Monasterio de Tarlac/Our World-Tuesday

I had an opportunity to visit Monasterio de Tarlac recently, and the road trip was a pleasant surprise.  I've been passing through Tarlac for years---all roads going to northern Luzon pass through Tarlac, and I had an impression that the whole province is flat.  So I was amazed that on the way to the Monasterio de Tarlac in San Jose town, we passed mountain ranges and dense forests.  The monastery sits on top of the mountain, 300 meters above sea level within the eco-tourism park. This province is landlocked and located in the heart of Central Luzon, about 125 kilometers northeast of Metro Manila.

We were greeted by this imposing 30-foot statue of the Risen Christ, reminiscent of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.  The statue, perched on the edge of the slope, was built in 2002---2 years after the monastery was constructed.

The Servants of the Risen Christ Monastic Community is under the diocese of Tarlac.  It is an apostolic-contemplative community of religious men who consecrated themselves to a life of prayer and work.  There are also groups of women (nuns) congregation here, the Handmaids, the Oblates and the Contemplatives of the Risen Christ who are taking care of orphans and abandoned children, they also teach catechism in schools and parishes.

This is the chapel that serves as a relinquary house of the Relic of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ.  The relic was given to Father Archie, the priest who started this monastery, by the former custodian of the relic, a priest in Essen, Germany.  The relic, the only one in Asia, was brought here in 2005.  

A shame I wasn't able to see it---one of the staff told me that taking a photo of the relic is not allowed. There was also a mass in the chapel so I didn't insist on seeing the relic.

Monasterio de Tarlac receives 600 to 800 visitors a week.  It's about 3 hours from Manila by car.

This mini castle is said to be the home of one of the priests.  Almost lost my footing here---and it was a long way down.  Imagine the epitaph on that one!:p

 A gazebo by the slopes of the mountain.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Church flowers/Blue Monday & Monday Mellow Yellows

Visited the historic San Sebastian Cathedral in Tarlac City on Saturday, and these flowers adorned the aisle and altar of the church.  The flowers were for a wedding ceremony held here on Saturday morning.  Will post more about this church in the next few days.:p

Linking to Blue Monday and Monday Mellow Yellows

Barasoain Church/Our World-Tuesday

Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan is one of the historical churches in the Philippines.  My friends and I visited this church one Saturday in early May enroute to Sta. Maria, another town in Bulacan.  Truth be told, I wasn't aware of the church's historical significance until a former President (who, ironically, was later kicked out of office) was inaugurated here in 1998.  It was an unusual venue for a presidential inaugural ceremony.

Also known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Barasoain church is the site of the First Philippine Republic in 1898, and has earned a title as Cradle of Democracy in the East.

This church was founded by Augustinians Missionaries and the original church was constructed in 1630. The first stone structure was built in 1871 but it was burned during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. The current church was rebuilt in 1885, the bell tower was constructed in 1889.

The facade has touches of neoclassic architecture.  The interior of the church has wood panels painted in white, with frescoes of flowers, angels and saints; the altar was also painted in white with gold trimmings.  The interior was not as rich and elaborate as the other old churches I have seen but inside has an airy, spacious feel.

There was an on-going wedding ceremony during our visit and I wasn't able to take photos of the interior.

The term "Barasoain" was a place in Spain to which the missionaries found to have similarities to this place in Malolos.  When the Spanish-Filipino revolution broke out, revolutionaries coined the term "baras ng suwail" which means "dungeon of the defiant".

Barasoain Church was a temporary shelter of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines.  During this time, three important historical events happened in this church:  the convening of the First Philippine Congress in 1898, the drafting of the Malolos Constitution, and the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic in 1899.

During the revolution, this church was the haven of the Congreso Revolucionario with the ilustrados as its delegates and Gen. Aguinaldo as the leader.

I spotted this Pieta sculpture outside the walls of the church beside a small chapel (below).  

