Category Archives: Architecture

Fairacres Mansion (Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada)

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Fairacres Mansion

The large, two-and-one-half storey, sprawling Fairacres Mansion, also called the H.T. Ceperley House (after its original owners), now houses the Burnaby Art Gallery.   Designed by English born and trained architect Robert Percival Sterling Twizell (1875-1964) who was steeped in the current architectural trends in Great Britain, it was one of his grandest residential commissions.  The mansion, on the north shore of Deer Lake, was built in 1910 at an estimated cost of C$150,000.00, making it the largest and most expensive house in Burnaby and the Lower Mainland at that time.

Check out “Burnaby Art Gallery” and “Deer Lake Park”

The 20-acre (half of it landscaping) estate, owned by American-born couple Henry Tracy Ceperley (1850- 1929) and Grace E. Dixon Ceperley (1863-1917, a successful and well-respected businessman who made a significant contribution to the development of the City of Vancouver), was conceived and funded by Grace who had achieved significant wealth through a bequest from Vancouver pioneer Arthur G. Ferguson (the same Ferguson of Ferguson Point in Stanley Park), her brother-in-law. The construction of Fairacres, their retirement home, spawned the transformation of the Deer Lake area from a farming community into a preferred location for elite suburban homes.


The mansion was constructed in the Edwardian Arts and Crafts style which is often used for estate mansions as a symbol of affluence and good, modern taste, as well as an affinity for all things British. It is reflected in the architectural detailing and proportions, with handmade fixtures, carpentry and tiled fireplaces.  Quality, in the finishes and materials, orchestrated by James Charles Allen, a prominent local contractor, was displayed inside and out.

On the death of Grace at the age of 54 ‘(her ghost was said to haunt the mansion), Henry sold the house, in 1923, to Frederick Buscombe (one-time mayor of Vancouver). It also served as a tuberculosis ward for Vancouver General Hospital.  In 1939, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Munro, the last family to own the mansion, sold the house to the Benedictine monks from Oregon and, in 1953, it became an abbey. In 1954, the Order vacated the house when it moved to Westminster Abbey (British Columbia) in Mission.

 

In 1955, the Benedictines sold the property to the Canadian Temple of the More Abundant Life, a cult headed by William Franklin Wolsey (who called himself “Archbishop John I”), a convicted bigamist (with a string of extortion and wife-beating charges), serving as its church and school.  After the school closed in 1960 (when Wolsey fled the country), it was leased and converted into a fraternity house (or “Animal House” of sorts) for Simon Fraser University‘s Delta Upsilon Fraternity.

Ground floor fireplace

In 1966, the Burnaby Art Society (led by Jack Hardman, Polly Svangtun, Sheila Kincaid and Winifred Denny, among others) worked with the City of Burnaby (its first civic heritage conservation project) to purchase the 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres) site for C$166,000.00 for conversion to Burnaby’s first art gallery.

To mark Canada’s Centennial of Confederation, the Burnaby Art Gallery opened its doors in June 1967. In 1992, it was designated as a Heritage Property and, on February 22, 2005, it was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.

Wooden stairway

The exterior featured a rich variety of exterior elements that demonstrate the typical Edwardian Arts and Crafts use of local materials such as cobblestone chimneys and foundations, wide wooden siding and half-timbering.

It had a side-gabled roof with prominent dormers and cedar shingle cladding, a porte cochere (with its side steps for those arriving by automobile, and central raised step for those alighting from horse-drawn carriages), a mixture of double-hung and casement wooden-sash windows (many with multi-paned sash) and a verandah across the eastern (garden) facade, with its vistas over the landscaped gardens, the distant mountains, Deer Lake and other grand homes in the area.

The lavish interior spaces, designed for entertaining on a grand scale, featured a generous living and dining rooms arranged off a central hall.  Detailed features of the interior woodwork (including the staircase) were carved by Scottish-born George Selkirk Gibson (1867-1942), a master wood carver who was best known for his many commissions for prominent British Columbia architect Samuel Maclure.

The billiard room and parlor with a beamed ceiling and an inglenook fireplace, also had a grand oak mantelpiece hand-carved by Gibson which bears a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”

The tiles in the fireplace surrounds throughout the house, imported from England, were fabricated by Conrad Dressler and his Medmenham Pottery.  It is one of the earliest documented use of these tiles outside the United Kingdom.  The interiors also featured leaded stained glass and window hardware by Hope and Sons.

Marker for Root House and Steam Plant

The main house anchors, in style and setting, the four associated original outbuildings (Garage and Stables; Root House, Steam Plant and Chauffeur’s Cottage) on the estate which are an important record of the functioning of a large estate of the time.  Some were designed by Architect Robert Mackay Fripp (1858-1917), also an outspoken advocate of Arts and Crafts design.

