Loboc River Cruise (Bohol)

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Floating restaurant of Village Floating Resto & Cruises

Floating restaurant of Village Floating Resto & Cruises

Upon arrival at Loboc, we all crossed over to the other bank of the Loboc River, via the Alfonso L. Uy Promenade, to get to the Loboc Tourism Complex where the floating restaurants are docked.  It has been 11 years since the last time I had my first Loboc River Cruise with my family and I was curious as to what’s new with the cruise.

The Loboc Tourism Complex - a tourist attraction by itself

The Loboc Tourism Complex – a tourist attraction by itself

This time, I now notice so many improvements in the area. Well for one the floating restaurant terminal is now concreted, there are now lamp posts along the river banks (for night cruises), helpful directional signage and an orderly parking lot, the restrooms are clean and the complex was wi-fi enabled.  This made the complex an exceptional tourist attraction by itself.

Floating restaurant terminal

Floating restaurant terminal

When we got to the boat terminal, we were all whisked to the waiting double-hulled floating restaurant of Village Floating Resto & Cruises.  The setup this time was different from our past typical boat tour.   Instead of different tables for different groups of guests, a long, flower-bedecked table was instead set up with green table cloth and fresh buco in the shell for each one of us.

Being serenaded with bossa nova songs

Being serenaded with bossa nova songs

Our lunch was also to be something different, not the typical buffet.  When our boat got underway, we were first entertained by a local band with a versatile and talented female lead vocalist singing bossa nova songs for our listening pleasure.  This got us in the mood for lunch, however late it was.

Our media group

Our media group

The food soon started coming in, starting with the appetizers – fish kinilaw, puso salad and summer rolls.  This was followed by law-oi soup.  The main course that followed next was out of the ordinary – a humongous boodle feast, to be eaten kamayan-style

Appetizers – fish kinilaw, puso salad and summer rolls

Appetizers – fish kinilaw, puso salad and summer rolls

Fruit skewers, puto cuchinta, ube pannacotta, banancue

Fruit skewers, puto cuchinta, ube pannacotta, bananacue

It consisted of pork humba, chicken inasal, sisig-stuffed squid, grilled vegetables, pinais na isda and corn on the cob plus steamed rice, all laid out on banana leaves.  Our delightful lunch was capped by a series of desserts consisting of ube pannacotta, bananacue, puto cuchinta and fruit skewers.

Our boodle feast

Our boodle feast

In about an hour, our boat reached the endpoint of our 2-km. cruise – Busay (or Tontonan) Waterfalls.  These series of low waterfalls, used to generate electricity for the town, drops 15 m. in 2 stages.  We were already done with lunch when docked near a floating wooden platform with rope railing.  Alighting here, we had the luck of seeing a rare rainbow beneath a nearby small waterfall.

Busay Falls

Busay Falls

The author at the floating viewing platform

The author at the floating viewing platform

The rainbow uderneath a small waterfall

The rainbow uderneath a small waterfall

After a few minutes at the viewing deck, we again boarded our boat and, when all were accounted for, turned around for our return trip upriver.  Along the river, the boat stopped at a small bamboo and nipa jetty decorated with banderitas and colorful guitars hung on the rafters. Here, some locals, dressed in apple-green filipiniana outfits, provided us a culture show, dancing the kuradang and the tinikling.

A kuradang dance performed for us at a riverbank jetty

A kuradang dance performed for us at a riverbank jetty

Tinikling dancers in action

Tinikling dancers in action

Continuing on our return cruise, our band, not to be outdone, also regaled us with a modern dance number. Soon enough, we back at the boat terminal by 3:30 PM, totally refreshed by this showcase of Boholono hospitality, cuisine and culture and quite ready for our next adventure.

The band and staff of Village Floating Resto & Cruises

The band and staff of Village Floating Resto & Cruises

Village Floating Resto & Cruises: Brgy. Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol. Tel: (038) 537-9223  and (038) 501-8078. Mobile number: (0928) 507-7627. E-mail: villagefloatingresto@yahoo.com.

