RIZAL-LAGUNA CHURCH TRIP

245.9 km and almost 12 hours of driving is what it took us to complete our Visita Iglesia to 14 churches situated in the Privince of Rizal and Laguna! heck! i just did not tell my mom and aunts - who were by the way travelling with me, but i had doubts that i will be able to drive that long and far! =) hehehe! luckily, my auntie anet took turns with me in traversing the zigzag roads along the mountain side..but i could say that i drove 90% of the trip...

Actually, I have been planning to do some "road tripping" for a long time now, but just didn't have the time and guts to do so, thanks to waypoints.ph for providing the necessary information (maps, landmarks, routes..etc.) i needed to complete the trip.

Here are some of the pictures and facts about the churches that we visited..now, i'm no pro in taking photographs but at least these still give an idea of how the churches look like...

First stop was Morong Church it was only half past eight when we got there so there were still very few people...

St. Jerome Church in Morong was built in 1615 by Chinese craftsmen as evidenced by the Chinese lion sculptures
in the entrance. It is made of stone and mortar with a three-story facade and an octagonal bell tower.

i was actually looking for the lion sculptures but just didn't find any. The lion sculptures were probably part of the first "version" of the church...'cmon it was built in the 1600 hundreds! maswerte na kung may matira pang ipin dun sa lion sculpture! hehe! really pretty church very intricate and detailed facade design

We then headed for Baras Church, which we also found nice. Its grounds gives you this feeling of solemnity.....haaay...
Baras Church has an altar and lecterns that are stone artifacts unearthed from beneath the church. It is one of the oldest church in the province of Rizal, having been completed in 1686. The first church in Baras was built by the Franciscans in 1595. It was the Jesuits who administered the parish from 1616 to 1679.

Next stop was Tanay Church....hmmm didn't manage to get a good shot of the church though...nakakahiya kasi and marami nang tao, baka mapagkamalan akong turista....heheh...

The strong and solid structure standing today was completed in 1783 with slight restoration. Tanay church is a mixture of Philippine colonial design and with some integration of baroque in the façade which has two layers of columns.

We finished our Rizal churches with Pililia church (photo above) and headed for the churches on the other side of Laguna Lake.

We passed by this zigzag road overlooking Laguna Lake....see the layer of smog?? and to think it was tanghaling tapat when shot this picture!


Mabitac Church in Laguna stands over 126 stone steps....hahah! atras si auntie ruby when she saw the stairs! buti na lang there's this small road (passable by small to medium-sized vehicles) leading to the church.

and here's a view from the church...cute ng clouds noh! parang drawing, and if you could see the bluish net just near the bottom of the picture, heheh! net po yan providing shade over a swimming pool!! resort ata yung ibaba ng church!

Pangil Church came next.

From Pangil we proceeded to Pakil Church or San Pedro de Alcantara Parish Church (see photo below). This church was completed in 1767 after 35 years of construction...whew! The architectural design of the church is reminiscent of the Corinthian and lonic styles. In 1788, the Virgin of Turumba was enshrined in this church. Through the years, the church has survived great calamities.

Paete Church is a showcase of the talent of Paetenos. All the religious images found here were carved and/or painted by the residents of Paete long ago. The intricate baroque altar is a monument to their woodcarving artistry and the walls of the church boast of large murals done by Jose Dans, a true son of Paete who used color pigments mixed with pulverized volcanic ash and brushes fashioned from cat's hair. Unfortunately, the photo of the church's facade would have to do for the moment =) will try to provide a photo of the inside of the church later..

It was already noon when we got to Paete and umaangal na yung alaga ni auntie anet!

ahh...hindi yan ang alaga ni antie! that's Sam of Exotik restaurant, where we had a very enjoyable lunch!

From Paete we proceeded to the town of Lumban and stopped by Lumban church

Pagsanjan Church was our 10th stop. The church doesn't look very classic now after several restorations, but the church houses this precious image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. If my memory serves me right, this image came from Mexico


Actually, from Pagsanjan we were supposed to head to Magdalena Church. But because antie anet wanted to go to Majayjay, we decided to just visit the churches along the way.

Luisiana Church is the oldest church ever built in the municipality of Luisiana, Laguna. Luisiana was gutted by fire and a new stone church, made of adobe stone and rubblework was constructed in 1873. It has undergone some minor repairs and renovation since then.

I have no literature for Cavinti but i'm pretty sure that Cavinti is an old church as it was celebrating its 400th ++ year!

The road to Majayjay was not easy, zigzags were steep and the some of the roads narrow. On our way, we passed by a lot of resorts with "batis", some are even just by the road, as in all you have to do is just get off your car and plunge into the cold running water! Grabe if we weren't just running out of time, we might have stopped by one of those resorts! Here's a backgrounder of the chruch...

St. Gregory Church of Majayjay is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. This century old Catholic church which was built in 1711 and is considered one of the BIGGEST in the Philippines. The nave is 60 meters long, 17 meters wide and 16 1/2 meters high. O kaya yung mga gusto ng mahabang aisle kapag kinakasal, this is your church!! Not only does the church have a looong nave, i have to say that it also has an extremely beautiful structure...sobrang ganda!
Our last and 14th stop was Liliw Church. The church's facade looked "grand" and alive in its brick orange color. check out the photos...


Of course we went around the area to shop for some slippers and sandals that Liliw if famous for. It was shopping galore!! hehehe! the sandals were nice, comfy, and very affordable!