Root House

The one-storey, 4.6 by 9.1 m., masonry Root House, was used as a frost-free store for fruit and vegetables for the family’s use. Built in 1908, the long, low Root House was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.

Root House

It had a front-gabled roof with cedar shingle cladding and its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include its original louvered ventilation cupola with flared roof, extended eaves and brackets, and pebble-dashed stucco coating on the concrete walls.

The Garage and Stables and the Chauffeur’s Cottage accommodated the use of automobiles, horses and carriages and, in concert with the estate’s location near the new British Columbia Electric Railway Burnaby Lake interurban line, illustrate the evolving nature of regional transportation and the growing bedroom communities and estates made possible by increasing options for transportation.

Marker for Chauffeur’s Cottage and Garage and Stables

The two-storey, wood frame Garage and Stables, situated to the north of the Chauffeur’s Cottage, its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include the shingle wall cladding articulated with a chevron-patterned course of shingles at the first floor level, multi-paned wooden-sash casement windows (some retaining original wired glass), and deep eaves with additional purlins to support the overhang.  Its stable doors, with hand-made forged-iron door hardware, are still original.

Stables and Garage

The long, narrow single-storey Chauffeur’s Cottage, situated across from the main entrance to the Ceperley mansion, adjacent to the Garage and Stables, was constructed by joining together two modest estate cottages.

Chauffer’s Cottage

Its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include the jerkin-headed door hood, a reference to the thatched-roofed cottages of southern England, eight-paned wooden-sash casement windows, and cedar-shingled exterior.  The modest, functional interior, with simple trim and lack of pretension, had two internal brick chimneys.

Steam Plant Building

The single-storey wood-frame Steam Plant building, built from 1907 to 1908, had a gabled roof that originally housed the apparatus for climate control in the greenhouse (formerly located to its north).  It was significantly altered in the 1960s and restored to its original design in 2000.

Steam Plant Building

Adjacent to it is the original rubblestone walls that formed the foundation for the greenhouse. It had six-paned wooden-sash casement windows and its distinctive Arts and Crafts architectural features include the shingle wall cladding with decorative shingling under window sills, deep eaves, and pebble-dashed concrete foundation walls.

Kiln Station

The remaining formal Edwardian garden landscape elements include the cross-axial plan that reflects the relationship of the mansion to its outdoor rooms. Its grounds also included horse stables, an aviary, gazebo and pergola, lagoons, strawberry fields, greenhouses, a kiln station and a gardener’s cottage.  On November 23, 1992, Fairacres Mansion was designated as a Heritage Site.

Check out “Heritage Buildings of Burnaby”

Fairacres Mansion: 6344 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby V5G 213, British Columbia, Canada. Tel: (604) 297-4422.  Fax: (604) 205-7339.  E-mail: gallery@burnaby.ca.  Website: www.burnabyartgallery.ca. Open Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 AM to 4:30 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays, 12 noon to 5 PM. Admission is free (a C$5 donation is suggested).

How to Get There: Bus 144 Metrotown runs from the Burnaby Lake SkyTrain Station to the mansion.  By car, take Sprott St. Exit, drive straight through Canada Way, past Burnaby City Hall and Central High School, turn left into Deer Lake Ave.  The mansion is at the top of the hill on your right.

Quezon Memorial Shrine (Quezon City, Metro Manila

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Quezon Memorial Shrine

The Quezon Memorial Shrine (Filipino: Pambansang Pang-alaalang Dambana ni Quezon), a triangle-shaped, Art Deco-themed monument dedicated to former Philippine President Manuel Quezon, serves as the centerpiece within the grounds of the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Check out “Quezon Memorial Shrine” and “Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon”

 

Statue of Manuel Quezon

Statue of Manuel Quezon historical plaque

Here’s the historical timeline of the memorial:

  • On December 17, 1945, it was established by virtue of Executive Order No. 79 signed by then-President Sergio Osmeña.
  • In 1951, a national contest for the Quezon Memorial Project was held and architect Federico Ilustre‘s design won. Aside from the monument itself, also planned to be erected were a complex of three auxiliary structures (presidential library, museum, and theater) which were never built.
  • In 1952, the Bureau of Public Works commenced the construction of the monument
  • Between 1957 and 1958, the monument was completed
  • On September 24, 1972, the monument was placed under the jurisdiction of the National Historical Institute through Presidential Decree No.1 issued by then President Ferdinand Marcos .
  • On January 14, 1974, the monument was formally designated as a national shrine.
  • On August 19, 1978 (the 100th anniversary of Quezon’’s birth), the memorial was inaugurated.
  • On August 1, 1979, the remains of former President Manuel Quezon was transferred to a mausoleum at the foot of the monument at the Quezon Memorial Shrine from the Manila North Cemetery.
  • In 1989, 31 marble bas reliefs on Philippine history and the life of Pres. Quezón, created by the father and son team of Manuel and Ron Casal, were installed around the base of the memorial.
  • On April 28, 2005, the 26th anniversary of her assassination, the remains of Quezon’s wife Aurora Aragon Quezon, were likewise transferred to the shrine from the Manila North Cemetery.
  • On March 12, 2020, the shrine was recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as a National Cultural Treasure (NCT)
  • In December 2021, the declaration was made public.

