AHP GOES TO RIZAL

AHP family

The Advocates for Heritage Preservation recently went on a heritage tour of six of Rizal's churches. People are somewhat amazed when a horde of individuals all wearing golden yellow AHP shirts descend on a particular town and  file into these old buildings. Some of these people are armed with dslr's, some with ipads, and some with their go-pro's... all of them passionate about admiring and enjoying antiquity.

This entry not only provides a run-down of an entire day of fun for us members of AHP but also vital information on the places we visit. On this trip, we visited six churches in the province of Rizal that are noteworthy for their historical significance and also for their aesthetic value. Our first stop was at Antipolo (Nstra. Sra. dela Paz Y Buenviaje)  then we drove to Pililia (St. Mary Magdalene). We stopped for lunch at Tabi ng Lawa restaurant before we sped on to Tanay (St. Ildefonsus). The next stop was at Baras (San Jose); after which we visited Morong (St. Jerome) and finally, Binangonan (St. Ursula).

Nstra. Sra. dela Paz y Buenviaje

Let me give you a little bit of information on these six churches for you (dear readers) to appreciate the photos  I have posted here as well:

Antipolo Church

Antipolo (Nstra. Sra. dela Paz Y Buenviaje)*

This church was first built from 1630-1633 by Jesuit Father Juan de Salazar, burned during the Chinese uprising of November 1639 to March 1640, rebuilt by Fr. Salazar in 1637 but was destroyed during earthquakes of 1645, 1824 and 1863. The present church ws reconstructed by Monsignor Francisco Avendano and was declared a national shrine by the bishops of the Philippines in 1954. This modern church, built on the site where the statue of the virgin was discovered leaning against the trunk of a tipolo tree, has a  circular layout topped by a huge dome and has three main entrances. Gothic influence is seen from the triangular windows and mouldings. It houses the image of Nstra. Sra. dela Paz y Buen Viaje ( Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage)., 

The statue was brought over to Manila from Mexico by Gov-Gen Don Juan Nino de Tabora in 1626 and entrusted to the Jesuits at Antipolo. Declared patron saint of the Manila Galleons, it made eight successful roundtrips across the Pacific to Acapulco without any mishaps in 1641, 1643, 1645, 1646 (on the San Luis), 1648 to 1649(on the Encarnacion), 1650 (on the San Diego), 1651 to 1653 (on the San Javier), 1659 to 1662 (on the San Jose) and in 1746 to 1748 (on the Nstra. Sra. del Pilar). The image was canonically crowned before 100,00 people on 26, November 1926 by Manila Archbishop Michael O'Doherty in Luneta.

St. Mary Magdalene

Pililia (St. Mary Magdalene)*

This church, first built in bamboo and nipa in 1583, was rebuilt in wood by Franciscan missionaries from 1670-1673. The altarand convent were repaired in 1848 and the church was again repaired from 1962 to 1976. Pililia is located 58.44 kilometers from Manila.

Mary Magdalene side chapel

San Ildefonso de Toledo

Tanay (St. Ildefonso de Toledo)*

The best-preserved church complex in the province, this church, in Bgy. Plaza Aldea, was first built in Nipa and bamboo in 1606. It was rebuilt in 1680 but was demolished due to its deteriorating condition. The church was built and completed in 1783 by Franciscan Father Ildefonso Fentanes with good local stone from  the Tanay quarry. The convent was started in 1640, repaired in 1773, finished in 1783 by  Fr. Fentanes and was repaired and improved in 1851.

The church's massive Early Renaissance, adobe-faced facade features superpositioned columns topped by carved pineapples, semicircular arched main entrance and windows and a pediment with a statued niche framed by an order. Inside is a long nave, five ornate retablos with Rococo design, a silver plated main altar and celebrated 200-year old bas-reliefs of the fourteen Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis) along the nave's walls which were indigenized from Western styles. On its left is its for-storey octagonal bell tower and on its right is the convent ant courtyard. The church is now listed as a National Cultural Treasure.

St. Joseph

Baras (San Jose)*

This church, along San Jose Street, is located on a low mound just off the main highway and is approached by a flight of steps. It was first built by the Franciscans in 1595 but was transferred by the Jesuits, after a fire in 1635 to Ibayo in 1636. The town was returned to the present site by the Franciscans in 1682 and the present adobe church was was built here from 1682 to 1686. The church ceiling was removed during a renovation in the 1960s, exposing the rough wood beams supporting the ceiling. Tiles used for the restoration of the floor were taken from ruined structures in Intramuros. The convent is located beside the church (** now an escuela).

Windows are limited to the facade and one side of the church and the sanctuary is divided from the nave by an arch. The church has simple but well preserved interiors. The altar and lectern are stone artifacts unearthed beneath the church during the 1960s renovation. The altar, divided into stories, appears to have been intended to be a stone sarcophagus. Both the main altar and the two side altars are in the Plateresque style.

St. Jerome

Morong (St. Jerome)*

Located in Bgy. San Jose, this church was built by Franciscan friars in 1612 opposite of its present location. After it was destroyed by fire, it was rebuilt with stone and mortar by Father Blas de la Madre in 1615 using China craftsmen. The facade was designed by Don Bartolome de Palatino of Paete between 1850 and 1853. The four storey (100 foot), octagonal bell tower was also built from 1850 to 1853 by Father Maximo Rico.

The church's elaborate, exquiitely carved three-storey Baroque facade has superpositioned Doric columns, a semi-circular arched main entrance and an elaborately decorated segmental pediment with carved cornice and tympanum. Horizontal string courses with decorative mouldings and balustrades identify each level. Chinese influence is seen at the two Chinese lion sculptures at the steep entrance driveway (it is 30 feet above the town). Above the main entrance is its landmark single bell tower (characteristic of European churches) with its statue of St. Michael the Archangel on top and ornamented with floral and scroll designs. The church is one of the splendid examples of tropical Baroque architecture in the Philippines.

St. Ursula

Binangonan (St. Ursula)*

This centuries-old church, at the poblacion, was first built by Franciscan friars as a chapel in the late sixteenth century to gain access to native settlers around Laguna de Bay. The present church, started in the seventeenth century and completed in 1800, has a lovely three story moss and lichen-covered belfry (**now restored and cleaned)

St. Ursula image

By the time the AHP vans decided to head back to Manila, it was dusk. Those who attended the heritage tour to these six churches had  a lot of fun over a rustic lunch at a non-descript restaurant which was literally sa Tabi ng Lawa (beside Laguna Lake). The afternoon merienda was in a small Halo-halo place in Binangonan. For those who didn't join this trip, a part two is scheduled in May... We hope to see you then!

* information on the"six Rizal churches lifted from
"A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches"
by Benjamin Locsin Layug; New Day Publishers, 2007

** my update on the current state of the churches