Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

A number of places we visited in our itinerary, as prepared by my brother-in-law Manny, included religious pilgrimage sites and, here in Paris, he made it a point to visit one. On our very first day in the city, right after our visit to the iconic Pantheon, we dropped by the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

Jandy (back turned) with pilgrims waiting outside for the chapel’s opening

A Marian shrine, it is the site of 3 Marian apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary said to have been experienced by then 24 year old Marian visionary St. Catherine Labouré in 1830. On the first visit, the night of July 18, she received a request that a Confraternity of the Children of Mary be established.

Compound of the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Later, on a second apparition on November 27, she was to request the creation of a medal with the following invocation: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The reverse side bore the letter “M” surmounted by a cross and over 2 hearts, one encircled by a crown of thorns and the other pierced with a sword. From May 1832 onwards, the medal, which is extraordinarily disseminated and said to convert, protect and perform miracles, is called as the Miraculous Medal by the faithful.

Invocations on the Miraculous Medal

It was also here that, for three successive days, while at prayer, St Vincent de Paul, showed her his heart, each time in different colors – white (the color of peace), red (the color of fire) and then black (an indication of the misfortunes that would come upon France and Paris, in particular). Shortly after, Catherine saw Jesus Christ present in the Sacred Host and, on June 6, 1830, the Feast of the Holy Trinity, Christ appeared as a crucified King, stripped of all his adornments.

Statue of St. Louise de Marillac

The construction of a chapel began in the medieval Hôtel de Châtillon in 1813 and, on August 6, 1815, the solemn benediction of the chapel was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. By imperial decree, it was attributed to the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul where Catherine entered on April 21, 1830, a few months before the apparitions. In 1849, the chapel was expanded after the apparitions to accommodate all those who wish to pray at the altar and, in the following years, underwent many other transformations. The present chapel is a complete renovation done in 1930, the year of its centenary.

Statue of St. Vincent de Paul

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is more commonly referred to by its address, “140 rue du Bac,” or, simply, the street on which it is situated, rue du Bac. We arrived there 30 mins. before its 2:30 PM opening and crowds of Roman Catholic pilgrims were slowly gathering outside the gate.

The interior of the chapel

Upon entering, we first visited the chapel. Its walls are beautifully decorated with mosaics and murals and over the altar (where the Virgin Mary Mary promised prayers will be answered) is a white marble statue of the Blessed Virgin sculpted in 1850 and crowned with 12 stars. From her outstretched palms, rays of graces lead down to the floor.

The white marble statue of the Blessed Virgin

Its tabernacle, which dates back to the 17^th or 18^th century, is unchanged since 1815. The tabernacle came from the chapel of the Sisters of Mercy, installed there before the French Revolution, and allocated to the Daughters of Charity in 1800. St. Catherine said that it was in front of the tabernacle that the Blessed Virgin Mary prostrated herself on the night of July 18, 1830. She also appeared above it during the third apparition on December 30, 1830. In 1850, an ivory crucifix was placed on top of it.

Murals around the altar

The body of St. Louise de Marillac and the heart of St. Vincent de Paul, founders of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, are kept there. Lying inside a glass coffin, at the side altar of the chapel, is the uncorrupted body of St Catherine, found miraculously preserved after it was exhumed in 1933, over 56 years after her death on December 31, 1876. Pope Pius XII declared her a saint on July 27, 1947.

Tomb of St. Louise de Marillac

Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: 140 Rue du Bac, 75340 Paris, France. Tél : +33 (0)1 49 54 78 88. Fax : +33 (0)1 49 54 78 89. Open daily, 7:30 AM – 1 PM and 2:30 – 7 PM, Tuesdays, 7:45 AM – 7 PM.

How to Get There: Take the Sèvres – Babylone Paris Métro (Lines10 – 12) or Bus 39, 63, 70, 84, 87 and 94.