The 66-m. (217-ft.) shrine, representing Quezon’s age when he died from tuberculosis stands, on a 36-hectare elliptical lot. Its observation deck (currently not open to the public), with a panoramic view of the city, is accessed via a spiral staircase (now an elevator) from the bottom of the structure and can accommodate 60 people at the top.

Historical Plaque of the shrine

At the top of the three towering, connected pylons (covered with white Carrara marble from Italy) are The Three Muses, stone mourning winged angels (representing the three main island groups of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao), sculpted by the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Clementi Monti (1888-1958), with their heads bowed (as if mourning Quezon) and holding sampaguita (Jasminum sambac, the national flower) wreaths. The flower symbolizes purity and fidelity as it root words sumpa kita means “I promise you.”

The Three Muses

The regional identity of each female angel figure could be discerned from the distinctive and traditional baro’t saya (blouse and skirt) combination they were clothed with.  For of Luzon, the muse is wearing a traje de mestiza, with an embroidered pañuelo (shawl) worn over her camisa (blouse).

For the Visayas, the muse is wearing a kimona (blouse) with short “butterfly” shoulders, and an alampay (kerchief) draped over her shoulder. For Mindanao, the muse is wearing a tight fitting biyatawi (blouse) with a patadyong (skirt) wrapped over the sawal (trousers), and a kambut (sash) draped across her chest.

Quezon’s catafalque

The three pylons would, in turn, circumscribe a drum-like, two-storey structure containing a gallery from which visitors could look down at Quezon’s catafalque (modeled after Napoleon Bonaparte’s in the Invalides), elevated on a marble plinth in the center.

Check out “L’Hotel des Invalides”

The oculus

The gallery and the catafalque below are lit by an oculus (in turn reminiscent of Grant’s Tomb) surrounded by three heads of carabaos believed to have also been sculpted by Monti and mounted in 1958. The tomb of his wife First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon is in a niche on the side of the room.

Tomb of First Lady Aurora Quezon

On the second level, above the circular crypt, is a 3.35 m. high statue of Quezon (originally located outside the memorial) atop a 4.26 m. high marble pedestal sculpted by the late National Artist Guillermo Tolentino and installed in 1978, depicting Quezon delivering his fiery speech when he was elected president of the Commonwealth.

Statue of Manuel Quezon (Guillermo Tolentino)

Pietro “Piero” Amberti, an architect and marble mason from Torino (Italy) who had settled in the Philippines, was hired by former Quezon City Mayor Tomas Morato, to beautify the monument with Carrara marble. Morató also hired Arch. Anselmo T. Alquinto (born 1905) to design the landscaping of the park. Morato’s successors replaced the Italian marbles with locally sourced marble.

Some of the 31 marble bas reliefs on Philippine history and the life of Pres. Quezón, created by the father and son team of Manuel and Ron Casal

Installed within the Shrine itself are two small museums, one containing the presidential memorabilia of Quezon (Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon) at its base, and the other containing items on the history of Quezon City.

Check out “Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon”

Entrance to the Museo ni Manuel L. Quezon

Quezon Memorial Shrine: Quezon Memorial Circle, Elliptical Road, Diliman,  Quezon City, Metro Manila. Coordinates: 14°39′05.1″N 121°02′57″E.

The Ancestral Houses of Juban (Sorsogon)

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Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour

After breakfast and checking out of Residencia del Hamor in Casiguran, we again boarded our coaster for the 56.4-km. (one-hour, 15-min.) drive to Matnog Port. Along the way, we passed by the town of Juban and made a short stopover as we saw some well-preserved ancestral houses along the highway. The old bahay na bato (“stone houses”) of Juban were once the residences of some of the town’s richest families – the Bendillos, Guevaras, Grajos, Alindogans, Guarins, Lasalas and Gorospes.

Casa Feliz

One such structure that still exists is Casa Feliz. Built in 1898, the first owner of the house was Don Leoncio Grajo who was gifted this house by his father when he passed the bar exams in the early 1900s.  Leoncio was elected the First Representative of Sorsogon in the Philippine Assembly of 1912. One of the most beautiful old houses in Juban, it became Don Leoncio’s district office during his incumbency.

Casa Feliz

After his death, his son, Leoncio Grajo Jr., inherited the house. However, to pursue his career in Manila, the young Leoncio had to sell the place to his sister Lourdes Grajo Hubilla. As she grew old, Lourdes decided to transfer ownership of the house to Dr. Teresita Lasala-Ruth, a neighbor.

