Category Archives: Churches

Reminiscing in San Miguel de Mayumo (Bulacan)

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Church of St. Michael the Archangel

We were now on the final leg on our Lakbay Norte 2 tour and our final destination was the marble quarrying, first-class municipality of San Miguel de Mayumo, a town rich in history within the equally historic province of Bulacan.   Our special Victory Liner bus first dropped us off at the Church of St. Michael the Archangel where we were welcomed by Mr. Jose G. Clemente and Ms. Amelia Aquino, both of the Bulacan Tourism Convention and Visitors Bureau (BTCVB); Mr. Jimmy Corpuz, head of the National Historic Conservation Society; and municipal tourism officer Ms. Divina Quetua.  This Baroque-style church, with its statue of St. Michael the Archangel slaying the dragon at the center panel of the pediment, was built (or rebuilt) in 1848 by Fr. Juan M. Tombo and was completed in 1869 by Fr. Francisco Arriola.  Maximo Viola, the financier of the printing of Rizal’s Noli me Tangere, is buried in a vault within the church.  After the church tour, we all cross the street to pay a courtesy call on Mayor Roderick Tiongson at the municipal hall (built in 1874). 

Simon Tecson Mansion

Being an hour behind schedule, we had no time to tour, on foot, San Miguel’s 25-30 ancestral houses (the town is called the “Vigan of Bulacan”) scattered around the town proper as we had to drop by Biak-na-Bato National Park, site of the Biak-na-Bato Republic.  These bahay na bato were built with different styles of architecture and colors during the Spanish and American eras, all existing testimonies to the abundance and prosperity of the past. Instead, we did a slow tour via our bus, along the town’s narrow streets, with Mr. Clemente commenting on each house we passed. In the past, landed barons running haciendas in Central Luzon built their grand residences or vacation houses in San Miguel de Mayumo where they hosted lavished parties or soirees.

Bahay Paniki Cave

We arrived at the 2,117-hectare Biak-na-Bato National Park by 5 PM.  Our 1-hr. tour took us past Gen. Aguinaldo Cave (Emilio Aguinaldo‘s headquarters in 1897 and site of the Biak-na-Bato Republic) all the way up to Bahay Paniki Cave, located upstream from the Balaong River.  Probably the largest cave in the area, the cave has a rather deep natural indoor swimming pool fed by an underground stream.  Thousands of fruit bats fly in and out from dawn and dusk but we were not to witness this as approaching darkness would make our return trek difficult.

Lakbay Norte media group with BTCVB

It was already dark when we returned to the park’s new pavilion for a snack of ensaymada (a brioche made with butter and topped with grated cheese and sugar) and arroz caldo (a rice porridge flavored with chicken)  After a short press briefing and photo ops, we all returned to bus for our 2-hr. return trip to Manila.  However, the grateful town and its people wouldn’t let us go without bringing home some pasalubong of the town’s famous delicacies.  Waiting for us at the bus were pastillas de leche (delicious, mouth-watering candy made from sugar and pure carabao’s milk), tableya (old fashion Philippine chocolate), minasa (cassava cookies), yema balls (a sweet custard candy made with condensed milk and egg yolks) and chicharon (fried pork crackling). 

Bulacan Tourism Convention and Visitors Bureau (BTCVB): c/o Ciudad Clemente Resort, Paombong Bulacan.  Mobile number: (0927) 669-5655. E-mail: joclemente01@yahoo.com.

Church of St. James the Apostle (Guagua, Pampanga)

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Guagua’s Church of St. James the Apostle

From Bacolor, we next proceeded to Brgy. Betis in the woodworking (furniture, guitars, pool sticks, etc.) town of Guagua, my late father’s hometown, where we were welcomed by Sangguniang Bayan member Anthony Joseph “Tonton” Torres and Guagua councilor Roy Sunglao at the 17th-century Church of St. James the Apostle. The church, now honored as one of 26 National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum, has a profusely ornamented, two-level, German Baroque façade with decorative, coupled columns and skillfully arranged flora,  spirals and intricate curvilinear carvings decorating the projecting portico. The church’s wooden entrance doors are intricately carved with the “Dreams of Jacob” from the Old Testament.