Behind the church is a courtyard and the adjoining convent has a museum dedicated to the historical events that took place in the church, a part of the museum is a repository of artifacts found in the province.  There was a Marian exhibit during our visit, in connection with the Flore de Mayo celebrations.

Barasoain Church was declared a National Shrine in 1973, and featured in the New Generation series of the 200 Philippine peso banknotes.

Malolos, Bulacan is 42 kilometers north of Manila.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Brick facade/Mandarin Orange Monday

Brick facade of Liliw Church

Liliw, Laguna

"The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself,

but in the colors and textures that come alive

in others because of him."

~ Albert Schweitzer

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday

Shrine of Our Lady of Charity

Today is the first day of the Holy Week or Semana Santa, a significant religious observance for the Roman Catholics and most Christian groups. And being a predominantly Christian nation, many Filipinos would be busy with church activities this week.  The pious would fast, attend masses and processions; some would take the opportunity of the non-working holidays to go on vacation.  I will be in Cebu for work and some R and R.

Although I'm not a Catholic, I have always been fascinated with old churches and rituals.  This is the Bantay Church in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, also known as Sanctuary of Nuestra Senora de la Caridad and Shrine of Our Lady of Charity.  This was one of the churches we visited during our Ilocos road trip that I forgot to post.  This church houses the image of the Virgin Mary that is believed to be miraculous, and St. Augustine of Hippo, the Doctor of Grace.  The original church was built in 1593 and considered as one of the oldest parishes in the Ilocandia.  It is also famous for its scenic bell tower that sits on a hilltop; it was also used as a watch tower during World War II.

The church was built by Augustinian friars in 1593 and has survived many attacks during the Spanish colonial times, wars and calamities.

Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived. ~ Oscar Wilde

Linking to Blue Monday

Monday Mellow Yellows

Our World Tuesday

Quiapo Church/OWT

Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or more popularly known as the Quiapo Church in Plaza Miranda along Quezon Boulevard in Manila.  I haven't been to this area of Manila in almost two decades until last Saturday.  

This church is home to a 17th century life-size statue of the Black Nazarene to whom many Catholics are devotees.  Many devotees have testified to the healing power of the Black Nazarene, making this church a pilgrimage to Filipino Catholics.

The feast of the Black Nazarene is celebrated every January 9th, and attended by thousands of bare-footed devotees, mostly men (women, especially the elderly are discouraged to join because of the pushing and shoving), who join the procession.  Year after year, people have died and hospitalized from the surge of devotees during the procession.

Franciscan missionaries built the original church in the 15th century.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

San Agustin Church/OWT

I was in San Augustin Church last month to accompany balikbayan (Filipinos who live abroad) friends.  My friends who live in London were here for 2 weeks to attend a relative's wedding.  This church is one of the most popular wedding churches in Manila.  In fact, my best-friend wanted to get married here almost a decade ago, but they were fully booked for over a year when we inquired.

Originally known as "Iglesia de San Pablo", San Agustin Church was founded by the Augustinians in 1571, built in 1589 and completed in 1607.  It is the oldest stone church in the Philippines, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the Baroque Churches in the Philippines in 1993.  

During the Seven Years' War in 1762, San Agustin Church was looted by the British forces who occupied Manila.  It was renovated in 1854.  The church was also the site where the Spanish Governor prepared the terms of the surrender of Manila to the United States of America in 1898. 

In World War II, the Japanese turned San Agustin Church into a concentration camp for prisoners.  Hundreds of Intramuros residents and priests died here during the final days of the war.  Among the seven churches in the walled city, San Agustin Church was the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros during the Battle of Manila (1945).  The  present structure is actually the third  to stand on the site and has survived 7 major earthquakes.

San Agustin Church has 14 side chapels and a magnificent trompe l'oeil mural on its ceiling and walls.  Trompe l'oeil is French for fools the eye,  an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create an optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.  The nave art was painted by two Italian scenographers Giovanni Dibella and Cesare Alberoni in 1875--scenegraphers are artists who paint backdrops for operas.

