Whoa … slow down … do not leave this post until you have taken a read … I know to some, me included, the thought of spending a day touring around looking at old churches may not be top of the list of things you wish to do before you die … though, this is really something to see if you are a history buff … I would put in on par with the Missions of Southern California … just some great history … if your not into history, then head on out and take a look at some of my other galleries …

You have two (2) options here; if you are in Manila for a short layover / business trip, then you can do Intramuros; located along the southern bank of the Pasig River , was built by the Spaniard in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Its name, in Spanish,intramuros, literally “within the walls”, meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself … within Intramuros you have Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church (the oldest church in the Philippines) … both of these are amazing … and no more than a morning trip to see the both of them … second option is the (all day) Laguna trip … well worth the time, you will get an eye full of Laguna … a beautiful province …

MAP NOTES: Drag Cursor on Map to Pan (some points may be hidden out of view) … Mouse over Map Points for more Information … If there is a (red color) circle with a numerical value inside, this means there are “stacked” Map Points, select and the “stacked map points” will be revealed … select Aerial for a Satellite View and Hybrid for Road View superimposed onto a Satellite View … 

Following is a brief on each of the options; Intramuros and Laguna with details on each of the churches … at the bottom, there is a gallery of all churches listed in this post … I am no where even close to being good at architecture photography … this is the best I could do at the time …

NOTE:

There are four (4) UNESCO listed churches in the Philippines … in this post; San Agustin Church located in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines … 

677-001 - Church of San Agustin (Manila), City and Region of Manila, Philippines … listed on this post

677-002 - Church of La Nuesta Senora de la Asuncion, Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

677-003 - Church of San Agustin (Paoay), Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

677-004 - Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines

The Intramuros Manila, Philippines Outing

The is much to do in Intramuros; shopping, eating, drinking, etc … it is not just two (2) old churches, though beware it is a tourist trap of sorts, so if you are not into crowds (I am not), then you may not enjoy … get there early in the morning have a look around, a few hours at the most … there is an entry fee to San Agustín though not to Manila Cathedral (go figure) …

Manila Cathedral - Intramuros, Manila, Philippines

The Manila Cathedral, also known as the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, was the seat of the Archbishop of Manila during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, and still remains the ecclesisastical seat of the Archdiocese of Manila. The See of Manila, with jurisdiction over all the Philippine Islands and suffragan to the See of Mexico, was erected in 1578 … the present cathedral was constructed in 1954to 1958 under Archbishop Rufino Jiao Santos of Manila and under the supervision of National Artist for Architecture Awardee, Architect Fernando Ocampo. It was elevated into the rank of minor basilica in 1981 by Pope John Paul II. The cathedral is also the resting place for former prelates who served the Archdiocese of Manila. Among those interred in the cathedral crypts (similar in style to that of St.Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City) are Michael J. O’Doherty, the last American and foreigner Archbishop of Manila, and others …

UNESCO ID: 677-001 San Agustín Church - Intramuros, Manila, Philippines

San Agustín Church, built between 1587 and 1606, is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, and 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 seven major earthquakes, as well as the wars in Manila. The church remains under the care of the Augustinians who founded it … Japanese and American forces clashed here in 1945, and most of the buildings in the town were destroyed. Remains of walls from destroyed buildings are left in ruin around the church. The Church suffered a direct bomb blast which left holes in the wall but the building itself survived. The secret behind the buildings bomb resistance can be found inside. Inside the church building there are many buttresses supporting the building and placed to absorb impacts from outside.

The Laguna, Philippines Trip

A colleague of mine at work recommended this trip as a way to get out and see some of the small villages and towns in the province of Laguna, Philippines.  This is a must do event while in the Philippines … you come back with a greater deal of respect and understanding for the history that engulfs this country … the trip, from Alabnag, 40km north of Manila, takes about 13 hours … perhaps a bit much for one day … but allot of fun never-the-less …  make sure you stop in San Pedro at get some Buku Pie (baby coconut) … and I would recommend bringing along an ice chest packed with a bit of beer … strange as it was, but beer was hard to get in some of the smaller mountain towns … YES Mountain … the refreshing part of the trip is towards the end as you go through the mountain range … cool, crisp, clean air …

Chruch of Sto- Sepulchro - San Pedro, Laguna, Philippine

The original barrio chapel made of bamboo and nipa , housing the miraculous image of Jesus lying in the tomb, more fondly called Lolo Uweng, eventually became a huge stone church due to the increasing number of pilgrims flocking to this church every Friday. On September 29, 1969, Bishop Pedro N. Bantigue erected this parish under the patronage of  St. Michael the Archangel, but later became Sto. Sepulchro due to the popularity of the image of Jesus in the tomb …

 Church of Sta. Rosa de Lima - Saint Rosa, Laguna, Philippine

A small church was built in 1587 but later destroyed by storms and earthquakes, which paved the way to contruct a bigger church supervised by Fray Gonzalo del Kobi,OFM, and finished  in 1611, when the first priest, Fray Jose Linares,OFM, was assigned. Prince Carlos of Spain donated to the church the images of Nstra. Sra. de LaO, depicting her pregnancy of Jesus, and the Sto. Nino de LaO. The church suffered destruction during the WW II and from its ruins the citizenry reconstructed a new one; further modernized when the Maryknoll Fathers took over in 1950 to 1958 …

