Skywatch#119 Entrance To the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

This is the entrance to the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery, Nagcarlan, Laguna.  Both the church and the cemetery are now considered part of the national  historical sites of the Philippines.





 

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Skywatch#111 Philippine Churches#11 San Geronimo Church In The Morning Light

After doing our first station of the Way of the Cross inside Iglesia de San Geronimo (St. Jerome's Church), we made our way to the parking area which was at the back of the church. There was a shorter route by the stairway at the back of the church but we went around the area before reaching our tourist bus. En route to the parking lot, I saw this baclighted view of the church's facade. This is my entry for:

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Skywatch#110 Philippine Churches#10 San Geronimo Parish Church, Morong, Rizal

I thank God for the blessings He has given me and I just feel lucky and blessed that inspite of the hardships, I could work hard and save enough to travel. I usually learn a lot from traveling especially in my travels across my country.

I have been eyeing the Visita Iglesia travel package being offered by Illuminati tours for more than two years now but could not get synchronized with my schedule. A blessing in disguise perhaps because this year's Holy Week, I not only did the Visita Iglesia in Laguna but I also took my mother and my niece along. Aside from that, we did a sidetrip to Pagsanjan Falls but that's another story.

To start off our Laguna Visita Iglesia, we visited San Geronimo Parish Church at Morong, Rizal.

 

The baroque architecture style of the church is quite obvious in the lines of its three-story facade and its octagonal-shaped bell tower.

 

 
 San Geronimo (St. Jerome) Parish Church is the oldest church in the town of Morong, Rizal. Chinese craftsmen helped build the church which is why it has two Chinese lion sculptures at the entrance. I read somewhere that it is one of the most photographed churches in Laguna.

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Skywatch#94 Carmel Monastery of Davao

Overcast skies threatened my annual church visit last Holy Week. Thankfuly, the rain started when I was already half-way through the list of the churches I was planning to visit that week.

Anyway, this is the Carmel Monastery of Davao or the Carmel of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary. It has been more than a decade since I last visited the church and it did not actually changed much. Nevertheless, it is one of the churches that I could actually some real peace and quiet that is conducive to meditation and prayer unlike the bigger churches of the city wherein people can get quite noisy.

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My World#123 Philippine Churches#9 Baclaran Church (National Shrine Of Our Mother of Perpetual Help)

Baclaran Church was a part of my childhood days when my mother devoted every Wednesday to visit it for years.

The Baclaran Church (also called Redemptorist Church) or the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is one of the most popular churches and also considered as one of the largest churches in the Philippines. It houses one of the most revered and celebrated Marian images in the country, called an icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. It has been known to be miraculous.

Every Wednesday is popularly known as "Baclaran Day", and devotees flock to Baclaran Church to participate in a popular Marian novena offered for the Blessed Virgin Mary's reputed miraculous aid and intercession.

Baclaran Church is located along Roxas Avenue, Paranaque City. Its modern-Romanesque styled building has a full-seating capacity of 2,000, but as many as 11,000 people including standing can be inside during Masses. (source: wikipedia)

It is just a few minutes walk from the Baclaran station of Manila Metro Rail Transit (MRT3).

This is my entry for:

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My World#112 Philippine Churches Part 8: Basilic Minore del Sto. Nino

It's time for the centuries-old tradition Visita Iglesia this coming Holy Thursday. I have yet to decide what churches to choose. It would be easier to choose if I am somewhere the northern or middle part of the country with their centuries-old churches.

I've started to appreciate the Visita Iglesia (church visits) years ago when I did it in Ilocos. The centuries-old churches of the Philippines are really beautiful. There are so many of them that doing the Visita Iglesia need not to be boring.

One of the churches I find interesting is the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino in Cebu City. I showed the photos of its facade earlier here. Here're the photos inside..


The miraculous Sto. Nino


The frescoes of the church


One of the antique paintings inside the church museum which is located on the left portion of the church

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My World#109 (Philippine Churches Part 8): Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino, Cebu

The Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño or Basilica Minore del Santo Niño is a 16th century church in Cebu City in the Philippines. It was built purportedly on the spot where the image of the Santo Niño, a sculpture depicting the Holy Child Jesus found by Spanish explorers in 1565 preserved in a burned wooden box which was left behind during the 1521 Magellan expedition.
source: Wikipedia

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Skywatch#66 Out Into The Plaza

This is the plaza fronting the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino. The locals call it as the plaza but it is actually the Pilgrim Centre which was completed last 1990. It was constructed to accommodate the throngs of people who come and fill-up the basilica during celebrations like Sinulog festival.



Taken inside the basilica.