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

While making our way, on foot, towards the massive Panthéon, we passed the relatively small but attractive, Gothic-style Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church, built between 1492 and 1655. It was described by French novelist Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (in the Connecting, 1895) as one of the most beautiful churches in Paris. It contains Paris’ unique and only surviving rood screen (built in 1535), dramatically crossing the nave like a bridge, separating it from the chancel, with spiral staircases on either side. During the Late Renaissance Period, the others were removed because they prevented the faithful in the nave from seeing the priest celebrate Mass.

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church

It also houses the shrine containing the relics of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, until 1793 when revolutionaries burned the body, melted the relics at the Place de Grève (in front of the city hall) and threw them in the sewer. Only the tomb, lying in a chapel in the nave’s southeastern corner, survived. Near her tomb is a highly decorated reliquary containing a finger bone, all that is left of her earthly remains.

The church also housed the remains of important French figures such as Pierre Perrault (Receiver General of Finances for Paris and scientist), Eustache Le Sueur (painter), Blaise de Vigenere (diplomat, cryptographer, translator and alchemist), Blaise Pascal, (mathematician and physicist), Jean Racine (dramatist) and Isaac de Sacy Lemaistre (theologian and humanist). The last two were transferred in 1711 from Port-Royal in Saint-Etienne. The political theorist and scientist Jean-Paul Marat is buried in the church’s cemetery.

The three pediments

The church had its beginnings in the 6th century in the abbey of Sainte-Genevieve, where the eponymous saint had been buried. Devoted to the Virgin Mary and, later, to St. John the Apostle, the place was too small to accommodate all the faithful. In 1222, Pope Honorius III authorized the establishment of an autonomous church, this time devoted to St Etienne, then the patron saint of the old cathedral of Paris.

“The Stoning of St. Stephen” of sculptor Gabriel Jules-Thomas

Soon, the new building, overwhelmed by an increasingly dense population, was enlarged in 1328. However, from the 15th century, a complete reconstruction soon became necessary and, in 1492, the monks Génovéfains donated a portion of their land for the construction of a new church. In 1494, under the direction of architect Stephen Viguier, the apse and the bell tower were sketched and, in 1491, the bell tower was built (the first two bells were cast in 1500). The flamboyant Gothic choir was completed in 1537 and, the following year, the frame was raised. The loft was built around 1530-1535, the chancel in 1537 and, in 1541, Guy, Bishop of Megara blessed the altars of the chapels of the apse. In 1545, the gallery was built and in 1580, the vaults of the nave and transept were built.

That same year, the parish awarded contracts for the windows and statues from Parisian artisans. The nave, from the Renaissance period, was not hunched before 1584. In 1610, the first stone of the facade was laid by Marguerite de Valois (who personally donated 3000 pounds) and, on February 25, 1626, the church was dedicated by Jean- François de Gondi, the first archbishop of Paris and Cardinal de Retz‘s uncle. In 1636, the organ (the work of Pierre Pescheur) was installed and, in 1651, a new pulpit was installed.

Bell tower

During the 17th and 18th century, the church enjoyed great prestige as the scene of great processions wherein the shrine of Sainte-Genevieve went to Notre Dame Cathedral and, subsequently, was returned to this church. During the French Revolution, the church was closed and then turned into a “Temple of Filial Piety.” in 1801, benefiting from the Concordat, Catholic worship was restored. During the Second Empire, the church was restored by Victor Baltard (who also built the chapel of catechisms), the front was raised and the statues, destroyed by the revolutionaries, were returned.

On January 3, 1857, Bishop Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour (who was to inaugurate the novena of St. Genevieve) was assassinated here, with cries of “Down with the goddesses!,” by the priest Jean-Louis Verger who opposed to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. A plaque, at the entrance to the nave, marks the grave of the prelate. The occultist Eliphas Levi was indirectly involved in this tragic event.

The sculpted The Stoning of Saint Stephen, at the exterior’s tympanum, is the work of French sculptor Gabriel-Jules Thomas. The front facade, which consists of no less than three pediments, features a classical porch. The fourth chapel, on the right from the entrance, contains impressive 16^th century stained glass windows.

