Category Archives: Churches

Stopover: Church of the Immaculate Conception (Guagua, Pampanga)

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The town’s brick and stone church was started in 1641 and supervised by Fr. Jose Duque.  It was artistically painted by Fr. Antonio Bravo in 1862 and the beautiful dome above the transept was built by Fr. Paulino Fernandez in 1886.

Church of the Immaculate Conception

Church of the Immaculate Conception

Its Classic facade has slender, superimposed and paired Doric columns and a scarcity of decorative elements.  The undulating pediment has a raking cornice in the form of a large scroll.  It also has an oval window at the retablo and geometric motifs within a stilted semicircular arch molding.

The church's interior

The church’s interior

The present stone convent was built by Fr. Manuel Carillo but was recently razed with only the walls remaining.

The altar retablo

The altar retablo

How to Get There: Guagua is located 77 kms. from Manila and 10 kms. south of the City of San Fernando.

Church of St. Augustine (Lubao, Pampanga)

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This church was first built by Fr. Juan Gallegos using light materials.  The present brick and adobe church was started by Fr. Francisco Coronel, continued by Fr. Geronimo de Venasque in 1635 and completed by Fr. Francisco Figueroa in 1638.  It was damaged during the 1645 earthquake and was enlarged in 1829 using masonry materials.  Fr. Antonio Bravo did some repair work in 1877 while Fr. Antonio Moradillo worked on the interior decoration in 1893 (the murals depicting scenes from the life of St. Augustine were probably done during this time).

Church of St. Augustine

Church of St. Augustine

The church was occupied by revolutionaries in 1898, used as a hospital for American soldiers in 1899 and in 1942, during World War II, the dome, transept and roof collapsed during the heavy Japanese bombardment.  The main retablo was undamaged but sunken panels and other liturgical ornamentations done by Italian artist Alberoni were lost.  It was restored from 1949 to 1954 by Fr. Melanio Garcia but was again damaged by a strong typhoon in 1962.

The church's facade

The church’s Neo-Classical-style facade

The church is 82.45 m. long, 21.12 m. wide, 10.50 m. high and has 2.46-m. thick walls.  The simple, plastered stone Neo-Classic-style facade has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by engaged, fluted pilasters spanned by a lintel frame above which is a rectangular window with the same pilaster and lintel arrangement and flanked by small niches.  Above the window is a statued niche with a small segmental pediment above it and elegant curvilinear lines flowing from the mid-section.  An imaginary triangular pediment masks the roof.

The 5-storey, octagonal bell tower

The 5-storey, stone and brick bell tower

Its only nave was originally painted by Dibella and Alberoni, both Italian artists.  The central retablo is flanked by rectangular openings with triangular segments as well as coupled pilasters on the first level and single columns on the second level.   The 5-storey, 31-m. high stone and brick bell tower, still unrestored, has two square stories and three octagonal.  The convent, at the opposite end of the church, is profusely ornamented.

The church's retablo

The church’s retablo

How to Get There; Lubao is located 83 kms. from Manila and 16 kms. south of the City of San Fernando.

Stopover at Carcar City (Cebu)

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The cake-like kiosk

Another long stopover, for merienda, was made at a Jollibee in the  junction town of Carcar, 40.3 kms. (a 1-hour drive) from Cebu City. It just rained, but this didn’t stop me from exploring Cebu’s version of a “heritage town” in detail. Just outside, a wonderful round kiosk from the American era greeted me, valiantly standing proud, amid large offending billboards, at the center of the Carcar Rotunda. It is one of the best surviving examples of its genre in the country.Carcaranons engage in blacksmithing and the making of footwear and native delicacies such as ampao (sweetened and crispy rice crunchies), bucarillo (colored coconut candy) and chicharon (pork skin cracklings). Tacoy (sweet pomelos) are also grown here.

Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria

The town’s affluence during the Spanish colonial era is still evident in its sprawling plaza and its surviving large and small intricately decorated antique manors. Carcar is noted for its striking examples of preserved colonial architecture, both from the Spanish and American eras. The most notable structure is the Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria.