Lasala-Guarin Ancestral House

With the help of National Historical Commission of the Philippines, she really spent so much effort to restore this once almost dilapidated ancestral house. The restoration took over a year.  It was named after Dr. Teresita’s mother, Felicidad.  Jesus N. Lasala is the current owner of Casa Feliz.  The house was converted into a bed and breakfast with eight rooms.   Casa Feliz has annexes –Ann’s Garden (a function hall) and Café Jeronimo (a bar and restaurant), located a block near the old house.

Casa Feliz is not the only ancestral houses we saw along the highway in Juban. There are 3 more old houses nearby but these ancestral houses are private and do not accept guests.

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

Like most bahay na bato, the foundations of these two-storey, gaily painted houses are made from Spanish-style, solid stone blocks or bricks where the overhanging wooden upper-storey rests on. The exteriors typically have exquisite and tall capiz shell or persiana sliding windows, double eaves supported by diagonal brackets, ventanillas (small shuttered windows below the large windows with wooden balustrades),wooden moldings on the walls and calado (lace-like fretwork or latticework).

Today, the threat of demolition hangs over their heads to make way for the road widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highway’s (DPWH).

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS

These old houses, one of the well known tourist attractions of the province, are rich historical and cultural heritage sites in the idyllic town of Juban that are considered priceless gems that can never be replaced by road widening and progress. In lieu of the road widening, the solution I suggest is a bypass or diversion road be built a few kilometers before the town proper on vast tracts of idle or unproductive land that can be acquired, at a minimal cost, by the provincial government.

These ancestral houses should also registered as Presumed Important Cultural Properties under the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property.  For the time being, the provincial government can install their own plaques recognizing them as a Provincial Cultural Treasure.  These houses have survived World War II and natural calamities such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Let’s hope they survive the wrecking ball.

Casa Feliz: Pan-Philippine Highway cor. L. Grajo St., AH26, South Poblacion,  Juban, 4703 Sorsogon. Mobile number: (0919) 991-2297. Website: www.casafeliz.org.

How to Get There: Juban is located 545.3 kms. (a 13–hr. ) drive from Manila and 30.6 kms. (a 40-min.) drive from Sorsogon City, all via the Pan-Philippine Highway/AH26.

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph.  Facebook: www.facebook.com/sorsogonprovincialtourismoffice.

Juban Municipal Tourism, Cuture and Arts Office: E-mail: jubanturismo@gmail.com.  www.jubansorsogon.com.ph. Facebook: www.facebook.com/JubanTurismo 

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel

Church of St. Joseph the Worker (Barcelona, Sorsogon)

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Church of St. Joseph the Worker

Part of the Sorsogon Countryside Tour

After breakfast at Residencia del Hamor in Casiguran, we all boarded our coaster for the short 13.5-km. (20-min.) drive to the adjoining town of Barcelona.  Along the highway, we made a stopover at the fortress-like Church of St. Joseph the Worker.

The Baroque-style facade

Also known as Barcelona Church, the church was built in 1874 (during the term of Gobernadorcillo Juan Evasco) by Franciscan friars on a coral foundation.

The author at Barcelona Church

One of the oldest, most beautiful and well-preserved churches in the Bicol Region, it also has 1.5-meter thick walls made of hand-hewned anapog patched together by beaten egg whites mixed with lime and tuba (coconut wine).

Bas-relief indicating the year “1874”

From the church, an underground tunnel once lead to the town’s Spanish-era presidencia , across the street at the Barcelona Ruins Park, but it was closed to prevent thieves from accessing religious relics in the church.  Beside the church is Curia, a coffee shop.

Check out “Barcelona Ruins Park” 

The church’s historical plaque

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The Baroque two-level façade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by fluted pilasters and semicircular arched niches.

The second level has a statued niche, above which is a triangular pediment (above which is a square central bell tower flanked by a balustrade) with a centrally located oculus, flanked by circular windows.  Attention is focused on the central segment because of its advancing mass.

The church’s modern interior

The church has undergone several restoration works, the most recent being last May 2019. The church’s modern interior has beautiful stained glass windows and ceiling paintings,

The main altar area

Church of St. Joseph the Worker: Poblacion Central, Barcelona, Sorsogon. Feast of St. Joseph the Worker: May 19.

How to Get There: Barcelona is located 548.5 kms. (an 11.25-hour drive) from Manila and 27 kms. southeast of Sorsogon City.

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph.  Facebook: www.facebook.com/sorsogonprovincialtourismoffice.

Barcelona Municipal Tourism Office: mobile numbers (0908) 927-6481 and (0917) 348-7084.

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel.

Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts (Sorsogon City, Sorsogon)

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Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts

Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour

The 2-storey, 2,638 sq. m., P77.6 million Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts (SCCA), also known as just the Sorsogon Cultural Center, is a state-of-the-art facility for audio and visual presentations.  It  is regarded as the second national cultural center of the Philippines, the first being the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Manila.

Inauguration plaque

A grand place to cover film and broadcast arts, as well as literary and visual arts, its presence will encourage local artists to pursue their passion through numerous workshops, seminars, anthologies, exhibits, symposia, competitions, and awards. It aims to establish good network among local and regional artists as well as cultural workers in the country. The center will also be a venue for local communities for organizing their leisure, providing opportunities for self-expression, initiatives and cultural education.

Mohri & P.A. Associates, Inc. was the consultant (site evaluation & analysis, architectural conceptual planning and design, detailed architectural and engineering design, and budgetary project cost estimates) for the theater. Construction of the venue began on October 16, 2017 and it was inaugurated on December 3, 2022.

Outdoor lounge lobby

The facility has a total seating capacity of 515 (338 seats on ground floor and 177 seats on the mid-floor level) and houses exhibit rooms, offices, an outdoor lobby, lounge lobby, vestibule, spectators’ area, orchestra pit and stage for performances and shows.

Lounge lobby ceiling

Run and managed by the Sorsogon Foundation for Culture and the Arts, it is itself distinct as it is shaped like a pili nut which makes it uniquely Sorsoganon.

Performance stage and lower seating area

Sorsogon Cultural Center for the Arts: Sorsogon City Government Complex Diversion Road, Brgy. Cabid-An, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.

How to Get There: Sorsogon City is located 517.5 kms. (a 12–hr. drive) from Manila via the Pan-Philippine Highway/AH26. 

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel

Sorsogon Sports Complex (Sorsogon City)

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Sorsogon Sports Complex

Part of Sorsogon Countryside Tour

The 56,218 sq. m., four-storey world-class Sorsogon Sports Complex, formerly known as the Balogo Sports Complex, is a Roman Colosseum-inspired stadium built at a cost of ₱887 million (from the 2018 General Appropriations Act).  Mohri & P.A. Associates are the architects of this project.

The author at the entrance

This sports complex, when finished, will become the largest outdoor sports complex in the Southern Luzon and Bicol Region. It is scheduled to host the Palarong Bicol, PRISAA National Games 2023 and 2023 Palarong Pambansa.

The track oval, laid out with a Mondotrack (a prefabricated synthetic rubber track surface) all-weather surface, has 80 m. x 8 m. lanes, warm up side track and a 13,881.25 sq. m. stadium with a total seating capacity of 15,000 people (and a full house capacity of 20,000).  The ball courts were layered with tarmacadam asphalt or polymeric rubber crumbs.

It also houses facilities for meet officials, medical and press rooms, and male and female athletes dorm.  Also within it are the new Department of Education Building and Gymnasium.

Department of Education Building

The façade features Greek Corinthian columns and a gate adorned with two lion heads.  Started last January 11, 2019, it is still under construction by CT Leoncio Construction and Trading..

Sorsogon Sports Complex: Brgy. Balogo, East District, 4700 Sorsogon City, Sorsogon. 

How to Get There: Sorsogon City is located 517.5 kms. (a 12–hr. drive) from Manila via the Pan-Philippine Highway/AH26. 

Sorsogon Provincial Tourism Culture and Arts Office: Ground Floor, Capitol Building, 4700 Sorsogon City. Mobile number: (0968) 624-6279. E-mail: tourism@sorsogon.gov.ph

Ur Place Travel & Tours: OLV Pangpang, Sorsogon City, Sorsogon.  Mobile number (Viber): (0927) 950-3927 (Ms. Annie Gueb).  Facebook: www.facebook.com/urplacetravel

Balay San Jose (Santa Maria, Isabela)

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Rancho Agripino

After our pottery tour at Brgy. Poblacion 3, we again boarded our bus for the short 7.1-km. (20-min.) drive, via the Enrile-Santa Maria Rd., to Balay San Jose within Rancho Agripina, owned by Santa Maria Mayor Hilario “Larry G. Pagauitan, whose Sanctaurio de San Jose (a favorite wedding venue) and Casa di Spiritualita di San Giuseppe (a retreat center) are visited by tourists and religious pilgrims.

Entrance

Upon entering the gate, our bus drove along a dirt road lined with life-side statues depicting the Stations of the Cross (Via Crusis).

One of the Stations of the Cross along the road

Upon arrival, we first dropped by the Sanctuario de San Jose, a chapel was built in memory of Maria Lourdes Gatan Pagauitan (November 19, 1988 – June 12, 2008), the mayor’s and his wife Sofie’s late daughter who died in a car accident. It was solemnly blest and its altar dedicated on November 19, 2015 (Maria’s birthday) by Most Rev. Sergio L. Utleg, D.D., Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.