The church’s impressive interior, which we didn’t see, is characterized by the curved axis of the nave to the transept, the finely carved stone choir screen of Father Biard (1545), his chair (designed by Laurent de La Hyre and sculpted by Claude Lestocart) and its organ case (1631), the oldest in the capital. There’s also a notable wooden pulpit supported by Samson, with a jawbone in hand and a slain lion at his feet.

From 1929 until his death in 1986, renowned organist, composer and improviser Maurice Duruflé held the post of Titular Organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. The interiors and exteriors of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont were featured, in both the beginning and finale, of Max Ophüls celebrated film The Earrings of Madame de… (1953). Popes have also celebrated mass here – Pope Pius VI on January 10, 1805 and Pope John Paul II on August 23, 1997 (during his visit to Paris on the occasion of World Youth Day).

Cheska, Kyle and Grace at Place Sainte Genevieve

Église Saint Étienne du Mont Church: Place Sainte-Geneviève, Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, 5th arrondissement,75005 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 43 54 11 79.

Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris, France)

Posted on 23 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Notre Dame Cathedral

We arrived at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International Airport on a Sunday morning and, after checking in at the Ibis Paris Gare de l’Est 10^th, we decided to hit two birds with one stone by taking the Paris Metro to get to the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world, where we plan to hear Mass and do sightseeing later. It was already raining when we left the hotel and, when we arrived,we still had to queue to get into the cathedral through the right door. The Gregorian Mass we attended was said in French.

The Gothic-style facade

The magnificent, awe-inspiring Notre-Dame Cathedral, also called Notre Dame de Paris, (French for “Our Lady of Paris”) or simply Notre-Dame, is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, its pointed arches, thinner walls and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass in stark contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. The cathedral treasury is famous for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism‘s most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails. The cathedral, with a cruciform plan, was made famous by Victor Hugo’s famous, larger-than-life novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” (about the hunchback bell ringer, Quasimodo, who falls madly in love with the beautiful gypsy dancer, Esmerelda). Notre-Dame is composed of a choir and apse, a nave with double aisles and square chapels. It is 226 ft. high, 420 ft. long and has a total surface area of 5,500 sq. m. (interior surface 4,800 sq. m.).

The pointed Gothic arch of the main entrance

Construction of the cathedral began in 1163, during the reign of Louis VII. Bishop Maurice de Sully devoted most of his life and wealth to the cathedral’s construction. Throughout the construction period, numerous architects worked on the site resulting in differing styles at different heights of the west front and towers. The choir was built from 1163 until around 1177 and the new High Altar was consecrated in 1182. After Bishop Maurice de Sully’s death in 1196, Eudes de Sully (no relation), his successor, oversaw the completion of the transepts.

Gallery of the Kings of Judah

He also pressed ahead with the construction of the nave which was, at the time of his own death in 1208, nearing completion. The western facade had also been laid out by this stage but it was not completed until around the mid-1240s. Between 1210 and 1220, the fourth architect oversaw the construction of the level with the rose window and the great halls beneath the towers. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345.

The magnificent rose window

In the mid 13th century, the transepts were remodeled in the latest Rayonnant style and, in the late 1240s, Jean de Chelles added a gabled portal to the north transept, topped off by a spectacular rose window. Shortly afterwards, from 1258, Pierre de Montreuil did the same on the southern transept. Both transept portals were richly embellished with sculpture. The south portal features scenes from the lives of St Stephen and of various local saints, while the north portal featured the infancy of Christ and the story of Theophilus in the tympanum, with a highly influential statue of the Virgin and Child in the trumeau.

Gargoyle waterspouts

In 1548, features of Notre-Dame were damaged by rioting Huguenots who considered them idolatrous. During the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, as part of an ongoing attempt to modernize cathedrals throughout Europe, the cathedral underwent major alterations. In 1786, a colossal statue of St Christopher, standing against a pillar, near the western entrance, and dating from 1413, was destroyed, as well as tombs and stained glass windows. However, the north and south rose windows were spared.