The breathtaking trompe l’oeil dome

Its awe-inspiring interiors are something else. The huge, elaborate retablo is furnished with authentic icons, while spectacular murals of 19th century artist Simon Flores, as well as the father-and-son team of Macario and Jose Ligon (finished before World War II), fill the walls. The interpretation of the Bible is painted on the entire wooden ceiling and the breathtaking trompe l’oeil dome, truly the Philippine’s version of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. At the center of the plaza, fronting the church, is the first artesian well in the Philippines, built by Fr. Manuel Camanes in the late 19th century. Before leaving Guagua, I bought some yema and pastillas as pasalubong.  Check out my Business Mirror article “Tripping on History and Culture in Pampanga.”

Pampanga Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (PCVB): c/o Everybody’s Café, Nepo Mall, Brgy. Del Pilar, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.  Mobile number: (0917) 245-4834.  E-mail: poch168@gmail.com.

Church of St. William of Aquitania (Bacolor, Pampanga)

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Church of St. William of Aquitania

We were now on our fifth and last day of our Lakbay Norte 2 media tour and come morning, after a hearty breakfast at Sands Resto Grille in Lighthouse Marina Resort, we were on the road again in our special Victory Liner media bus, this time to return to Pampanga and  visit two of the province’s famous churches—one noted for its resiliency in the face of calamity, and the other for its artistic beauty. In Bacolor, we were met at the town’s Church of St. William the Hermit by Mr. Poch Jorolan of the Pampanga Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (PCVB). This church, one of the oldest and largest churches in the province, is a survivor. Probably built in the early 17th century, it has survived damage from the 1645 and 1880 earthquakes, a fire in 1672, as well as heavy damage during the British occupation, being restored each time. However, the Mt. Pinatubo eruption produced lahar flows on September 3, 1995,  forcing its more than 50,000 residents to evacuate to safer ground and burying the church  up to one-half its 12-m. height. Its 4.9-m.-high main entry disappeared. However, this bastion of faith refused to follow the footsteps of the half-buried Cagsawa Church (Albay) and Guiob Church (Camiguin), all victims of the violent eruptions of Mt. Mayon and Mt. Vulcan Daan, respectively. Bacolonians painstakingly dug up the ornately-carved main and side altars, century-old statues and  the retablo (altar backdrop) of the Lady of La Naval from the mud and relocated the retablo under the dome in order for it to fit.  They also built a new concrete floor almost at the level of the windows.  The profusely and intricately ornamented window of the choir loft now serves as the new main entrance.

Pampanga.Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (PCVB): c/o Everybody’s Café, Nepo Mall, Brgy. Del Pilar, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.  Mobile number: (0917) 245-4834.  E-mail: poch168@gmail.com.

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando (San Fernando City, Pampanga)

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The Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando

The town’s present church was probably built at the end of the 18th century by Fr. Sebastian Moreno and finished by Fr. Mariano Alafont in 1781.

Bell tower on the left

It was restored in 1853 (by Fr. Pedro Medina) and 1866 (by Fr.  Antonio Redondo who added the majestic dome and finished painting the interior).

Both church and convent were burned on May 5, 1899 by Gen. Antonio Luna, reconstructed, burned by a big fire in 1939 and rebuilt in 1950 by Arch. Fernando Ocampo. In 1948, the church was elevated to a cathedral when it became the seat of the Diocese of San Fernando.

The cathedral interior

The cathedral measures 70 m. long, 13 m. wide, and 11 m. high and has a Tuscan interior.

The main altar

The Neo-Classical facade has a huge balustered portico, a profusion of columns and a triangular pediment.  Along the sides are dentils and tooth-like decorations.

Pulpit

A round and majestic, Baroque-style dome rises from the rotunda of the transept.   Its four-storey, hexagonal bell tower tapers up in uneven levels with alternating arched and segmented blind and open recesses.

The Baroque-style dome

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando: City of San Fernando, Pampanga. Feast of St. Ferdinand: May 30.

How to Get There: The City of San Fernando is located 68.9 kilometers (a 1.5-hour drive) from Manila.

Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag’s Candle Gallery (Pangasinan)

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Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag

After our very educational patupat factory visit in Pozorrubio (Pangasinan), we now boarded our special Victory Liner media bus for the long haul drive to Microtel Inn & Suites Luisita (Tarlac) where we were to be billeted prior to our Pinatubo trek.  Along the way, we made a short stopover at Manaoag, also in Pangasinan, so visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag (formally Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario de Manaoag or Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag) and its newly opened Candle Gallery.  I have been to the shrine a number of times but this would be my first time to visit the Candle Gallery, built on the site of the old comfort rooms and canteen, to accommodate pilgrims who want to light candles as they make their humble petitions. The building, designed by Arch. Armando “Don” de Guzman, was only blessed December 7 of last year by Fr. Stephen Redillas, OP, the Prior of the Manaoag Shrine.