Church interior

Its lovely and massive Graeco-Tuscan façade has a strong Muslim influence as seen from its double recessed arched main entrance (similar to an iwan of a Middle Eastern mosque).

The church patio, surrounded by a low fence of coral stone and wrought iron, has statues of the 12 Apostles, all painted white, except for that of Judas (standing all alone on a pedestal in front of the convent), which is painted black.

St. Catherine’s Dispensary

On the same hill as the Church are the American-era Carcar Dispensary and St. Catherine’s Academy (founded in 1923). The façades of both are decorated with carved wooden gingerbread fretwork, cut out in the manner of Victorian houses and all looking as delicate as fragile heirloom lace that could flutter even with a slight breeze. At the foot of the hill is a small but imposing plaza decorated with statues.

Mercado Mansion

Within the town are 46 quaint and antique ancestral houses called balay na bato (stone houses), some decorated with intricate lacy (calado) woodwork from the 1920s. This calado architecture, prevalent in Carcar, is unsurpassed in the country. A number of old houses, some older than the church, are found at the foot of the hill.

 

Stopover: Church of Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria (Boljo-on, Cebu)

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Church of Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria

Standing on a small plateau near the beach, this church was destroyed in a piratical raid in 1782. The present masonry church was started by Fr. Ambrosio Otero in 1783, continued by Fr. Manuel Cordero in 1794 and was finished by Fr. Julian Bermejo.

The convent

Fr. Bermejo also built a stone fence to enclose the church and convent.  An organ was installed on the choir loft in 1880.  The large convent and church were restored by Fr. Leandro Moran (parish priest from 1920 to 1948).

The church pilasters

The church has a main nave, a transept and is 65 m. long, 12 m. wide, 12 m. high and its walls are supported by 28 2-m. thick pilasters made with mortar and lime.  Their beautifully decorated and elegant interior has ornate, gilded, 18th century retablos with wooden railings with Chinese-inspired tracery.  The Pseudo-Baroque-Rococo communion rail, with ornate silverwork, has been stolen. The austere Classic facade has three levels, an elongated pediment and is decorated with bas reliefs and floral and geometric motifs.

The bell tower

The rectangular, fortress-like bell tower, built in 1701, has fort windows used to show cannons to defend against Moro pirates. The sound of its silver bells reached Oslob and Alcoy. But in 1802, they were stolen by Muslim hordes led by Datu Orendain (because of their weight, the Moro vinta sunk). Today it has 3 bells. The L-shaped convent, also built and finished in 1841, by Fr. Bermejo, still has its original tile roof.  Its ground floor now houses a museum.  Outside, at the epistle side of the church is an enclosed cemetery with an arched entrance.  An old school building, built in 1940, is now the Catholic Womens League (CWL) headquarters.

A blockhouse

This relatively well-preserved church is the oldest remaining original stone church in Cebu.  It is now listed by the National Museum  as a National Cultural Treasure.  In 1998, this church was declared for conservation and restoration and, in 1999, technical studies have been undertaken, with the help of the German government, to pursue conservation and restoration efforts.

Cebu Trail: Oslob to Carcar City

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Looc Pier (Sibulan)

We left Dumaguete City (Negros Oriental) after lunch and drove our Ford Explorer 5.5 kms. north to Sibulan’s Looc Pier, where the M/T Joseph-1, a Roll-On Roll-Off ferry, would take us and the car over to Brgy. Mainit in Oslob, Cebu. The Explorer was the last to be loaded on board and the ship finally left Looc Port by 1:30 PM.

Our Ford Explorer disembarking from the M/T Joseph-1 at Mainit Port

The sea journey to Oslob (Cebu) was smooth all the way and, after less than an hour, our ship arrived at Mainit Port by 2:15 PM.  Being the last car loaded at Sibulan, our Ford Explorer was, conversely, the first one off the ship.