The cathedral interior showing the sexpartite vaulting on the ceiling

In the 1790s, during the radical phase of the the French Revolution , many of Notre-Dame’s religious imagery and treasures were either damaged, destroyed or plundered. For a time, Lady Liberty replaced the Virgin Mary on several altars. The 13th century spire was torn down and the statues of the biblical kings of Judah , located on a ledge on the facade of the cathedral, were beheaded as they were erroneously thought to be kings of France. Many of the heads were found during a nearby 1977 excavation and are now on display at the Musée de Cluny. However, the cathedral’s great bells managed to avoid being melted down. In 1793, the cathedral was rededicated to the Cult of Reason, and, later, to the Cult of the Supreme Being. The cathedral came to be used as a warehouse for the storage of food.

The altar area

In 1845, a controversial and extensive 25-year restoration program was initiated and overseen by architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (responsible for the restorations of several dozen castles, palaces and cathedrals across France, he always signed his work with a bat). The restoration included a taller and more ornate reconstruction of the flèche (a type of spire) as well as the addition of the chimeras on the Galerie des Chimères.

The very beautiful stained glass windows

During the Second World War, several of the stained glass windows on the lower tier were hit by stray bullets but were remade after the war. They now sport a modern geometrical patterns not the old scenes of the Bible. In 1991, a major program of maintenance and further restoration intended to last ten years was initiated. It included the cleaning and restoration of old sculptures which is an exceedingly delicate matter. By 2014, much of the lighting was upgraded to LED lighting.

Ornate wooden pulpit

Among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports), Notre-Dame was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. However, after the construction began, the thinner walls grew ever higher and stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. To remedy this, the cathedral’s architects built supports around the outside walls. Later additions continued the pattern.

The cathedral’s pipe organ

Around the exterior, many small, individually-crafted statues, including the famous gargoyles and chimeras, were placed to serve as column supports and water spouts. Most of the exterior as well as the statues were originally vividly colored but the paint has since worn off, exposing the gray stone.

The huge bronze equestrian statue of Charlemagne et ses Leudes (Charlemagne and his Guards)

As we were on a tight schedule, we didn’t have time to join the extremely long queue climbing several narrow (387 step total, no elevator) spiral staircases, in 3 stages, to the top of the 90 m. high South Tower. Upon reaching the top, it is possible to view, in close quarters, the cathedral’s Emmanuel Bell, the largest and most famous bell, the flying buttresses and its gargoyles as well as have a spectacular view of the Ile de la Cite. At Notre-Dame, there are 14 millions visitors per year or an average of 40,000 tourists per day.The area around the cathedral has lots of book stalls and cafes.

The author at the Zero Point Marker

One of several interesting things I did see around Notre Dame was the huge bronze equestrian statue of Charlemagne et ses Leudes (Charlemagne and his Guards), created by brothers Louis and Charles Rochet in 1878. Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 800 A.D. until his death in 814 A.D., is holding a lance or staff while being guided by two leudes, which are believed to be the figures of Oliver and Roland. Also within the square in front of the cathedral is the Zero Point Marker where all mile markers start from.

L-R: Manny, Kyle, Cheska, Jandy and Grace

NOTE:

On April 15, 2019, the cathedral caught fire (speculated to be linked to ongoing restoration work), destroying the spire, the oak frame and the lead roof but leaving the structure intact. The cathedral is closed while restoration work is ongoing.

Notre Dame Cathedral: 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris, France. Tel: +33 1 42 34 56 10. Website: www.notredamedeparis.fr. Open daily, 7:45 AM – 6.45 PM (7:15 PM on Saturdays and Sundays). Photos without flash are allowed. For those who want to visit the South Tower (admission: 8,50 €, open 10 AM), the entrance is located outside the cathedral, on the left side of the front at Rue du Cloître Notre-Dame. Even with a Museum Pass, you still have to wait in line just like anyone else. There are also free organ recitals at 8 PM on most Saturday evenings.