Church of San Juan Bautista - Calamba, Laguna, Philippines

In 1759 the Jesuit Missionaries purchased a big portion of land called Hacienda de San Juan, but the parish was established only in 1779 by the Franciscan Friars. In this church, Fray Rufino Collantes baptized our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, on June 22, 1861. the original altar was burned in 1862 but immediately rebuilt by Fray Leoncio Lopez. the first Filipino priest, Fr. Angel Villaruz, served this church for 43 years since 1901 …

Church of Holy Trinity - Pansol, Laguna, Philippines

A small church was built in 1587 but later destroyed by storms and earthquakes, which paved the way to contruct a bigger church supervised by Fray Gonzalo del Kobi,OFM, and finished  in 1611, when the first priest, Fray Jose Linares,OFM, was assigned. Prince Carlos of Spain donated to the church the images of Nstra. Sra. de LaO, depicting her pregnancy of Jesus, and the Sto. Nino de LaO. The church suffered destruction during the WW II and from its ruins the citizenry reconstructed a new one; further modernized when the Maryknoll Fathers took over in 1950 to 1958 …

Church of Immaculate Conception - Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines 

A big stone church was built in 1671 but was destroyed by fire in 1727. Another church of stone was constructed by Fray Domingo Mateo, OFM in 1790 and completed the belfry and sacristy in 1851, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 1863; Fray Manuel Rodriguez, and Fray Guillermo Martin rebuilt the church …

Church of St- Anthony de Padua - Pila, Laguna, Philippines 

The Franciscan Friars led by Fray Juan de Florencia and Fray Diego de Oropeza, OFM, ministered to this town in 1578 and built the stone church and convent originally at Pagalangan, now Victoria, and completed in 1618. Severe flood from Laguna Lake perenially submerged the streets and agricultural lands. The populace moved out and eventually the church was dismantled and relocated stone by stone to Pila and was completed in 1803 …

Church of Nstra- Sra- de Guadalu - Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines

Originally built of bamboo and nipa in 1687 under the supervision of Fray Agustin de la Magdalena,OFM. This was replaced in 1690 by a structure made of massive adobe stones with lime mixed with carabao milk under the direction of Miguel Guan-Co and Alguacil Mayor Olfonso Garcia and further improved in 1853 by Fray Joaquin de Coria. The belfry was built with stone of Mexican style and the dome of Romanesque design. It was damaged during the American bombings on March 15, 1945 …

Church of St- Peter of Alcantara - Pakil, Laguna, Philippines

Originally built of bamboo and nipa in 1676 and was reconstructed of stone in 1732, by Fray Fernando Haro,OFM, but destroyed by fire in 1739 and rebuilt in 1777. The miraculous image of Our Lady of Turumba was enthroned in 1788, which attracted Marian devotees up to the present. An earthquake destroyed again the church in 1937 , reconstructed in 1957 and fully refurbished in 1980-84 …

Church of Nstra- Sra- dela Nativ - Pangil, Laguna, Philippines

A small church was built in 1587 but later destroyed by storms and earthquakes, which paved the way to contruct a bigger church supervised by Fray Gonzalo del Kobi,OFM, and finished  in 1611, when the first priest, Fray Jose Linares,OFM, was assigned. Prince Carlos of Spain donated to the church the images of Nstra. Sra. de LaO, depicting her pregnancy of Jesus, and the Sto. Nino de LaO. The church suffered destruction during the WW II and from its ruins the citizenry reconstructed a new one; further modernized when the Maryknoll Fathers took over in 1950 to 1958 …

Church of Nstra- Sra- de Candela - Mabitac, Laguna, Philippines

The Fanciscan Missionaries established this town in 1611 and the first chapel in 1618, under the supervision of Fray Miguel de Talavera,OFM. Due to flooding, the faithful constructed a bigger stone church on top of the hill called Calvario but  partly damaged by an earthquake in 1880. From its vantage point commands a panoramic view of the whole municipality and Laguna Lake. The original 90 concrete stairways was renovated to 126 that leads up to the portals of the church …

Church of St- Gregory the Great - Majajay, Laguna, Philippines

The first chapel made of bamboo and nipa was built by the Augustinian Missionary in 1571 but was burned in 1576.  Upon arrival of the Franciscan Missionaries, Fray Juan de Plasencia,OFM, rebuilt it in 1578, but again burned in 1606. The present stone church was constructed in 1616-1649, slightly burned in 1660 but  restored in 1707 by Fray Jose de Puertollano in 1711-1734;  damaged by storms but immediately repaired and fortified in 1839, 1842 and 1808; became  the American headquarter during the Filipino-American war in 1912 …

Church of St- Bartholomew - Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines

The first church, of light materials, was built by Fray Tomas de Miranda,OFM in 1583. The second church, of brick and stone, was built in 1752, but was partly destroyed by fire in 1781. A choirloft was added to the reconstructed church in 1845 by Fray Vicente Velloc, who built the Nagcarlang cemetery and its underground crypt. (HRMC)  Pilgrims flock to this church to pray before the images of St. Bartholomew and San Diego de Alcala known for their miraculous healing …

ENJOY!