Our Lady by the Fountain at the Candle Gallery

Its centerpiece is an 8-ft. high wooden statue of Our Lady by the Fountain with the baby Jesus and the Holy Rosary in her arms, both sculpted by Nicolas Lugue,  and at its base is a fountain, its water cascading from the four sides of the rock base, guarded by four angels, and then down to a circular pool where the pilgrims may sit and reflect.   Above, naturally providing light to the image, is a glass skylight. Beside the Candle Gallery is the Blessing Area where pilgrims who brought or bought (from the new store that sells candles, rosaries, images of saints, spiritual books, etc.) religious articles, may have them blessed by a priest right after every Mass celebrated in church (3-4 PM).  It also accommodates the pilgrim’s requests for holy water and the blessing of their vehicles.The Feast of Our Lady of Manaoag is held on the third Wednesday after Easter but as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of Manaoag, it observes its universal feast day on the first Sunday of October.

Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag: Tel: (075) 529-0132.  Website: www.ourladyofmanaoag.org. Victory Liner, Five Star and Dagupan Bus Line buses ply the 4-hr. Manila to Manaoag route. From Baguio City (Benguet), it is a 2-hr. drive.

Dutch Square (Melaka, Malaysia)

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From the ruins of the Church of St. Paul, we went down St. Paul’s Hill, to picturesque and postcard pretty Dutch Square (also called Red Square).  Along the way, we passed the Democratic Government Museum (Muzium Pemerintahan Demokrasi), formerly Melaka’s State Legislative Assembly building.

Democratic Government Museum

At the square, the port-red theme (originally painted as white, it was repainted as such in 1911) predominates with the buildings around the square as well as the Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower (also called the Red Clock Tower, it  was erected in 1886 to honor the generous Chinese tycoon Tan Beng Swee).

Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower

The massive Stadthuys, built between 1641 and 1660, is a reproduction of the former Stadhuis (town hall) of the Frisian town of Hoorn in the Netherlands which existed from 1420 until 1796.  This building was the official residence of the Dutch governor and his deputy.  Believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East, this preserved example of original Dutch architecture has solid doors and louvered windows. Now the Museum of History and Ethnography (converted as such in 1982), it exhibits traditional wedding clothes and artifacts of Melaka, dating back to its days of glory.

Nearby is Christ Church, the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia.  Built in 1753, in the Dutch Colonial architectural style, as the Bovenkerk (High Church), the main parish church of the Dutch Reformed community, it was re-consecrated in 1838 with the rites of the Church of England and renamed Christ Church. After the British takeover of Malacca, its original Dutch windows were reduced and ornamented.  The porch and vestry were built only in the mid-19th century.

Christ Church

This church, measuring 25 m. (82 ft.) by 13 m. (42 ft.), has a roof  covered with Dutch tiles, walls of brickbuilt on local lateriteblocks then coated with Chinese plaster, and floors paved with granite blocks originally used as ballast for merchant ships.  Inside are hand-crafted church benches, joint-less ceiling skylights, a copper replica of the Bible, a headstone written in the Armenian language and a replica of “Last Supper” made with glazed tiles and located over the altar.  Its 12 m. (40 ft.) high ceiling has 15 m. long beams made from a single tree.

Christ Church – Interior

Between the two buildings, right in the middle of Dutch Square, is the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain, probably one of a few functioning colonial water fountains in Malaysia. Erected in 1904 with English marble, it commemorates the queen’s 60th anniversary (Diamond Jubilee) on the British throne.

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Fountain

The Malaysia Youth Museum & Art Gallery (Balai Senilukis Melaka), between Christ Church and Laksamana Road, was built in 1784 as the Dutch Administrative Complex. In 1826, it was converted into the Malacca Free School and, in the 1920s, was renovated to be a 2-storey building to be later used as a post office before conversion into a museum.

Malaysia Youth Museum & Art Gallery

Church of St. Paul Ruins (Melaka, Malaysia)

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From Fort A’Famosa and Porta da Santiago, we next hiked up a steep, 110-step paved stairway to the summit of St. Paul Hill (formerly called Malacca Hill) where the roofless ruins of St. Paul’s Church can be found.