It was practiced in the last centuries for prominent persons to be buried inside this church---the painter Juan Luna, Spanish Governors, statesmen and archbishops.  El Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, founder of the city of Manila who died in 1572 was entombed in one of the chapels while wealthy patrons of the church paid for their final resting place here.

San Agustin Church

General Luna Street

Intramuros, Manila

 

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Culion Church/OWT

Purisima Concepcion de Nuestra Senora

One of the sites in Culion Island that was hard to miss is the Purisima Concepcion de Nuestra Senora (Immaculate Conception Church). The church was an imposing structure, one of the oldest buildings in the island.   Its dramatic steps were seen from the gate of the leprosarium. 

A group of Augustinian priests arrived on this remote island in 1622 and established a parish thereafter.  The island was a constant target of harassment and raids by Muslims pirates that around 1740, the superior of the Augustinian Recollects decided to construct a watchtower and fort as a defense measure against the Moro Raiders.  Within the fort, this church of about 25 meters long and 10 meters wide made of hewn coral rock was built.

 

The interior of the church had been renovated since, I'm sure, as the arches reminded me of Silliman University Hall (built in early 1900's).  And I couldn't help but admire the design of the nave and the light coming in.  As this church sits by the sea, the breezes were cool and salty.  It was was closed when we visited because they were preparing for an important religious event the next day.  But the ladies in the parish office were kind enough to let us explore the church.

Looking towards the main entrance of the church, I noticed the gallery for the choir and a stoup standing infront of the door. The yellow tiles are beautiful.

 

Beside the main entrance was the tomb of a Jesuit priest, Fr. Javier Olazabal, who came to Culion Island in 1971 and died on the island in 1988 at age 79.

 

The Immaculate Conception Church viewed from the walls of the old fort beside the watchtower.

 

 Culion Island can be reached by outrigger from Coron town in Busuanga Island; or by a passenger ship that docks here once a week from Manila.  

Culion Island, Calamian Group of Islands, northern Palawan

 

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Silay City: San Diego de Alcala Pro-Cathedral [MWT]

@ mirandablue

One of Silay City's landmarks is a 20th century church formerly known as St. Didacus Parish in honor of its patron saint, Didacus of Alcala, a Franciscan saint more commonly known in the Philippines as San Diego de Alcala.  This church is right across the plaza and beside the city hall.

This church was declared as pro-cathedral in 1994, the only pro-cathedral outside Metro Manila.  It was renamed San Diego de Alcala Pro-Cathedral.

@ mirandablue

The Silay parish was established in 1776.  The first church was built with light materials of bamboo and nipa.  With natural calamities such as typhoons, and insurrection against the Spanish, I'm sure the first church was destroyed and reconstructed a number of times.  By 1841, the parish priest initiated construction of a more permanent structure made of stone and wood but it was never completed.  During the Spanish-American war, parts of the stone church were destroyed and was left in a state of disrepair.  The remnants of the old church are well-preserved behind this church.  I remember spending summer afternoons in the courtyard of the old church when I was kid.  My aunt was then living about half a block away.

@ mirandablue

In 1925, construction of a bigger church started after one of Silay's wealthy sugar barons, Don Jose Ledesma, donated a substantial amount to build it.  He even commissioned an Italian architect, Lucio Bernasconi, to design the church.  Bernasconi lifted inspirations from his native Italy and designed the church in the shape of a Latin cross like most ecclesiastical Romanesque architecture in Europe.  It has simple columns and a cupola rising 40 meters above the nave.  Being the only church in the province with a cupola makes San Diego de Alcala Pro-Cathedral unique.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

I could still hear the echo of bells ringing at Angelus.  We were usually by the fountain at the plaza across the church, and every 6 pm, the bells rang as a call to prayer.  Then as dictated by tradition, children would then kiss the right hand of their elders.

@ mirandablue

The feast of San Diego de Alcala is celebrated every November 13th.

@ mirandablue

My contribution to My World-Tuesday