.  Palacio’s final design was said to have been inspired by the famed 14th century Gothic Burgos Cathedral in BurgosSpain.

Side entrance

It has long been reputed that Gustave Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower and the steel structure within the Statue of Liberty, was himself also rumored to have been involved in the design and construction of San Sebastián, but this was never confirmed.

One of the twin openwork bell towers with pyramidal spires

However, later on it was confirmed that Eiffel was involved in designing and supplying the metal framework for San Ignacio Church in Intramuros, thus confirming the contribution of Eiffel in Philippine church architecture, if not in the Minor Basilica of San Sebastián.

The church was started by Fr. Gregorio Serma while the 52 metric tons (51 long tons; 57 short tons) of prefabricated steel sections manufactured in BincheBelgium were ordered from the Societe anonyme des Enterprises de Travaux Publiques in Brussels by Fr. Toribio Minguella, imported, piece by piece, in eight separate shipments (total load: 50,000 tons) from Antwerp to Manila.

In 1888, the first shipment arrived and Belgian engineers supervised the assembly of the church, the first column of which was erected on September 11, 1890 under the supervision of Fr. Bernardo Muros.   To achieve greater stability and regulate the church’s exterior temperature, the walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel and cement.

Historical Reasearch and Landmarks Committee plaque installed in 1934

According to Fr. Paloma, the church was also supposed to have a prefabricated retablo (reredos) altar.  However, it was lost at sea when the ship carrying it from Belgium capsized in a storm so a wooden altar was made locally in its stead. The foundation was done by a French contractor, construction was supervised by a British foreman while the floors were done by Chinese craftsmen.

Plaque installed by the National Museum in 2011 declaring the basilica as a National Cultural Treasure Plaque

The church was finally completed by Fr. Francisco Moreno. On June 24, 1890, it was granted minor basilica status by Pope Leo XIII and, on August 16, 1891, the Basílica Menor de San Sebastián was blessed by Bernardino Nozaleda y Villa , OP, the 25th Archbishop of Manila.

Rust – the number one enemy of steel

Sitting on a 704 sq. m. site, it has central nave 12 m. (39 ft.) from the floor to the springing dome and 32 m. (105 ft.) to the tip of the spires.  The basilica has two openwork towers with pyramidal spires and steel vaulting. The interior, incorporating groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style (permitting very ample illumination from lateral windows), was repainted to make it appear like faux marble.

To give the appearance of marble and jasper, the steel columns, walls and ceiling were painstakingly painted by Lorenzo Rocha (multi-awarded portraitist and royal court painter) and turn-of-the-century artists Isabelo Tampingco and Félix Martínez.

The trompe-l’œil paintings of saints, angels, evangelists and martyrs were done by the students of the Academia de Dibujo, Pintura y Arte headed by Lorenzo Rocha. True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church, the confessionalspulpitaltars and five retablos were designed by Lorenzo Guerrero and Rocha. The statues of holy men and women were carved by sculptor Eusebio Garcia while the six holy water fonts were each crafted from marble obtained from Romblon.

The beautiful stained glass windows, depicting the life and story of Jesus Christ, were imported from the Heinrich Oidtmann Company, a German stained glass firm (local artisans assisted in applying the finishing touches).

The basilica interior

Inside, on a prominent place above the main altar, is the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Nuestra Señora del Carmen).  A gift of the Discalced Carmelite Sisters from San Jose Monastery in Mexico City, it was brought here in 1617 by Recollect Reverend Fr. Provincial Rodrigo de San Miguel.  The image survived all the earthquakes and fires which had destroyed previous incarnations of San Sebastian Church but, unfortunately, its original ivory head was stolen in 1975.

The main altar with the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. At the back you can see the scaffolding used for the Phase 1 restoration

Devotion of this image (feast day on July 16) was propagated in conjunction with the wearing of the scapular which promised the wearer quick deliverance from the suffering of purgatory. During the translacion of the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene in January, the image of Our Lady meets the Black Nazarene in the so-called dungaw.

On August 1, 1973, through Presidential Decree No. 260, it was declared a National Historical Landmark by President Ferdinand Marcos. On August 15, 2011, with the unveiling of the marker on January 20, 2012, the church was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.

The vaulted ceiling

On May 16, 2006, on account of its architectural and historical heritage, the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian was included by the National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in the Philippines’ Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site. As of 2017, the church is no longer included in the Tentative List.