Church of Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria (Boljo-on)

From thereon, with Charlie on the wheel, we would have to drive the remaining 132.5-kms. up to Cebu City but we did this at a leisurely pace.  Just 28 kms./45 mins. out of Oslob, we made a short 10-min. stopover (1 of 3 we made) at the Church of Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria in Boljo-on along the highway and facing the beach. This relatively well-preserved church is the oldest remaining original stone church in Cebu.  It is now listed by the National Museum  as a National Cultural Treasure. The church was closed during our visit.

Check out “Church of Nuestra Señora Patrocinio de Maria“

Church of Our Lady of the Pillar

Church of Our Lady of the Pillar (Sibonga)

Continuing on for 45.5 kms., we made another stopover at the Church of Our Lady of the Pillar in Sibonga which had a simple and bare, Pseudo-Gothic façade.  Like the previous church, this too was closed and, thus, failed to see its wooden colonnade and a painted ceiling mural done by Raymundo Francia.

Check out “Church of Our Lady of the Pillar“

San Isidro Labrador Church

Church of St. Isidore the Farmer (San Fernando)

Along the way, prior to our arrival in Carcar, I also took quick exterior shots of the Gothic-style Church of St. Isidore the Farmer in San Fernando and the Church of St. Francis of Assisi (with its unusual façade, suggestive of Mexican art that is skillfully integrated into the local Filipino religious architecture) in Naga.

Check out “Church of St. Isidore the Farmer” and “Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi“

Church of St. Francis of Assisi

Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Naga)

The Quiet Charm of Dumaguete City (Negros Oriental)

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Dumaguete City

After 2 nights in Bacolod City, it was now time to move on to our next destination (with a change in dialect) – the Cebuano-speaking Dumaguete City, the capital of neighboring Negros Oriental.  Like Bacolod City, this visit was a first for me.  We departed Bacolod City by 1 PM.  To get to Dumaguete, we had the choice of two routes.  Both entailed making an 86.9-km. drive to Kabankalan City.  From here, the first route entails making a further 140.2 km. drive, along the southern underbelly of the island, to the border plus and an additional 140.8 km. drive to Dumaguete (total of 367.9 kms.).  The second and shorter route entails a 25-km. drive from Kabankalan City, cutting through the mountainous spine, to the border and an additional 101.3-km. drive to Dumaguete (total of 213.2 kms.).  As time was the essence, we took the second route.  What a spectacular route it was!  Traveling through Kennon Road-like zigzag roads, we passed lush and spectacular mountain scenery all the way to the coast.   After a 4.5-hour drive, we arrived at Dumaguete by 5:30 PM and checked in our tired, travel-weary bodies into airconditioned rooms with bath and cable TV at Harold’s Mansion.

Rizal Blvd.

Negros Oriental has, in the past, been mistaken (by the national media as well as Pres. Gloria Arroyo) for its better known, and more prosperous, neighbor Negros Occidental, so much so that it is seriously considering a name change (i.e. Oriental Negros).  Even Dumaguete, its capital, is a relative unknown compared to its counterpart, Bacolod City.  However, both city and province are slow waking up to economic potentials domestic tourism brings.  More so with Dumaguete City, a city which, in my opinion, exudes a quaint and quiet charm plus a campus life quite similar to my alma mater, the University of the Philippines.

Bell Tower

Dumaguete, like Bacolod City, is a showcase of Spanish and American-era architecture.  The City Hall, along Sta. Catalina St., was built in 1907.  In front of it is Quezon Park, a flower market and a children’s playground.   The Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria, located across Perdices St. (formerly Alfonso XII St.), from Quezon Park, has a coral and brick Spanish bell tower built in 1811 to warn townsfolk against piratical raids.  The tower was restored in 1985. The Provincial Capitol, along North Road, was built in 1924 in the same Roman Neo-Classical style used by Daniel Burnham, the American city planner of Manila and Baguio City.  It has a park (Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park), 3 tennis courts and 2 schools nearby.