Church of St. Peter the Apostle and the Alfonso L. Uy Promenade (Loboc, Bohol)

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From the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary, we returned to our airconditioned coach and proceeded, via the Tagbilaran City-Corella-Sikatuna-Loboc Rd., on our 14.5-km./15- min. drive to Loboc where we were to have a late lunch while cruising the Loboc River.  We arrived at the Loboc Tourism Complex by 1:30 PM. Across the complex is the Church of St. Peter the Apostle, the second oldest church in Bohol and its first declared National Cultural Treasure. Built in 1602 by Fr. de Torres, it was destroyed by fire in 1638.  The present church was built in 1734.

The church facade 11 years ago

The church facade 11 years ago

The ruined facade

The ruined facade

The church I saw was just a broken shell of what I saw 11 years ago as the church sustained major damage during the devastating October 15, 2013, 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Its Early Renaissance façade was completely destroyed while major damage could be seen at the lateral walls and ceiling of the church as well as its convent. The whole church has been fenced in as its collapsed middle section cannot be entered at all. The pipe organ was said to among the elements of the church that were spared from damage.

View of the church from the side

View of the church from the side

The collapsed middle section

The collapsed middle section

Its separate 21-m. high, 4-storey octagonal stone bell tower, located about 30 m. (98 ft.) across the street from the church, also collapsed leaving less than half the tower standing. Years ago, the timely objection by the Lobocnons prevented the bell tower’s destruction when a huge concrete bridge, not justified by any traffic, was being built.

The bell tower prior to the earthquake

The bell tower prior to the earthquake

What remains of the collapsed bell tower

What remains of the collapsed bell tower

At that time, the townspeople had expressed their apprehension that driving the piles to support the ramp, from the superstructure to ground level, might destroy the church, the belfry or both.The project was thus discontinued and this unfinished white elephant of a bridge, that stuck out like a sore thumb in the town center, has somehow been put to good use, having been converted, in 2008, into the Alfonso L. Uy Promenade.  Sadly, what man failed to destroy, nature almost succeeded in doing.

The Alfonso L. Uy Promenade

The Alfonso L. Uy Promenade

The unfinished bridge today

The unfinished bridge today

To turn the bridge into a promenade,  Arch. German Torero,  a National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA)-accredited architect, was tasked to carefully design it so that it will blend with the design of the nearby church and bell tower. Some PhP4 million in corporate funds was also spent to install tiles, build a stairway on the Poblacion side and adding enhancements. Today, the promenade, now a tourist attraction, is used as a park as well as viewing platform to see the damaged (and, hopefully, soon to be repaired) church and bell tower

Church of St. Monica (Alburquerque, Bohol)

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The Church of St. Monica

The Church of St. Monica

From the Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary, we again boarded our airconditioned coaster and made our second stopover, along the highway, at the Church of St.. Monica in Alburquerque (nicknamed by the Boholanos as “Albur”).

The pasadizo (arcade) connecting the church with the convent

The pasadizo (arcade) connecting the church with the convent

Situated on a low knoll, this church was first built of wood and bamboo in 1842.  Later, it was replaced by a larger and sturdier church in 1856.  The present coralstone church, started in 1885 by Fr. Manuel Muro (1882 to 1896), was continued by his successor in 1896 and completed during the 1920s and 30s.

The convent

The convent

The church’s entrance is shaded by a portico (actually the choir loft) from which a stair leads to a Moorish-inspired square bell tower with bells dating to 1867.  It also has arched openings and a decorative band on the edges of the pediment.  The side walls are supported by buttresses.

Butress supporting the side wall

A buttress supporting the side wall

The convent, built with sont, wood and, on the second floor, with, tabique (wattle and daub) walls, was started by Fr. Tomas Fernandez (1869 to 1875) and finished in 1879 by Fr. Antonio Munro (1876-1879).  It is connected to the church by a pasadizo (arcade), unique to Bohol and, together, they form one of the more picturesque church complexes in Bohol. A series of arches link the church, pasadizo and convent.

The wooden pillars and the Guy Custodio-restored painted ceiling

The wooden pillars and the Guy Custodio-restored painted ceiling

The generous use of reinforced concrete for the Romanesque-style façade and the central bell tower, which is integrated into the façade, probably helped save the church from serious damage during the October 15, 2013 earthquake. Some coral stone from the facade was detached and fell to the floor but that was all we saw.

Plaque installed by National Historical Commission

Plaque installed by National Historical Commission

Upon entering the church, we were awed by the painted ceiling which was done by Ray Francia from April 12 to August 3, 1932 and recently restored by Manila-born but Spain-based artist Guy Custodio. The massive pillars are actually large tree trunks (a rarity among Philippine churches) masked by metal sheets.

Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary (Corella, Bohol)

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The tarsier in its nature habitat

Upon landing at Tagbilaran Airport, we were welcomed at the terminal by our local tour guide Mr. Josue Hinay of Travel Village and Tours.  Boarding our airconditioned coaster, we proceeded on our scheduled Countryside Tour of Bohol. After a 30-min./10 km. drive northeast of the city, we arrived at  the 7.4-hectare Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary

The Philippine Tarsier and Wildlife Sanctuary

An arm of the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, Inc. (PTFI), the sanctuary was established in 1996 to protect the tarsier (Tarsius syrichta), Bohol tourism’s mascot.  Known locally as mamag, mago, magau, maomag and magatilok-iok, here the tarsiers are allowed to live and reproduce freely in a natural setting.

What you should know about the tarsier

What you should know about the tarsier

The tarsiers, formerly hunted down, captured and then sold to local and foreign visitors, were declared to be specially protected faunal species of the Philippines by virtue of Proclamation No. 1030, as declared by former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos on June 23, 1997. A 167-hectare sanctuary has been set up in areas within Corella, Sikatuna and Loboc towns where numerous sightings of the tarsiers have been made within their forested domain. Poaching, killing and even wounding of these tarsiers as well as the destruction of its declared habitat are strictly prohibited.

Hiking along the Tarsier Trail

Hiking along the Tarsier Trail

Alighting from our coaster, we made our way to the Tarsier Research and Development Center which has a visitor’s center complete with a reception and souvenir counter, an exhibition area, an audio-visual room, a mini-cafeteria, toilets, and administration offices.  Here, we were assigned a trained volunteer guide who led us through a net enclosure with a 7-ft. high fence (to keep house cats out and the insects in) where 100 tarsiers are kept for feeding, breeding and display.

Taking turns potographing the tarsier

Taking turns potographing the tarsier

Here, we saw and observed, up close and personal, three of them in their nature habitat which consists of mature secondary growths of mahogany, teak and ficus trees as well as many varieties of palm, fern, bamboo clumps, tall grass patches, thick bushes and other greenery which grow in profusion.  We were allowed to take pictures but were urged to do so quietly and not to handle them so as not to put stress on these nocturnal animals who, during daytime, are asleep.

A close up shot

A close up shot

Back at the Visitors Center, Josue introduced us to Carlito “Lito” Pizarras, the Field Supervisor of the sanctuary.  Known as the “Tarsier Man,” Lito once hunted tarsiers for a living, shooting them out of the trees with an air rifle or trapping them for his father, a taxidermist who augmented the family income through the sale of the preserved, stuffed tarsiers which, at that time, went for PhP300.  He also caught them alive for collectors, hobbyists and tourists by simply shaking the trees until the tarsiers fell.

The Visitors Center

The Visitors Center

Sometime in the 1970s, Lito gave up his air gun, formaldehyde and the other awful tools of his trade, devoting the rest of his life in trying to save this exotic mascot of the Philippines’ receding tropical forests. He has since become an enthusiastic environmentalist and conservationist and, when he noticed their receding numbers, he began keeping several of the tarsiers at the backyard of his residence in Corella, breeding 20 of them successfully. In 1985, he sent 10 live tarsiers to the Chicago Zoo in the United States and, in 1998, he was hired by the foundation, maintaining the net enclosure and serving as a resource person and guide to visitors and researchers at the Research and Development Center. When the UK’s Prince Charles visited Manila on July1997, Lito made a symbolic presentation of a pair of tarsiers to his Royal Highness at Malacañang Palace.

The author with Carlito Pizarras

The author with Carlito Pizarras

Tarsier Research and Development Center: Km. 14, Brgy. Canapnapan, Corella, 6337 Bohol. Mobile numbers: (0927) 541-2290 (Program Manager). E-mail: joanniemaryc@yahoo.com. Website: www.tarsierfoundation.org.

Travel Village and Tours: Bohol Tropics Resort Club, Graham Ave.,
Tagbilaran City, Bohol.  Tel (038) 411-4023  and (038) 501-8078. Fax (038) 411-5928.  Website: www.boholtravelvillage.com.