How to Get There: the closest Paris Metro stations to the Notre Dame Cathedral are St-Michel Notre Dame (RER B Train Line, blue), the St-Michel Notre Dame (RER C Train Line, yellow) and the Cité – Line 4 (fuschia). By bus, Lines n°21, 38, 47, 85, 96 (Stop Cité – Palais de Justice); Line n°47, Balabus (Stop Cité – Parvis de Notre-Dame); Lines n°24, 47 (Stop Notre-Dame – Quai de Montebello); Lines n°24, 47 (Stop Petit Pont); Lines n°24, 27, Balabus (Stop Pont Saint-Michel – Quai des Orfèvres); Lines n°24, 27, 96, Balabus (Stop Saint-Michel); and Lines n°21, 27, 38, 85, 96 (Stop Saint-michel – Saint-Germain).

Church of the Immaculate Conception and Fort Culion (Culion, Palawan)

Posted on 16 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 6 Comments ↓

The Church of the Immaculate Conception

From the town proper, we all boarded tricycles to take us, up a high promontory, to the town’s magnificent Church of the Immaculate Conception, originally built in 1746 by the Recollects. It is located within the quadrilateral Fort Culion which was built in 1683 by Fr. Juan de Severo and renovated in 1740.

The church promontory

The fort was partially demolished in the 1930s by American Jesuit Fr. Hugh McNutty to build a larger church, with some of the fort’s original coral rock used for the nave. The church was completed in 1933. Both the fort and church share the same main entrance.

Royal seal of King Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain

Royal seal of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain

AUTHOR’s NOTES:

The church’s 2-level Baroque facade has semicircular arched main entrance flanked by pilasters and seemingly topped by the royal seal of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The entrance, in turn, is flanked by niches with statues of angels.

The church’s interior

The second level has a centrally located niche with the statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception flanked by semicircular arch windows. Above is a segmental (half-moon) pediment with a centrally located oculus. On the church’s right is a bell tower.

Part of the remaining fort walls

The painted ceiling inside the church is obviously new, but before it was repainted, the original ceiling was painted in 1978 by leper patient Ben Amores, based on the design of Jesuit Fr. Javier Olazabal. To do the paintings, the handicapped Amores, who had no hands, had brushes tied to his arms and was lifted up. In 2003, Jesuit Fr. Gabriel Gonzalez initiated the restoration and renovation of the church.

One of the fort’s two remaining cannons

Today, only a round bastion (turned into a lighthouse), with two carriage-less Spanish-era cannons (one I noticed had 1762A stamped on it, probably indicating the year it was cast), located behind the church sanctuary, and part of the wall are all that remains of Fort Culion. Here, the view of the ocean and Culion town is spectacular.

Our media group at the fort’s remaining round bastion

View of the town and sea from the bastion

Culion Tourism Office: mobile number: (0921) 394-7106 (Pastor Hermie Villanueva). E-mail: herme_1670@yahoo.com.ph.

How to Get There: Culion is a 1.5 to 2-hour motorized outrigger boat ride from Coron town.

How to Get to Coron: Skyjet Airlines has 4 times weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, 10:30 AM) flights from Manila (NAIA Terminal 4) to Coron (Francisco Reyes Airport). Travel time is 30 mins.

Asia Grand View Hotel: Governor’s Ave., Jolo, Brgy. 5, Coron, Palawan. Tel:(+632) 788-3385. Mobile number: (0999) 881-7848. E-mail: gsd@asiagrandview.com. Manila sales office: Unit 504, Richmonde Plaza, 21 San Miguel Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Tel: (+632) 695-3078 and 531-8380. Mobile number: (0917) 550-7373 to 75 Fax: (+632) 695-3078. E-mail: info@asiagrandview.com. Website: www.asiagrandview.com.