Provincial Capitol

The distinguishing landmark of Dumaguete, however, is the beachfront area along Rizal Blvd., much like Manila’s Roxas Blvd. (before reclamation).  Our National Hero, Jose Rizal, was said to have once strolled here during a stopover on his way to his 4-year (1892 to 1896) exile in Dapitan (Zamboanga del Norte).  Today, Rizal Blvd., a favorite area for picnics, play or retrospection, is also the favored address of a number of cozy places to eat, drink and be merry.  Our favorite watering hole here is Loco-Loco.

Seduced by Bacolod City (Negros Occidental)

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Provincial Capitol

Our early morning tour of the city was an eye opener for both Charlie and me.  The major roads here were very wide, even by Manila standards (and cleaner), some even able to accommodate 10 cars side by side.   In spite of the light traffic (even during rush hours), many of these roads are designated as one way.  And wonder of wonders: no tricycles allowed!  I really liked this city with its unhurried pace, a truly refreshing and relaxing departure from the demands and pressures of a big metropolis like Manila.   The cities of Iloilo and Bacolod are similar in that they both have an Ilonggo-speaking populace.  Not quite similar though.  The city’s 429,076 (2000 figure) Bacoleños, both men and women, seem to speak Ilonggo with a more languorous and seductive (malambing) lilting accent, truly endearing and pleasant to hear.  Now I know why my Kapampangan father fell in love with my mother.  Also, the Bacoleños’ also have an easy-going, old world charm, gracious hospitality and natural knack for entertaining.

Downtown Bacolod

Bacolod is also a showcase for the old and new, of harmony and contrast.  Aside from its well-planned road system, the city is also experiencing an unprecedented construction boom of sorts, with new shopping malls (Robinsons, Gaisano, etc.), office buildings, specialty restaurants, hotels and other mega structures being built, all reflecting the life of gentility and taste, for the finest, Bacoleños are noted for.  Of particular interest for me, however, are the city’s old structures, reflecting its glorious Spanish and American-era past. 

Robinson’s Bacolod

A relic of the city’s Spanish past is the San Sebastian Cathedral,  along Rizal St., flanking the plaza.   The present structure, using Guimaras Island coral, was built upon the initiative of Recollect Fr. Mauricio Ferrero and completed, on January 20, 1882, by Fr. Fernando Cuenca. It became a cathedral on 23 June 1933.  In 1936, the cathedral was repaired and improved by Bishop Casimiro M. Lladoc.  In 1976, the 100th year anniversary of the cathedral, its bells were brought down from the belfry and mounted on the right side of the churchyard.  Beside the cathedral is the Palacio Episcopal (bishop’s palace), the seat of the diocese of the province. Started in 1830 by Fr. Julian Gonzaga, it was completed only in the 1890s and was, during the revolution, a refuge of Spanish military and civil officials.

San Sebastian Cathedral

Our visit to the Provincial Planning Office allowed us a peek of the American-era Provincial Capitol along Gatuslao St..  This Roman Neo-Classical-style building, built from 1927 to 1933 and based on Daniel Burnham’s (the planner of Baguio City) design, is located in front of the park and lagoon (a popular spot for joggers and strollers).  Because of its fine symmetry and proportion, it is considered as the most beautiful capitol building in the country.

City Tourism Office: cor. San Juan and Gonzaga Sts. (in front of Public Plaza), Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. Tel: (034) 434-6751, 708-3066 & 433-6847.  E-mail: ikanaan@bacolodcity.gov.ph.  
City Mayor’s Office: City Hall, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. Tel: (034)  435-1111. Fax: (034) 435-3333.  E-mail: cmo@bacolod.net.

Molo District: The "Athens of the Philippines" (Iloilo City)

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Molo District, located 4 kms. from the city proper, was the former Chinese quarter of Arevalo called the Parian. Formerly a town before it was absorbed by Ilolilo City, it is also called the “Athens of the Philippines” because it produced some of the best political leaders and thinkers of the land such as Gregorio S. Araneta (secretary of the Malolos Congress), Gen. Aniceto L. Lacson and Chief Justice Ramon Avancena.  Here, you can try the popular pancit molo, spiced pork-chicken meatballs daintily wrapped in thin dough and boiled in peppery chicken-pork broth.  It was introduced here by the Chinese during the 18th century.