Sanctuario de San Jose

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The chapel has a two-level Baroque-style façade topped by a triangular pediment and flanked by three-storey, square bell towers topped by a dome and cross.  The first level has an entrance portico (topped by angel statues) which has a statue of St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and is flanked by, flat pilasters, 3 semicircular arch stained glass windows and a semicircular arch statued niche.

The second level has a similar set up, the only difference being the statued niche above the entrance portico.  The triangular pediment has a circular, stained glass rose window within a bas-relief of a Jerusalem Cross, a cross potent (or crutch cross) with four Greek crosses.

The first two storeys of the flanking bell towers have semicircular arch blind windows while the receding third storey, housing the church bell, has open, semicircular arch windows.

Statue of St. Joseph and the Child Jesus

The left bell tower has the sign of “Banal na Pag-aaral Center, Area 11, Northern Luzon.”

The chapel interior

The main altar and its retablo

Inside the chapel are three altars (main and two side altars) with exquisitely carved retablos (altar backdrop), a painted barrel vaulted ceiling, colorful stained glass windows, religious statuary and a triforium (interior gallery)

Casa di Spiritualita di San Giuseppe

Main entrance

Connected to the chapel, on it’s left, is the Casa di Spiritualita di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph House of Spirituality), which was solemnly blest on September 19, 2014 by Bishop Joseph A. Nacua, O.F.M., Cap. D.D. of the Diocese of Ilagan.  This retreat house has has 42 airconditioned rooms with private bath, four dormitories (two large and two small), refectories, conference hall, lunch room, chapels and a beautifully landscaped garden.  In front is an open air lanai topped by a view deck which is accessed by stairs.

The author at the viewdeck

Open-air lanai

In front of the chapel are statues of Christ Resurrected, St. Michael the Archangel and Tablets of the Ten Commandments.   On the right side of the chapel is a tableau depicting Christ Appearing Before his Disciples.

Statue of St.Michael the Archangel

Tableau of Christ Appears to His Disciples

We also dropped by its museum which is filled with reiligous statuary of all sizes, paintings, photos  and other religious artifacts such as monstrances, chalices, crucifixes, etc..

Museum of relious statuary,paintings, photos and artifacts

Also within Rancho Agripino is St. Joseph Library, Lourdes Chapel, Casa di Marello (for visiting priests and brothers of the Oblates of St. Joseph founded by St. Joseph Marello), Galilee (a cluster of airconditioned huts in the middle of a lake), Chapel of the Santo Sepulchro and the Risen Lord (a chapel with the image of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Risen Christ), The Hermitage (a solitary place for those who want to be alone with the Lord), a helipad  and a medical center (MLGP Medical Center).

MLGP Medical Center

Helipad

Balay San Jose: Rancho Agripino, Brgy. Calamagui West, Santa Maria 3330, Isabela.

How to Get There: Santa Maria is located 451.1 kms. (an 8.5-hour drive) from Manila and 67.8 kms. (a 1.5-hour drive) from the City of Ilagan.

Church of Our Lady of the Pillar (Cauayan City, Isabela)

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Church of Our Lady of the Pillar

Come morning of our fourth day in Isabela, we toured the nearby (3-km.) Church of Our Lady of the Pillar.  This church, built with stone, mortar and bricks, was begun in 1825 by Dominican Fr.  Juan Prieto and finished in 1830.

The Baroque facade

During World War II, the church was heavily damaged (parts of the church, the sides of the presbytery were hit) and the convent was destroyed. This church, as well as the Church of St. Rose of Lima in Gamu, and the Church of Our Lady of Atocha in Alicia, are examples of what is called as the “Cagayan Style” of Spanish churches that was inspired by the Tuguegarao church.

Check out “Church of Our Lady of Atocha” and “Church of St. Rose of Lima“

Bas-reliefs featuring curlicues

The left side of the church

AUTHOR’S NOTES

The church’s two-level, Baroque brick (portions of the bricks have bas-reliefs and numbers and symbols etched on it) façade, similar to the Church of Our Lady of Atocha in Alicia, has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by semicircular arched windows.

The second level has a centrally located statued niche flank by semicircular arched windows. The undulating pediment, with its centrally located rose window, is topped by finials.

 

Check out “Church of Our Lady of Atocha”

The modern church interior

The rear of the church

The modern interior of the church has a fresco (The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) above the altar.

The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The top level of its beautiful five-storey bell tower on the right was later destroyed during the violent December 27, 1949 Intensity 7 earthquake, leaving only the base, and the upper level is a modern addition.

The old church bells and a plaque narrating the history of the parish

During our visit, we were allowed to climb to the very top of the tower where we had a panoramic bird’s eye view of the city and the surrounding countryside.