Skyjet Airlines: Manila Domestic Airport, Parking A, Terminal 4, NAIA Complex, Brgy. 191, Pasay City, Metro Manila. Tel: (02) 863-1333. E-mail: sales@skyjetair.com. Website: www.skyjetair.com.

Church of St. Francis Xavier (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Posted on 12 June, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 2 Comments ↓

St. Francis Xavier Church

From Thien Hau Pagoda, we again boarded our van and proceeded to Church of St. Francis Xavier, one of the most popular attractions in Ho Chi Minh City. Located at the center of Cho Lon (Chinatown), this pleasing light-caramel and white painted church, built for the Chinese in Saigon, exudes a sleepy, tropical feel.

The spacious church compound

In 1898, Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou (1855–January 24,1934), a Chinese-born vicar apostolic (delegate of the pope) of Saigon, was sent to Cho Lon by the local bishop to take care of the city’s Chinese Christians. His first act was to build a church for them and construction of the church began on December 3, 1900, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, when Lucien-Émile Mossard (October 24, 1851-February 12, 1920), Bishop of Saigon, placed the first stone for the church.

Tomb of Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou

On January 10, 1902, the church was inaugurated and dedicated to St. Francis Xavier (whom Fr. Tam was named after). After that, Fr. Tam also built a school, a kindergarten, a boarding house, and houses for rent in the church. In 1990, the church steeple and the sanctuary were refurbished.

Plaque commemorating Vietnamese martyrs

However, any discussion of this church’s history needs to include its darker side. On November 2, 1963, then South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu were seized inside this church. They sought refuge here in a doomed effort to escape a coup attempt after fleeing the Presidential Palace (now the Reunification Palace) through a secret tunnel network.

When their efforts to contact loyal military officers (of whom there were almost none) failed, Diem and Nhu agreed to surrender unconditionally and revealed where they were hiding. Another version states that an informant recognized the brothers as they walked across the church’s courtyard on the morning of the 2^nd. The coup leaders sent an M-113 armored personnel carrier to the church and, around 10 AM, the two were taken into custody while they were praying inside.

The plan was to transport them to the Vietnamese Joint General Staff Headquarters, then exile the brothers to a new country, far from Southeast Asia. However, before the vehicle reached central Saigon, the zealous and angry soldiers had killed Diem and Nhu by shooting them at point-blank range and then repeatedly stabbing their bodies. Diem was subsequently buried in an unmarked grave not far from the US ambassador’s residence. What followed was a political scandal, an attempted cover-up and an international investigation that ended with no one being prosecuted for the killings.

When news of the deaths was broadcast on radio, Saigon exploded with jubilation. Portraits of the two were torn up and political prisoners, many of whom had been tortured, were set free. The city’s nightclubs, which had closed because of the Ngos’ conservative Catholic beliefs, were reopened. Three weeks later the US president, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. As his administration had supported the coup against Diem, some conspiracy theorists speculated that Diem’s family orchestrated Kennedy’s death in retaliation.

The church compound (which can be accessed even when the church is closed), covering a large area, offered a good space for us to stroll around. An interesting plaque here commemorates Vietnamese martyrs. This Gothic-style church is somewhat unique in that it’s decorated with horizontal lacquer boards and wood panels with inscriptions much like the surrounding Chinese style temples. Pretty red lanterns adorn the church walls.

Statue of Fr. François Xavier Tam Assou at the church steeple

The centrally located, 38 m. high tower has a peculiar statue of Fr. Tam and his tomb is located at the entrance wall of the church. The church is often called Cha Tam (Father Tam) Church (Nha Tho Cha Tam).

The rib vaulted church interior

The mint green and white interior, with its rib vault ceiling, is decorated with images of the Stations of the Cross, while holy water is dispensed from huge clam shells. A pew in the church is marked with a small plaque identifying the spot where President Ngo Dinh Diem was seized. Today, the church, one of Saigon’s more active, is far removed from the brutality of yesteryears and has a very active congregation of 3,000 ethnic Vietnamese and 2,000 ethnic Chinese parishioners.