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery (Laguna)

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The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

From the Church of St. Bartholomew, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I left the town proper. Just 2 kms. out of the town is the Baroque-style, 1-hectare Underground Cemetery.  The first and only one of its kind in the country, it was built in 1845 by Franciscan Fr. Vicente Velloc. This would be my second visit, having done so 15 years ago. We parked the Toyota Revo at the Shell service station across it.

Plaque installed by National Historical Institute (NHI)

Plaque installed by National Historical Institute (NHI)

The scrollwork-decorated octagonal red brick walls,  18 ft. high arch and 2 elaborate wrought iron gates were still there and remain quite impressive.  The enclosed circular garden is surrounded by 240 (120 on each side) above-ground, apartment-type niches similar to Manila’s Paco Cemetery.

The scrollwork-decorated octagonal red brick walls and 18 ft. high arch

The scrollwork-decorated octagonal red brick walls and 18 ft. high arch

Maricar, Violet and Lanny

Maricar, Violet and Lanny

The oldest niche is dated 1886 and the last interment was in 1982, nine years (August 1, 1973) after it was declared as a National Historical Landmark by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260 (with amendments on June 11, 1978 by virtue of Administrative Order 1505). Its historical marker was only unveiled on October 24, 1981.

The above ground crypts

The above ground crypts

Underground Cemetery (9)

Traversing the red tiled walkway, we entered the dome-like cemetery chapel, used for requiem or funeral mass, which was built in a strange arabesque style and has blue and  white tiles. Inside is the Sto. Entierro, the glass bier of the dead Christ. The planked ceiling which was water-damaged during my first visit was now partially repaired.

Father and son in front of the chapel

Father and son in front of the chapel

The interior of chapel

The interior of chapel

We went down one of the two stairways leading 15 ft. down to the underground crypt which contain 36 tombs (housing the remains of Spanish friars and prominent people), arranged in 4 walls with burial plaques.   Unlike my first visit, I was now allowed to take pictures (but no flash).  Back at the chapel, we signed the customary guest book and left.

The underground crypts

The underground crypts

Underground crypt

Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery: Brgy. Bambang, Nagcarlan, Laguna.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays. Admission is free.  Donations are needed and welcomed.

Church of St. Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

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From Liliw, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I continued on our way to the next Laguna  town of Nagcarlan.  This historic mission town was founded in 1583 by Franciscan Fr. Tomas de Miranda (known in history to have planted the first grains of wheat in the country). It became an independent municipality in 1595.  This would be my second visit to this town, my first being 15 years ago (April 4, 1999).

Church of St. Bartolomew

Church of St. Bartholomew

Church of St. Bartolomew (6)

As such, I was excited to revisit the town’s prominent landmarks – the Church of St. Bartholomew and the Underground Cemetery, both of which were featured in my articles written for the defunct  TODAY (now Manila Standard TODAY) as well as in my first book “A Philippine Odyssey: A Collection of Featured Travel Articles” (New Day Publishers, 2005) and a previous blog entry  in B.L.A.S.T..  My photos of these places were taken with roll film then.

The church interior

The church interior

Being a long time ago, a lot has changed with the town.  For one, there were now many one way-streets and it took some time, and patience, before we reached the church located opposite the market but far from the municipal hall (which is nearer to the Underground Cemetery).

The church retablo

The church retablo

Violet, Jandy and Lanny at church entrance

Violet, Jandy and Lanny at the church entrance

Restored in “Laguna Baroque” style by Fr. Vicente Velloc (the same priest who built the Underground Cemetery), its impressive brick facade features super-positioned orders consisting of coupled columns on the first level and single columns (reaching only halfway on the walls) on the second.  Its pediment has a Baroque-inspired slightly curved raking cornice.

The unusual 4-storey bell tower

The unusual 4-storey bell tower

The unusual, 4-storey bell tower, built by Fr. Fernando de la Puebla,  is topped by Muslim-inspired crenelations.  Unlike in Pagbilao (Quezon) and Majayjay, we weren’t able to climb it as the door leading up to its stairs was locked.

The plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

The plaque installed by the Historical Research and Markers Committee

How To Get There: Nagcarlan is located 102 kms. from Manila, 106 kms. from Sta. Cruz and 8.7 kms. from Majayjay.

