live today. lagaw tomorrow. capture the moment.: Visita Iglesia

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Visita Iglesia in Manila

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the only time (except during Manny Pacquiao's fights) that Manila is transformed into a peaceful and traffic-free city. This is because most Manila residents take advantage of the holiday to go home to the provinces or go out of town for a longer vacation time with family and friends. Those who choose to stay in the city, participate in a religious tradition called Visita Iglesia (church visit).

Here are some of the churches around the city of Manila:

Baclaran/Redemptorist Church
- National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
- completed in 1952
- houses an icon, Our Mother of Perpetual Help

Reclamation Area Church
- Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, & the Life

Binondo Church
- Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz
- built in 1596 and enlarged in 1608
- exterior: Mexican-Spanish colonial architecture
- San Lorenzo Ruiz, the Philippines' first saint trained as a sacristan in this church

Binondo Church 2010

Sta. Cruz Church
- Our Lady of Pilar Parish
- originally built in 1619; present building completed in 1957
- exterior: Baroque

(Source)

Manila Cathedral
- Cathedral - Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
- present building completed in 1958
- exterior: Neo-Romanesque
- dedicated to Saint Mary under the title Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Philippines.

San Agustin Church
- Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Consolación y Correa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- completed in 1607
- exterior: Baroque

San Beda Church
- Abbey of our Lady of Montserrat

(Source)

San Sebastian Church
- Basilica Minore de San Sebastián
- built in 1893
- exterior: Neo-Gothic
- seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

(Source)

Quiapo Church
- Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene
- St. John the Baptist Parish
- exterior: Mexican baroque
- home to the Black Nazarene

Ermita Church
- Parish of Nuestra Señora de Guia
- home of the oldest Marian Image in the Philippines, Nuestra Señora de Guia

Malate Church
- Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Remedios
- built in the late 16th century
- exterior: Baroque
- one of the oldest churches in Manila outside of Intramuros

Malate Church 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Visita Iglesia in Iloilo

As the province of Iloilo was considered an important province during the Spanish Colonial Era, beautiful old world architecture can be seen all around. One example is the many Spanish colonial churches found scattered in the province. Almost all towns in the province boast of a Spanish colonial church. Most if not all are restored to their original designs.

If you are in Iloilo during the Semana Santa (Holy Week) or Cuaresma (Lent), go on a Visita Iglesia (church visit) pilgrimage. Visita Iglesia is a tradition practiced by the early Christians where they visit the 7 great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Maundy Thursday. (Source: The Catholic Herald). This practice was passed on by the Spanish Colonizers to the Filipinos.

In recent time, Filipino Catholic faithfuls would visit either 7 (2 stations per church) or 14 churches (1 station per church) to pray the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross).

Here are just some of the churches you can visit when you are in Iloilo:

Southern Iloilo

San Jose
- San Jose Church
- exterior: Byzantine & Neoclassic
- built in 1873

San Jose Church 2010