L-R: Jandy, the author, Kyle, Cheska and Grace

Cha Tam Church: 25 Học Lạc St., District 5, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam. Tel: +84 8 3856 0274. Open daily, 7 AM – 12 noon, 2 – 6 PM and 7 – 9 PM. Masses, in both Vietnamese and Chinese (Mandarin), are held daily.

Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great (Legaspi City, Albay)

Posted on 1 May, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Also called the Albay Cathedral, the first church was buried in 1754 and destroyed during the February 1, 1814 eruption of Mayon Volcano. The present cathedral, located near Penaranda Park, was built in 1834 mainly through the generosity of Pedro Romero. During World War II, the church was damaged by American bombers and its reconstruction continued until 1951.

The Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great

That same year, when the Episcopal Seat of the Diocese of Legaspi was established, the church was elevated to become a cathedral. Its nominal patron is Our Lady Mother of Salvation while its secondary patron is Pope St. Gregory the Great. In 2001, during the golden jubilee of the church, a gate with monolithic pillars and arch was constructed.

The simple Romanesque-style facade

The church’s simple Romanesque-style façade has a semicircular arched main entrance with a projecting portico, both flanked by niches with statues of St. Raphael and St. Peter, and superpositioned coupled columns on pedestals supporting a triangular pediment. At the ends are single superpositioned columns with a pinnacle on top. The pediment and second level are separated by an entablature.

The centrally located square bell tower

The second level has a centrally located rose window flanked by rectangular windows. Above the pediment is a centrally located square bell tower. The side entrances have semicircular arched entrances flanked by superpositioned fluted columns. Above the entrances are statued niches.

Side entrances with a statued niche above it

A side entrance. A niche with the statue of St. Lorenzo Ruiz is above it

Cathedral of St. Gregory the Great: Mons. F. Reyes St., Old Albay District, Legazpi City, 4500, Albay. Tel (052) 820 4603.

City Mayor’s Office: City Hall, National Highway, Legaspi City, 4500, Albay. Tel.: (052) 820-1400.

City Tourism Office: Legaspi City, 4500, Albay. Tel: (052) 480-2698 and (052) 820-1843. Website: www.legaspi.gov.ph.

How to Get There: Legaspi City is located 556 kms. southeast of Manila.

Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Malilipot, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

The town’s church was first built in 1789 by Fr. Simeon Vasquez. The present church was started in 1851 and completed in 1877.The church grounds have a good view of Mayon Volcano.

The Baroque-style, 2-level facade

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

Its 2-level Baroque façade has a semicircular, recessed arched main entrance, in varying widths, flanked, on each side, by 3 pilasters (the center one taller and wider than the other two), all mounted on pedestals. These, in turn, are flanked by semicircular arched windows.

A trio of columns

The main entrance with recessed arches in varying widths

The second level has a semicircular arched niche with a statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (below which is stamped the year “1877”) flanked, on both sides, by a pilaster and a semicircular arched window. All throughout the façade are decorative scrollwork while the statued niche has a fleur de lis keystone. The triangular pediment has a centrally located oculus.

Niche with statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Detail of decorative scrollwork

The whole façade is flanked by two 4-storey, hexagonal bell towers topped by domes. The two levels are separated by an entablature with a frieze of decorative, alternating diamond and floral patterns which continues around the bell towers.

The modern church interior

The bell tower with Mt. Mayon on its left

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church: Poblacion, 4510 Malilipot, Albay. Tel: (052) 325 8965 and 558-2379.

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4510 Malilipot, Albay. Tel.: (052) 820-7950

Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne (Malinao, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

The Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne was built by Franciscan Fr. Francisco de Sta. Ana in 1619, destroyed by lahar triggered by a typhoon during the 1766 Mayon Volcano eruption and later rebuilt.

Church of St. Joachim and St. Anne

Author’s notes:

This church’s simple Romanesque façade has semicircular arch main entrance (above which is a rose window) flanked by rectangular windows and superpositioned coupled columns on pedestals that extend to the second level. At the ends of the facade are single superpositioned columns topped by pinnacles. On the church’s right is the four-storey bell tower.