Church of St. John the Baptist (Liliw, Laguna)

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After lunch at Liliw Fast Food, I took advantage of a lull in the rain and walked up the road towards the town’s red brick and adobe Church of St. John the Baptist.  This church was first built in wood in October 1620, rebuilt in stone from 1643 to 1646 but was partially destroyed during the July 18, 1880 earthquake.  The church and convent were reconstructed in 1885 but partially burned on April 6, 1898.

Church of St. John the Baptist

Church of St. John the Baptist

The church’s elegant, 3-level Baroque-style facade, divided by superpositioned columns into 7 segments and extending up to the pediment, has a semicircular arched main entrance finished with irregularly cut block of stones surmounted by layers of bricks, a bas-relief depicting the Baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist on the second level  and a centrally located statued niche on the undulating pediment.

The church's three retablos

The church’s three retablos

On the right is the immense, moss-covered, 3-storey bell tower covered by a dome and topped by a tower.  It has a good view of Laguna de Bay. Inside the church are retablos (altar backdrops) finished in gold leaf. The  4-level retablo mayor (main altar) at the center contains 13 niches housing statues of saints. The center of the lowest level contains the tabernacle. The two side retablos houses 4 niches of saints. A stained glass dome is located above the main altar. Regretfully, the ceiling of red brick and mahogany-finished wood was painted white.

The dome above altar

The dome above altar

Before leaving, I entered a small passageway to the left of the main entrance to visit the Capilla de Buenaventura, a small chapel dedicated to Franciscan Fr. Pedro de San Buenaventura, author of Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala, the first Tagalog dictionary which was printed in Pila, Laguna in 1613. His image is enclosed in a glass case which is believed to be 500 years old. Here, I lighted a bundle of 7 multi-colored candles which I bought for PhP40.  On the right side of the church’s entrance is the church’s Perpetual Adoration Chapel.

Capilla de Buenaventura

Capilla de Buenaventura

The church’s grounds, developed to promote Christian teachings for pilgrims, has a patio with a white-painted statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus flanked by several whitewashed statues of different saints, the child Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

The church's patio

The church’s patio

Church of St. John the Baptist: Poblacion, Liliw 4004, Laguna. Tel: (049) 563-3511 and (049) 234-1031.

How To Get There: Liliw is located 110 kms.  from Manila and 17 kms. from Sta. Cruz.

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great (Majayjay, Laguna)

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From Lucban, we finally crossed the Quezon-Laguna boundary, into Majayjay where we made a short stopover at the town’s Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great.  This would be my second visit to the town, having done so 12 years ago (October 13, 2002) with Jandy. This Augustinian-built church is now listed, by the National Museum, as a National Cultural Treasure.

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great

Side of the church

The moss and vine-covered side of the church

I featured the town and its church in my article Hay Hay! Majayjay which appeared in TODAY (November 10, 2002) and a previous B.L.A.S.T. blog entry. Its unusually tall, stone and brick colonial Baroque facade, with its  6-m. thick adobe walls (though still covered with unsightly vines and moss), was still impressive even after all those years.

The church's long rectangular nave

The church’s long rectangular nave

The plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

The plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

During my first visit, I wasn’t able to explore the church interior in detail as a wedding was ongoing at that time.  This time there wasn’t any wedding as we walked the azulejo-tiled floor of the 60-m. long and 17-m. wide, rectangular nave, admiring  the antique relief statues of saints lining it, the wooden balconies above it on both sides, an elaborately decorated wooden pulpit accessed by a stair, a Sto. Entierro, and the 3 elaborate retablos (altar backdrops) with its pantheon of saints.

The 3 impressive retablos

The 3 impressive retablos

The wooden pulpit

The wooden pulpit

Violeta, Lanny and I were also able to go up the hexagonal bell tower, via the choir loft, just as we did in Pagbilao. Jandy and Maricar stayed behind.  Of equally huge proportions as the church, the  bell tower was supported by unusual 16.5-m. high solid buttresses. The catwalk above the ceiling (called langit-langitan), leading to the crossing above the transept, can no longer be accessed as it has deteriorated.