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My World#107 They Waved At Him

We were there to visit the the Basilica del Sto. Nino of Cebu City and while we were taking photos outside, we saw this...

A friend asked if I knew why people wave outside the church but I only thought that somebody was just waving at somebody who was inside the church so, I observed more and then, I saw this..

and this and more of them...

The reason: it is customary for most locals (even visitors who had known about it) to wave at the image of the Child Jesus (long considered miraculous) that is being housed inside the church as they pass by it. It was their way of paying their respects to him as they go about their daily lives. Such a nice gesture.

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My World#79 (Philippine Churches: Part 7) Sta. Cruz Church, Manila

Sta. Cruz Church is located at Plaza Lacson, Sta. Cruz, Manila. It is just right off McArthur Bridge and is fronting the Greco-Roman styled Roman Santos Building (Prudential Bank Building), one of the old buildings of Manila which was built before World War II broke out.

The altar of Sta. Cruz Church, Manila

The facade of Sta. Cruz Church, Manila

The fountain fronting the church

I really wish that those obstruction fronting the church could be transferred. It is a beautiful old church and those who placed those electric post and snaking electric wires did the church such injustice and disrespect.

Wikipedia:
The Jesuits built the first Roman Catholic Church in the area where the present Santa Cruz Parish stands on June 20, 1619. The Jesuits enshrined the image of the Our Lady of Pilar in 1643 to serve the pre-dominantly Chinese residents in the area. The image drew a lot of devotees and a popular cult grew around it.

Source: philtravelcenter.com
Description: The original church of Sta. Cruz was built in 1608 for the Chinese converted to Christianity by the priests of the Society of Jesus. When the Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines, the church became Dominican. The structure was damaged by the earthquake, and then during the Battle of Manila in 1945. The present structure was rebuilt in 1957.


How to get there?: From Taft Avenue, hail a PUJ bound for Sta. Cruz. Get off right infront of the church.




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My World#64 Caleruega Church, The Church on the Hill

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Skywatch#25 Caleruega Church

It was a hot and sunny day when we arrived in Caleruega Church. It took us almost two hours to get there but the travel was all worth it. We first saw this structure upon our arrival and for me, it felt like I was somewhere in Mexico. I was hoping that there would be less people in the area considering its distance from Manila but the hope was for a naught. Nonetheless, the beautiful day made it possible for us to explore Caleruega and its surroundings more.

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Skywatch#24 Basilica of St. Martin de Tours Part 2

There were overcast skies when we got to Basilica of St. Martin de Tours or what is commonly called Taal Basilica. I just wish it was a sunny day

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My World#63 Basilica of St. Martin de Tours, Taal, Batangas

This is one of the churches that I'd really like to visit again someday soon. It is impressive not only in its size but also in its design inside and outside. I shall post more photos of this church in my next posts.





Basilica of St. Martin , Bishop of Tours is the largest church in Asia, stands 96 meters long and 45 meters wide. The Augustinian Missionaries started construction in 1756, It was destroyed when Taal volcano erupted in 1754 and it took a century for the church to achieve its present form. San Martin de Tours is the patron of Taal, whose feast is celebrated every November 11. Its façade is baroque and consists of a single mass of stone shaped into rich complex designs. The church, however, is a fusion of styles with arched openings, alternating segmental canopies and arches of assymmetric shapes. The church was made into a basilica on December 8, 1954. It was declared a national shrine on January 16, 1974 by a Presidential Decree No. 375.
(credit: wikipedia)


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My World#61 Basilica of Immaculate Conception, Batangas City

Phiplippine Churches #5 (Part 2 of Basilica of Immaculate Conception)

In my previous entry for My world, I showed the facade of Basilica of Immaculate Conception, one of the oldest churches located at Batangas City. For this post, I am going to show some pictures I took inside the church.

Altar of Basilica of Immaculate Conception

Aisle with the tainted glasses by the elevated platform at the doors of the Basilica. The platform was provided for the church choir.  For a closer look of the tainted glasses, go here.

One of the frescoes painted on the ceiling of the Basilica.

The Pieta at the side altar of the Basilica.

One of the wall paintings of the Basilica.

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My World#60 Basilica of Immaculate Concepcion, Batangas City

Philippine Churches#5

The holy week is nearing fast and one of the traditions still being practised in the Philippines is to attend at least seven churches especially on Holy Friday. So, I shall be featuring more Philippine churches for this month in relation to this practise.

The  Basilica of Immaculate Conception is located at Batangas City. It is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines and was constructed in 1581.

Throughout the years, the basilica has undergone several renovations. Its convent was added with its own artillery to fight off sea pirates.

This is the marker (in Tagalog) located near the door of the basilica.

This is statue of an archangel which is located at the right facade of the church.

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