A fellow hobbyist, upon learning that I just came back from Ilo-ilo, asked me what's interesting with the place aside from their batchoy -- 'their churches' was my quick answer.
Miag-ao Church
An hour jeepney ride from the city proper to the municipality of Miag-ao took almost two hour. It was raining heavily the past days due to a recent typhoon that passed by the island causing most of the rivers to overflow and thereby delaying the traffic. I was not able to find any van-service to miag-ao that it seemed taking the PUJ is the only available option. Oh, the taxis were offering 'pakyaw' but an exorbitant price, almost equivalent to my round-trip airfare ticket!
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/100sec, f/6.3 |
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| Canon 40D, EFS10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, 1/500sec, f/8 |
Aside
from the church rich history, it is the church artistic facade that
captures the attention of any visitor to this church. The intricate
carving on the stone is awesome considering the period when this was
done, around the 1700's.
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| Canon 40D, EFS10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, 1/320sec, f/8 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/320sec, f/8 |
I decided to finish checking the exteriors of the church before having my lunch in a carenderia just outside the church gates.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/400sec, f/5 |
Guimbal Church
15 minutes from Miag-ao, on the way to the city proper is the town of Guimbal. The church here is not as breathtaking as the one in Miag-ao but nevertheless interesting.
15 minutes from Miag-ao, on the way to the city proper is the town of Guimbal. The church here is not as breathtaking as the one in Miag-ao but nevertheless interesting.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/200sec, f/9 |
St. John of Sahagun Parish, Tigbauan
From Guimbal town, Tigbauan is around 5 to 10 minutes ride. I have to wait for another thirty minutes after arrival before i had the chance to explore the church interiors since a requiem mass was on-going.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/250sec, f/8 |
The St. John of Sahagun Parish church may not have the intricate facade of the miag-ao church but the interiors would make every visitor at awe.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/8sec, f/8 |
The church interiors are made up of colorful stone murals.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/8sec, f/8 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/5sec, f/8 |
Molo church - The Feminist church of saint Anne
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/100sec, f/8 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/5sec, f/4.5 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/4sec, f/6.3 |
Here's their schedule of services :
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/160sec, f/6.3 |
Jaro Cathedral
The Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and home of the Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Lady of the Candles), is the first and only cathedral of Panay. This was where one of the our heroes, Graceano Lopez Jaena was baptized.
The Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and home of the Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Lady of the Candles), is the first and only cathedral of Panay. This was where one of the our heroes, Graceano Lopez Jaena was baptized.
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| Canon 40D, EFS10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, 1/400sec, f/11 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/13sec, f/4.5 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/45sec, f/4.5 |
Accordingly, the limestone image is said to be continuously
growing and had become too large to fit into its original niche just
above the present one.
Her shrine is visited often by many devotees who
believe the statue to be miraculous.
The paintings on the choir loft is one not to be missed when visiting the church.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/8sec, f/8 |
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/125sec, f/8 |
I always like parishes that publish their mass schedules. It becomes a guide to non-parishioners who may want to hear mass in their churches.
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| Canon 40D, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM, 1/500sec, f/7 |
6 comments:
Al, the photos were wonderful. nice angle.
Beside the St. John of Sagahun once stood a Jesuit school and it was believed that Blessed Pedro Calungsod studied there before he went to Cebu City.
Molo Church in Iloilo was originally built made of tabique pampango with a chalk roof, then built temporarily with nipa by Fr. Jose Ma. Sichon in 1863. Plans for a concrete structure were made in 1866 and approved by Bishop Mariano Cuartero in 1869. The present Gothic-Rennaisance church was immediately built after the approval of the plan. In honor of Saint Anne, this church was known to be a feminist church because of the two rows of sixteen female saints line on both sides of the altar. Molo Church was visited by Dr. Jose Rizal in 1886 because of its biblical paintings and it served as the evacuation center during World War II. The church was damaged during the liberation of the Philippines from Japan and was repaired by Rev. Manuel Alba with the help of the congregation.
The church was declared a national landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1992 through the representation of Sir Knight Rex S. Salvilla. It is the only Gothic church outside Manila.
Thanks sa additional info my friend, they would prove helpful to the other viewers.
Constructed more than two hundred years ago in the year 1797, the Miagao Church stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao centuries ago, anchored in a strong foundation of Christian faith. As most travelers would agree, the Miagao Church is one of the country’s architectural gems because of its unique and imposing designs, ornaments and motifs.
The artistic facade of the Miagao Church is decorated with a relief sculpture of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child amidst coconut, papaya and guava shrubs. Like any other foreign influences, the architecture of many colonial churches has undergone the process of indigenization. This process is carried out by incorporating the prevailing Hispano-American and Medieval Spanish architecture with local as well as Muslim and Chinese touches. Thus, the synthesized topology which is anachronistic with the unmindful sues of decorative elements. It had no distinction in terms of periods or orders. A truly ‘Philippine Church’, it exudes a native touch.
A large stone image of St. Thomas of Villanueva, parish patron saint, dominates the center. Carved life-size statues of the Pope and St. Henry with their coat-of-arms above them flank the main entrance. Supporting the facade are the twin belfries, one towering two-storeys and the other three-storeys high. The church’s simple interior is nevertheless highlighted by a striking gold-plated retablo.
In Baroque-Romanesque style, the church sinks six (6) meters deep into the ground with walls one-and-a-half (1 1/2) meters thick and buttresses thrice thicker. The creative and aesthetic abilities of Spanish colonizers are reflected in many colonial churches in the Philippines. This is especially true in Miagao Church – a world-renowned religious structure now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Tigbauan Church is unique in the country because of its Latin American churriquesque architecture. The church was constructed in 1575 and destroyed during an earthquake in 1948.
Tigbauan’s facade is style in the Mexican plateresque. At the center is a seal of the Augustinian order surrounded by a retablo-like floral frieze, which fills the central section. Above the seal is a niche flanked by pilasters embellished with flowers and upon it is a depiction of San Juan. Capping the relief is the image of Santo Nino.
The church interior was gutted during the Second World War. Today, it has one of the most beautiful modern-type interiors made up of colorful stone murals. The mosaics adorning the church interior, including the altar and the Stations of the Cross, were created by a local artist in the last two decades.
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