The intricately designed rose window above the choir loft

In recent years, the steel structure has encountered threats to its structural integrity in the form of rust and corrosion due to sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay. In 1982, when state funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute, restoration was undertaken. Likewise, the Augustinian Recollect community has expended funds for the church’s maintenance and restoration.

During the 2000 and 2010 World Monuments Watch (a global program of the World Monuments Fund), it was placed, along with the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras and Santa Maria Church, on the biennial watch list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites. In 2011, after the passage of the National Cultural Heritage Act, all of the sites were taken off the list.

The pulpit designed by Lorenzo Guerrero and Lorenzo Rocha

It used to be in the UNESCO tentative list but, in 2015, was removed due to structural decay. To re-establish the site’s integrity and re-inclusion in the tentative list, the basilica will have to undergo another massive restoration program.

The basilica’s pipe organ which was constructed as a pure pneumatical organ by Walcker in 1914.  After World War II, a new console was added.

After an exhaustive two-and-a-half year diagnostic study (funded by a 2012 grant from the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, made possible by the U.S. State Department), using state-of-the-at equipment and science, it was found that there were 300 leaks in the building with up to 3 m. of rainwater collected in the church’s hollow columns.

The Gothic-inspired confessionals also designed by Lorenzo Guerrero and Lorenzo Rocha

Some of the leaks have already been taken care of by a team of hired graduates from Escuela Taller, a craft school for economically challenged youth.  Advanced stages of corrosion have also caused parts of the basilica (around 40 kgs. of steel) to literally fall off.

Scaled model of the basilica

With regards the stained glass windows, some soiling, sagging, missing panes and a few cracked frames were noted.  Talks are ongoing with the Heinrich Oidtmann Company, the German firm that supplied the stained glass, to convince the studio to run a training program to teach Filipinos how to make the colored glass.

Stained glass window depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ

The trompe-l’œil ceiling is another concern as corrosion has caused the delicate oil-based paintings on the steel canvas to flake. A varnish treatment on one of the panels done 20 years ago may delay the deterioration of both the panel and its painting.

The San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation is looking to a complete and comprehensive restoration in a little over 10 years. Phase 1 (repairs to the dome and roof), from 2022 to 2026, is now ongoing with some areas sealed off beginning 2021.

Scene depicting Jesus carrying his cross

A 24-m. high, custom-made scaffolding has been installed, allowing assessment and repair of the dome columns and its surrounding area (dome crockets, stained glass windows and original paintings).  Phase 2 is projected for 2027 to 2029 while Phase 3 is scheduled for 2030 to 2033.

Another greater threat looms over the horizon.  On October 1, 2018, it was revealed that Summithome Realty Corporation was planning to construct University Home Recto, a 31-storey residential high rise building beside the historic church.  As the area around the church is integral to the site as a “buffer zone,” it would negatively affect the site’s possible re-inclusion in the UNESCO tentative list.

Check out  my Business Mirror article “Seriously Saving San Sebastian

With the looming threat of the high-rise building, the site’s inclusion in the UNESCO tentative list is bleak as, without the site managers being initially informed, Summithome was able to acquire a barangay clearance supporting their application for a building permit from the barangay chairman.

Minor Basilica of San Sebastian: Pasaje del Carmen St., Plaza del Carmen (at the eastern end of C.M. Recto Avenue), Quiapo, 1001 Manila.  Tel: (632) 734-8908, 734-8931, 742-3510 and 742-3331.  Fax: (632) 736-1185.  E-mail: sansebastianparish@gmail.com. Coordinates: 14°35′59″N 120°59′21″E.

Minor Basilica and National Shrine of St. Lorenzo Ruiz (Binondo, Manila)

Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz

This church was founded by the Dominicans in 1587 to serve Chinese converts.  Fronting Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz (formerly Plaza de Calderon de la Barca), it was built before 1614 and transferred to its present site in the 18th century. Formerly known as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, it was renamed after St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the Philippines’ first saint.

Historical plaque

Beatified on February 18, 1981 and canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 18, 1987), he was born of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, trained in this church, served as a sacristan (altar boy), clerk and notary and, afterwards, went as a missionary to Japan, where he and his companions were martyred on September 19, 1637 in Nagasaki for refusing to renounce Christianity.

Check out “Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz

The five-storey, octagonal Chinese-influenced bell tower

In 1762, the original building was destroyed by British bombardment and its roof replaced with nipa in 1778 as the wood was destroyed by termites.   In 1781, its dome was constructed by Spanish architect Domingo Cruz y Gonzalez.