Church of St. Anne

The district’s twin-towered, Gothic–Renaissance Church of St. Anne, one of a few churches in Iloilo not built by the Augustinians, was built with coral rock and a tile roof, in 1831, under the supervision of Don Jose Manuel Locsin. In 1863, it was replaced by a temporary church by Fr. Jose Ma. Sichon until it was renovated in 1869 by Bishop Mariano Cuartero.  On August 4, 1886, our National Hero Jose P. Rizal visited this church to pray on his way to Manila from exile in Dapitan, referring to it as “la iglesia bonita.”  During the liberation of Iloilo in 1945, the church withstood artillery barrages but its two bell towers were totally destroyed and the church partially damaged.  It was rebuilt after the war.  The church, declared as a National Landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1992, has stained-glass windows and 5 wooden Gothic-style retablos. It is also called the Women’s Lib church because of the 16 life-size female saints’ statues lining the nave.  The district’s patron saint, St. Anne is in a prominent corner of its massive, antique wooden altar.

A nearby bandstand

In front of the church is a plaza filled with old trees, with gnarled trunks and branches, and an interesting domed gazebo which is actually a bandstand, a typical feature in Western Visayas plazas.

Church of St. Anne: cor. Jocson and San Marcos Sts., Molo District, Iloilo City, Iloilo.

La Paz District (Iloilo City)

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La Paz District, located 2 kms. from the city proper, was formerly called Lobo, Llaunon, Ilawod and Iznart (after Iloilo alcalde mayor Manuel Iznart), was established as a parish in 1868. It is noted for its La Pazbatchoy, a delicacy made of flat, scissored noodles and pork innards simmered in broth and topped with crushed pork crackers and spicy herbs.  It is served in restaurants around the market. 

Church of Our Lady of Peace
Its brick and stone, Neo-Classic style Church of Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), at the plaza, was started in 1847 by Fr. Candido Gonzalez, continued by Fr. Leandro Jambrina (in 1879) and Fr. Manuel Camara (in 1880) and enlarged and finished, in 1895, by Fr. Mariano Isart.  In 1909, it was restored by Fr. Anselmo Corcuera.  The stone convent was started by Fr. Mariano Isart based on plans by Don Julio Hernandez and Don Lorenzo Romero.  It was damaged during World War II and the 1948 earthquake.  

The church interior

Two engaged columns, supporting a triangular pediment, are recent additions (1970).  The 2-level church facade is flanked by twin octagonal, domed bell towers. 

Church of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage: Jereos St., La Paz District, Iloilo City, Iloilo.

 

Jaro District (Iloilo City)

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After breakfast at the hotel, Charlie and I started our GPS mapping of 3 of Iloilo’s 5 nearby districts – Jaro, La Paz and Molo (the others are Arevalo and Mandurriao, the site of the airport).  All 5 were incorporated to the city in 1936 by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 158 and each has its own plaza and church.

Jaro Cathedral

We first proceeded to Jaro District, an elite residential center located just 4 kms. from the city proper, and drop by its Gothic-style Jaro Cathedral (officially the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candles).  Located just across the street from the plaza, it is the seat of the Jaro Archbishopric. Mass has just been finished when we arrived.

The cathedral’s separate bell tower

The cathedral was first built before 1726 by Fr. Bernardino Alisen.    The present structure was built in 1874, upon the orders of Most Reverend F. Mariano Cuartero, O.P., first bishop of Jaro.  It was damaged during the January 5, 1948 earthquake and reconstructed, in 1956, under Archbishop Jose Ma. Cuenco.  Its separate 3-storey, 25-m. high, red brick belfry was built by Fr. Juan Aguado, restored, from 1833 to 1835, by Fr. Jose Alvarez and was ruined during the 1948 earthquake.  St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, located near the cathedral, was where famous propagandist, orator, journalist and local son Graciano Lopez-Jaena went to school.