The church facade

The 4-storey bell tower

Its triangular pediment above the second level features a remarkable relief sculpture of St. Anne holding baby Mary, riding a cow and chasing off pirates. St. Anne is credited with saving Malinao from a pirate attack.

Bas relief at the triangular pediment

The church’s modern interior

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4512 Malinao, Albay. Tel.: (052) 488-4550

How to Get There: Malinao is located 545 kms. from Manila, 5 kms. from Tabaco City and 32 kms. northeast of Legaspi City.

Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr (Tiwi, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr

Tiwi’s present church, built in 1829, replaced the town’s original church which was built in 1776, by Franciscan Fr. Pedro de Brosas at the mouth of a site called Tuytoy (“bridge”) Swamps. The church was burned by Moro pirates and later abandoned due to its vulnerability to typhoon-induced tidal waves.

The centrally located, square bell tower and triangular pediment

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

The church’s dark, simple but charming façade is dominated by a centrally located, square bell tower, and it’s gently protruding, semicircular arched main entrance, flanked by coupled columns, is topped by a triangular pediment with a centrally located oculus.

Superpositioned coupled columns with pinnacles

Flanking the main entrance are two statued niches and another set of coupled columns capped by pointed pinnacles. The first level is separated from the triangular pediment by an entablature.

The modern church interior

Church of St. Lawrence the Martyr: San Lorenzo St., Sitio Basag, Brgy. Tigbi, 4513 Tiwi, Albay. Tel: (052) 488 5107. Feast of St. Lawrence the Martyr: August 10.

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4513 Tiwi, Albay. Tel.: (052) 435-4866.

Sinimbahan Ruins (Tiwi, Albay)

Posted on 30 April, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Along the road opposite the town’s market, our media group made a stopover at the Sinimbahan Ruins, the roofless remains of Tiwi town’s original church which was built, in 1776, by Franciscan Fr. Pedro de Brosas at the mouth of a site called Tuytoy (“bridge”) Swamps, The church was burned by Moro pirates in 1846 and later abandoned due to its vulnerability to typhoon-induced tidal waves.

Sinimbahan Ruins

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

All that remains of this single-nave church are the crumbling volcanic stone walls, and the buttresses that support it, and the equally sorry-looking bell tower on the church’s left. The walls are heavily overgrown with foliage and enveloped by roots of banyan (locally called balete) trees which cling to the cracks and crevices of the walls, making the ruins look charming but, actually slowly destroying it.

A child lounging by a church window

Three remaining church buttresses

The interior walls once had a glass-encased, embedded niche which contained human bones but the glass and the bones have long disappeared. The niche seems to have been used as a grilling oven. Other walls, probably that of the adjoining convent, now form part of a pottery factory.

Remains of the bell tower

An attempt has been made to reuse it as a chapel, evidenced by the presence of a lava boulder altar and an image of the Blessed Virgin hanging on the wall but, probably when there are no services being held (or probably abandoned altogether), the interior is used for other purposes.

The lava rock altar

During our visit, a tricycle and an owner-type jeep were parked inside and a badminton net and a basketball backboard were also installed for recreation. There were no church pews or other furniture save for two loungers beside the shade-giving walls.

A balete tree slowly making the walls crumble

The niche that once contained human bones

The ruins is listed as a “tourist attraction” in the town but, from the looks of it, neglect, indifference and the corrosive effects of rain and wind will finish what tidal waves failed to totally destroy. I truly hope that plans for its restoration, similar to that done to the Bancurro Ruins in Naujan (Oriental Mindoro), are in the works.

Part of the church walls used by the pottery factory

A jeep and tricycle parked inside

Sinimbahan Ruins: Brgy. Baybay, 4513 Tiwi, Albay

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, 4513 Tiwi, Albay. Tel.: (052) 435-4866.

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

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

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

He is also the author of the following travel books:

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

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

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