The Parish PastoralCenter

Candle house with a huge statue of Our Lady of the Pillar above it

Displayed on the right side of the church, between a plaque detailing the history of the parish, are two old church bells, dated 1792 and 1843 respectively.  Around the church are huge statues of the Pieta and Jesus Christ, a Candle House (above which is a huge statue of Our Lady of the Pillar) and a 2-storey Parish Pastoral Center (inaugurated on April 12, 2014) with function rooms and a parish museum.

Statue of the Pieta

At the rear are bas-reliefs of The Last Supper, The Holy Face of Jesus and The Sorrowful Mother.

Bas-reliefs of The Holy Face of Jesus, The Sorrowful Mother and The Last Supper

Church of Our Lady of the Pillar: Mabini St., Cauayan City, Isabela. Tel: (078) 652-2014 and (078) 634-5049. Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar: October 12.

How to Get There: Cauayan City is located 374 kms. (a 9-hour drive) from Manila and 33 kms. from Ilagan City.

Isabela Museum and Library (City of Ilagan, Isabela)

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Isabela Museum and Library

On our third day in Isabela, a break in the Bambanti Festival proceedings brought us to the Isabela Museum and Library. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Mr. Jesus Fernandez Ordonez, Museum Researcher II who was to tour us around the museum.

The Neo-Classical facade

The two-storey museum showcases Isabela’s history and cultural heritage. Among the museum’s collections are antique furniture, fossils, ethnographic items, heirloom pieces, visual arts (photographs, paintings, sculpture, and graphic arts), artworks, historical and cultural dioramas and miniature models of provincial landmarks, among others.

Display at museum lobby

The building where the museum is located, built in 1946, once housed the province’s old capitol until 1991.  When a provincial capitol buiding was built in Brgy. Alibagu, Gov. Benjamin G. Dy decided to convert the old building into a museum and library.

Bambantii Festival Exhibit

Architect Baltazar Gigantone was commissioned to redesign the building into a museum.  On May 11, 1991, the new museum was inaugurated during the 143rd founding anniversary of the province.  In 2019, the museum was rehabilitated by Gov. Faustino G. Dy III.

Diorama of the Capture of Emilio Aguinaldo

Upon entry, one of the first exhibit we noticed was the diorama of the March 23, 1901 capture of Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan by American Gen. Frederick Funston. One by one, we toured the museum’s numerous galleries.

Farming Implements

The Cultural Heritage/Antiques Gallery, on the right wing, is the first gallery we visited.  It displays, as its name implies, antique furniture, religious artifacts (monstrances, statuary, chalices, candle holders, etc.), relics from old structures (St. Matthias Church, Bungad Bridge, San Vicente Ferrer Chapel, San Pablo Church Ruins, Casa Real, etc.), burnay pottery, ceramic water filter (ca. 1930 – 1960), World War II memorabilia (M1 helmets, canteens, mess kits, Japanese rifle, nesting cups, etc.)and Scouting Jamboree memorabilia.

Check out “Church of St.Matthias“

Sewing machines, typewriters, etc.

Old appliances, office equipment and everyday items on display include typewriters (Underwood, Royal, etc.), gas-operated flat irons, single-burner mini gas stoves, Singer sewing machines, prinsa (old style metal pan filled with hot coals), Gramophone records, an abacus, ash trays, case gin bottles (cuatro cantos), a Mansfield automatic film projector, Canon cameras, an  Olympia adding machine,  Paymaster check writer/printer, Gramophone, farming implements and a dadapilan (sugar cane crusher) and old wooden storage chests.

Cooking Implements and Wooden Chests

Burnay Pottery

The adjoining gallery houses the memorabilia of the late Sen. Heherson Alvarez (clothes, books, photos, etc.), the Governors’ Memorabilia and the Portraits of Power Gallery.

Portraits of Power Gallery

Memorabilia of Sen. Heherson Alvarez

On the left wing are the Awards and Bambanti Festival Gallery (gowns, photos, etc.), the Selyo Gallery (displays first day of issue Philippine stamps), Revolving Exhibit Gallery and Numismatics Gallery (displays coins and paper currency).

Selyo Gallery (Philippine stamps, first day of issue)

Numismatics Gallery (coins and paper currency)

Awards and Bambanti Festival Gallery

Another room houses the Contemporary Arts Gallery (Art Capital of the North Gallery, Visual Arts and Scaled Models).

Contemporary Arts Gallery

Scaled models

The Tilamsik ng Liwanag (Splash of Light”) Gallery displays replicas of Katipunan flags and photos of historical events (the Propaganda Movement, Katipunan Movement, Philippine Revolution, the Malolos Constitution, Philippine-American War, World War II, the Japanese Occupation, Martial Law years, People Power Revolution, etc.) and personalities (Jose Rizal, Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, etc.).