The Stairway Up St. Paul Hill

Built by Portuguese Capt. Duarte Coelho in 1521, it was formerly called the Chapel of Madre de Deus (Mother of God) and Nossa Senhora do Oiteiro (“Our Lady of the Hill”).  The Portuguese enlarged the chapel in 1556, adding a second storey to it. Further renovation was carried out in 1590 with the addition of a tower.  A burial vault was opened in 1592 and many people of distinction were buried there, including Pedro Martins, the second Bishop of Funay (Japan).

St. Paul Church Ruins

The body of St. Francis Xavier, a missionary who came to Melaka in 1545, was temporarily interred here in 1553 before it was taken to Goa (India) after 9 months. In front of the church stands a huge, pearl-white statue of the saint, erected in 1952 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of his sojourn in Malacca. A day after the statue was consecrated, a large casuarina tree fell on it, breaking off its right arm (incidentally, the right forearm of Xavier was detached in 1614 as a relic).  His now empty open grave, now covered by a wire mesh, marks the place of Francis’ temporary burial.

Statue of St. Francis Xavier

When the Dutch wrestled Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641, they took over the church, repaired it and reconsecrated it into a Dutch Reformed Church, calling it St. Paul’s Church, a name which remains today. It was used this way for the next 112 years, until it was abandoned in 1753 after the Dutch built their own church at the foot of the hill, Christ Church.

St. Paul Church Ruins – Interior

When the British took over Melaka in 1824, St. Paul’s Church had lost its tower. The British added a lighthouse in front of it and used the church as convenient storehouse for gunpowder. Today, several old monumental Dutch and Portuguese tombstones, with Dutch and Portuguese words engraved on it, can be seen leaning against the strong brick walls of the church.

Old Tombstones Along the Brick Walls

St. Peter’s Church (Melaka, Malaysia)

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After breakfast at the hotel, we proceeded to the hotel lobby where a coach was waiting for us at the driveway.  Once on board, we were brought to the Pusat Jualan Kraf (Craft Sales Center) where we paid up for our Melaka day tour.  We then transferred to a bigger tourist bus.

Pusat Jualan Kraf – Craft Sales Center

The trip to Melaka took just a little over 2 hours to cover the 148-km.  distance from Kuala Lumpur to the city.  First on our itinerary was St. Peter’s Church, built in 1710 (after religious freedom was proclaimed by the Dutch over Malacca in 1702), during the period of Dutch rule, by descendants of the original Portuguese colonists (including descendants of the 600 men that Alfonso d’Albuquerque brought ashore after his conquest of Melaka) on a piece of land donated by Dutch Catholic convert Maryber Franz Amboer.  At the time this area was outside the core city of Melaka.

St. Peter’s Church

The oldest operational Roman Catholic church in Malaysia, its facade (bearing a rosary monogram) and decorative embellishment is a mix of both Eastern and Western architecture.

Interior of St. Peter’s Church

The oldest item in the church is the bell, manufactured by Pedro Dias Bocarro in Goa in 1608 and salvaged from an earlier church burned down by the Dutch during their 1641 occupation.  The bell is inscribed with the words of the Annunciation “Ave Maria Gratia Plena Dominus Tecum Beneducta Tu In Mulieribus Sancta Maria (Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is With Thee, Blessed are Thou Among Women. Holy Mary).

Wisma St. Peter

The church also has a one-of-a-king, life-size alabaster statue of the “Lord Before The Resurrection.”  The Chapel of Senhor Morto (Christ in the Tomb) is located on the left hand side of the main church, close to the sanctuary. Also within the church compound is the Wisma St. Peter (a multipurpose building built in 2004)

St. Peter’s Church: Gereja St. Peter, 166 Jalan Bendahara, Bandar Melaka, 75100 Melaka, Malaysia. Tel: +60 6 282 2950. Fax: +60 6-2841010.

Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Malolos City, Bulacan)

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After our Barasoain Church visit, Jandy and I proceeded on our way to the nearby Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Malolos.  Located in front of the city hall, this Neo-Classical church, and its convent, were first built with light materials in 1591, rebuilt and enlarged in 1691 by Fr.  Roque Barrionuevo, rebuilt with stronger materials in 1734 by Fr. Fernando Sanchez and completed in 1740 by Fr. Juan de Meseguer. Fr. Jose de Vivar did minor restorations in 1753.  Both were destroyed by fire in 1813. From 1963, several restorations were pursued by Engr. Alfredo Aldaba, affecting the facade, dome, transept and main altar.  The present church was started in 1819 by Fr. Melchor Fernandez and consecrated on October 14, 1826.  Severely damaged during the June 3, 1863 earthquake, it was restored from 1859 to 1872 by Fr. Ezekiel Moreno.

Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception

The convent was damaged during the July 19, 1880 earthquake, restored in 1883 by Fr. Juan M. Tombo and completed in 1884 by Fr. Felipe Garcia. It was the official residence (Palacio Presidential) of Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo from September 10, 1898 to March 29, 1899.  The convent was reconstructed in 1975.  In 1976, both church and convent were blessed  by Rev. Bruno Torpigliani, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

The convent

The basilica has a moderately-decorated, symmetrical facade divided into 3 segments by superpositioned Doric columns and dominated by large, semicircular arched openings on the first level.  The triangular pediment, decorated by a stylized Augustinian emblem at the center, is topped by acroteria and torch-like finials.  The horizontal Doric frieze is decorated with triglyphs and the fluted pilaster-flanked, statued niche is topped by a segmented canopy crowning the tilted frame of the center window.

The basilica’s interior

The basilica has a slender, 4-storey bell tower on its right.  It used to have a triangular cone which was replaced, during the basilica’s renovation in 1970, by a concrete statue of the Immaculate Conception (donated by Amparo Bautista).

The Kalayaan Tree

In front of the basilica (at the right side of the plaza) is a 12-m. high siar tree (Peltophorum pterocarpum), now known as the Kalayaan Tree.  It was said to have been planted by Gen. Aguinaldo during a lull in the convention. proceedings.  Under this tree is a monument depicting a meeting of Filipino revolutionaries Gregorio del Pilar, Isidoro Torres, Don Pablo Tecson, Fr. Mariano Sevilla and Dona Basilia Tantoco.

The monument under the Kalayaan Tree

Barasoain Church (Malolos City, Bulacan)

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After breakfast and swimming at DJ Paradise Resort & Hotel, Jandy and I checked out of our room, boarded our Toyota Revo and proceeded to the city proper where we plan to visit Malolos’ historical sights.  The first item in our agenda was, fittingly, the Barasoain Church (also called the Church of Our Lady of Carmel), the site of the Revolutionary Congress which ratified independence, framed the Malolos Constitution and inaugurated the short-lived First Philippine Republic (Malolos Republic). Former president Joseph E. Estrada also took his oath of office here.

Barasoain Church

This noble and dignified church, with its beautiful concerto of rhythmic layers, has a Neo-Classical facade with a recessed main entrance with concentric arches (a Romanesque feature) flanked by two smaller doors, fluted  flat pilasters (a Renaissance feature), a Baroque segmental pediment,  and sharp line moldings at the cornice, base and top of the piers.  The two sides of the facade, with its sweeping concave lines at the upper wall, curve inward to form an oval shape.

The altar frontal
The church interior
The church pulpit

Inside is a unique 18th century altar frontal with beautiful stone columns and murals on the walls and ceilings done by Baliwag artists and the National Historical Institute.  The church is now airconditioned during Sunday mass.

The bell tower

The 4-storey, octagonal bell tower on the left, was built in 1889 by Fr. Martin Arconada and is crowned by a conical roof.  It has 3 bells installed in 1897 and has alternating open and false windows rising in uneven modules that end up in the crenellated base of the pointed pinnacle.

Barasoain Convent

Beside the church is the convent.  First built in 1859 by Fr. Francisco Arriola, it was restored in 1889 by Fr. Martin Arconada and in 1894 by Fr. Miguel de Vera.  During the short-lived Philippine Republic, it was again restored by Arcadio Arellano and used as the Universidad Cientifica y Literaria de Filipinas.  It now houses two museums: the Ecclesiastical Museum and the Barasoain Museum.   Both church and convent were declared as National Landmarks on August 1, 1973 and on January 23, 1999.

Carriage used by Pres. Aguinaldo during his inauguration
The convent courtyard
Barasoain Church: Paseo de Congreso, Malolos City, Bulacan.  Tel: (044) 662-7686.