The church’s dome

In 1852, a new granite church was completed on the same site, featuring an octagonal, pagoda-like bell tower which suggests the Chinese culture of the parishioners. The church was slightly damaged (the mirador or viewing window at the top of the bell tower was destroyed) during the June 3, 1863 earthquake. In March 1893 or 1894, Andrés Bonifacio and his second wife, Gregoria de Jesús were wed in Catholic rites in the church.

On September 22, 1944, American bombing destroyed the structure, burning everything including the archives of the parish. Nothing was left behind except the stone walls of the western façade of the church and the five-storey octagonal bell tower.

The church’s interior

The present church was rebuilt, in three phases, between 1946 and 1971 by Msgr. Federico V. Navarro, partly continued Msgr. Guillermo S. Mendoza from 1971 to 1976 and restored and reconstructed from January 1977 to January 1984.  On May 9, 1985, it was blessed by Jaime Cardinal Sin.  The roof behind the pediment, the three-storey parish center, convent and the walls at the left of the façade were added.

Pastel-colored gilt reredos behind the main altar (loosely modeled after the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

The imposing, still original (with some renovations) Italian High Renaissance facade is buttressed on the sides by pilasters terminating in urn-like decorations.  Its pediment, framed by a foliated scroll and topped by a tower at the apex, has a centrally located small circular window framed by smaller columns and pediment.

Ceiling paintings depicting scenes from the four mysteries of the Holy Rosary

The original six-storey octagonal bell tower (based on the Chinese tradition on luck and fortune), on the right, has pedimented window openings and cantons at the angles.  Inside the church are ornate pastel-colored gilt reredos behind the main altar (loosely modeled after the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City) and it houses the image of Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

Ceiling paintings depict scenes from the four mysteries of the Holy Rosary.  Fronting the church is (or simply Plaza Binondo).  Masses are said here in FilipinoMandarinHokkien, and English.

Minor Basilica and National Shrine of St. Lorenzo Ruiz: cor. Ongpin and Quintin Paredes Sts., Binondo, Manila.  Tel: (632) 8242-4850 and 8242-4041.  Fax: (632) 8241-4653. E-mail: binondochurch1596@gmail.com. Coordinates: 14.60021°N 120.97470°E.

Diocesan Shrine of Mary Magdalene (Pililla, Rizal)

Diocesan Shrine of St. Mary Magdalene

The Diocesan Shrine of Mary Magdalene is located just a few kms. away from San Ildefonso Parish Church in Tanay, beside the Bahay na Bato.  It was first built in bamboo, cogon and nipa by the Franciscan missionaries in 1583 under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene.

Check out “Church of St. Ildephonsus of Toledo

In 1632, a conflagration destroyed the church and the whole town and, when a new church was built, another fire destroyed the church in 1668. Rebuilt in wood from 1670 to 1673, the altar and convent were repaired in 1848 and the church was again repaired from 1962 to 1976.

Buttresses at the side of the church

On January 16, 1977, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled a historical marker on the church’s façade and, on July 22, 2018, the parish was declared as a diocesan shrine.

The church interior. This is the only Rizal church with a painted ceiling

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The two-level, simply designed adobe Baroque façade, devoid of any decorations, has a semicircular arch main entrance with a portico, above which is a semicircular arch window.  Both levels, flanked by flat pilasters, is topped by a low triangular pediment with a bas relief of St. Mary Magdalene in the center.

The four-storey bell tower, on the church’s left and chamfered at the corners, tapers up in uneven levels, with a balustrade on the four level.  The first level has segmented arch windows with semicircular arch open and blind recesses on the succeeding storeys.  It ends in a dome topped by a miniature campanile and a cross.

The church pulpit

The church distinguishes itself from other Rizal churches in that beautiful religious-themed paintings adorn its ceiling.

The ceiling above the altar

The baptistery, housing a small retablo  with a small devotional painting of St. Mary Magdalene, is located at the bottom of the bell tower, on the left side from the vestibule of the church. 

The baptistery with the image of St. Mary Magdalene

Diocesan Shrine of St. Mary Magdalene: J.P. Rizal St., Brgy. Imatong, Pillila 1910, Rizal. Tel: (02) 8654-2881. Feast of St. Mary Magalene: July 22. Coordinates:  14.4802481, 121.306448.

How to Get There: Pililla is located 61.9 kms. (a 3-hour drive) from Manila and 48.6 kms. (a 2.25-hour drive) from Antipolo City, both via the Manila East Rd./R-5.