Tilamsik ng Liwanag (Splash of Light”) Gallery

The library has 21,793 books (including the minutes of session of the Provincial Board, from 1909 to 2011, the oldest in the country).

Library

Minutes of Session of the Provincial Board, the oldest in the country

Isabela Museum and Library: Arranz St., Brgy. Osmena, City of Ilagan, Isabela.  Tel: (078) 307-3004 and (078) 323-3146.  E-mail: isabelamuseumandlibrary@gmail.com and isabelatourismoffice@gmail.com. Open Mondays to Fridays, 8 AM – 5PM.

Casa Byzantina (Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Bagac, Bataan)

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Casa Byzantina

Our land tour, via coaster, of Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Spanish for “Acuzar’s Philippine Houses”) ended at Casa Byzantina .  Also known as the “Don Lorenzo del Rosario (a signer of the Malolos Constitution and one of the numerous building contractors in Binondo) House,” it is a three-storey, intricately designed mixed-used “floral” bahay na bato (stone house) originally located at the corner of Madrid and Penarrubia Streets at San Nicolas, Binondo, Manila.

Designed in 1890 by Catalan architect Joan Josep Jose Hervas y Arizmendi , it is the only existing building designed by him in the Philippines.

Born in Barcelona, Spain in 1851, architect Joan Josep Jose Hervas y Arizmendi got his degree in 1879 and, from 1892 to 1898, became the municipal architect (or arquitecto municipal) of Sitges and Tortosa in Spain and in Manila, Philippines. Some of his works were private residences such as Casa Perez Samanillo (Circulo Ecuestre at present), owned by the Perez-Samanillos, former Manila residents (they owned the Perez Samanillo building at Escolta, Manila), in 1910, for which he was awarded the 1911 Barcelona City Council Prize.   His other works include Hotel de Oriente and La Insular Fabrica de Tabacos y Cigarillos.  He died in 1912.

The Moorish door transom at the exterior

So called  because of its Byzantine ornamentation, it has a half-moon opening above the large entrance with grill works, arches above the windows of the third floor, engaged columns, and appliqued carvings. However, the house reflects more of the Neo-Mudejar (Spanish-Moorish) architectural style  as seen by its Moorish door transom on the exterior, which is echoed in the interior wooden arches and transom traceries.  A mirador (balcony) crowns the roof above the interior’s stairs with turned balusters. The stairs, leading up to the second and third floors, provides access to both wings of the house.

Media group posing in front of Casa Byzantina

In 1869, as the streets at the commercial concentrations at Binondo and San Nicolas districts in Manila were narrow, corner buildings were mandated to be built with a chamfer (or chaflan) and, in compliance with this municipal building regulation (which also led to the creation of eight-sided open spaces, or plazoletas, at every street corner), the house was built with a chamfered corner.

Historical plaque

Its first storey (which served as commercial spaces) was made of adobe stones and bricks while the two upper storeys (which served as residential spaces) were built with various sturdy Philippine hard woods.  Galvanized iron sheets were used for roofing.

Used as commercial and residential space, during the 20th century, the house was occupied by a succession of tenants. In 1914, it was the first home of the the Instituto de Manila which rented it for elementary and high school classes until 1919 when the institute moved to Sampaloc, Manila, eventually becoming the University of Manila. In 1939, despite its neglected state, it was cited by Tribune magazine.

The hotel lobby

After World War II, the nearby community decayed and the land reclamation for the North Harbor. The old houses became tenements and some were torn down to make way for commercial buildings. Casa Byzantina was leased to various tenants.

By 2000, it was in a miserable condition. After eight years, the house was declared structurally unsound. Yet, despite its condition, more than 50 informal, urban poor families were still occupying the house. In 2009, the house was sold, dismantled, and brought to Bagac, Bataan.

Grand staircase

Now transformed into an elegant first class hotel, it is now considered as the most expensive hotel in the resort. This luxurious six-bedroom accommodation, complete with luxurious amenities, 24/7 butler service and free cocktails, has 7 bathrooms and sleeps 16.

Casa Byzantina: La Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Brgy. Ibaba, Bagac, 2107 Bataan. Tel: (632) 8833-3333 local 116-117.  Mobile number: (0917) 872-9361. E-mail: reserve@lascasasfilipinas.com. Website: www.lascasasfilipinas.com. Coordinates:  14°36′09.6″N 120°23′06.9″E

How to Get There: It is a three-hour drive from Manila via NLEx and SCTEx. There is a shuttle service plying the Manila-Bataan route daily with New World Hotel Makati and Astoria Plaza as pickup and drop off points. For inquiries, call (63-2) 332-5338 and (63-2) 332-5286. The resort is accessible from the southeast through a two-lane road from the poblacion of Bagac.