The dome above the altar

The dome above the altar

Violet and Lanny climbing the stairs going up to the bell tower

Violet and Lanny climbing the stairs going up to the bell tower

Unlike the bell tower of Pagbilao, the stairs going up was sturdy concrete with steel railings.  And just like in Pagbilao, we also had a commanding view, upon reaching the top, of the town as well as Laguna de Bay . The tower had 5 century-old bells. its main bell was said to weigh about 3,000 kgs. and its thunderous peal can be heard 3 kms. away.  

One of the church bells

One of the church bells

View of the town from the top of the bell tower

View of the town from the top of the bell tower

Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great: Poblacion, Majayjay, Laguna.  Tel: (049) 258-1012.

How To Get There: Majayjay is located 120 kms. from Manila and 18 kms. from Sta. Cruz.

Eker & Ely Lucban Longganisa and Pasalubong (Lucban, Quezon)

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From the church, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I walked towards Eker & Ely Lucban Longganisa and Pasalubong, situated just behind the church where, we were told, we could buy the best Lucban longganisa.  It was raining heavily, so we brought our umbrellas with us. Established in 1958 (incidentally the year I was born), Eker & Ely is one of 10 longganisa makers in town.

DSC04563

Their Lucban Longanisa is sold by the dozen –  P150 for big longanisa and  P55 for small.  I bought two dozen packs of the former while the others bought packs of the latter.  It’s a good thing we arrived here in the morning as their longganisa is usually sold out by afternoon.

DSC04565

Longganisa hung on poles for buyers to see

Aside from their bestseller longganisa, the store also sells different delicacies made in Lucban and other parts of the country.  The list includes macaroons, coco jam, broas (the local version of ladyfingers), uraro, miki lucban, piaya, pastillas, mazapan, galletas (egg cracklets) espasol, achara, espasol, coco vinegar, peanut brittle, peanuts, cashews, etc.

DSC04562

Lanny, Violet and Maricar deciding on what to buy for pasalubong

Eker & Ely Lucban Longganisa and Pasalubong: 114 A. Racelis Ave., Lucban, Quezon. Tel: (042) 540-3304.  Mobile number (0920) 237-9056.

How To Get There: Lucban is located 160.36 km. from Manila and 23.7 kms. north of Lucena City. From Manila, it can be accessed via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX, exit at Turbna) and the Manila East Road.

 

 

Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse (Lucban, Quezon)

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After checking out Batis Aramin Resort &  Hotel, Jandy, Maricar, Violet, Lanny and I proceeded to the Lucban town proper to check out its iconic Spanish-era Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse as well as to to buy some Lucban longganisa for pasalubong.

Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse

Church of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse

Plaque installed by Philippine Historical Commission in 1939

Plaque installed by Philippine Historical Commission in 1939

This wasn’t my first visit to this town and its church as Jandy and I visited it during a visita iglesia 15 years ago (April 2, 1999).  This church was featured in my article “A Cultural and Religious Pilgrimage to Quezon” (April 7, 2001), in the Travel & Lifestyle Section of TODAY, in my first book “A Philippine Odyssey: A Collection of Featured Travel Articles” (New Day Publishers, 2005) and a previous blog entry in B.L.A.S.T..

The side of the church

The side of the church

Arched windows

Arched windows

It was already raining when we arrived at the church and I parked by Toyota Revo within its shady plaza which is surrounded by gardens, grottoes and stone walls called quince-quince.  The church went through a history of fire, bombing during World War II and reconstructions.  It is the center of the Pahiyas Festival which is held here every May 15, the Feast of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Farmer). The church enshrines the image of San Isidro Labrador

Decorative keystone on top of the main entrance

Decorative keystone on top of the main entrance

Detail of column set in high relief

Detail of column set in high relief

Even in gloomy weather brought about by the rain, I was still awed by its lofty, fanciful facade with its curved, almost cloud-like outlines; cornice volutes; horizontal moldings that gently flow, from end to end, through the wall expanse; the columns set in high relief; intricately carved finials that cap the columns at the pediment area; the arched windows and the portal with decorative keystone. The moss and vine-covered bell tower, on the church’s left, rising up in three tapering levels, is topped with a weather vane. Both the church’s facade and the bell tower are finished with lime and cement.

The church interior

The church interior

Statue of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse

Statue of St. Louis, Bishop of Tolouse

How To Get There: Lucban is located 160.36 km. from Manila and 23.7 kms. north of Lucena City. From Manila, it can be accessed via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX, exit at Turbna) and the Manila East Road.