bisita iglesia (part 1)

On Easter Sunday (March 23), we went on a road trip. Before I even left the US, we had already planned to do bisita iglesia on this day. Literally, bisita iglesia means church visit but, more accurately in sentiment, it is more like church hopping. When I was growing up, this was something that we used to do (that is, when I was allowed to go) on Holy Thursday. After dinner, we would visit 5 (I think) churches, and we would pray a mystery of the rosary at each church. I remember it as being a fun event, maybe because it was at night and I was a little girl who was being allowed to go with the young men and women.

So, for Easter, we had planned a whole day of visiting old churches. I was excited about this because it was a road trip and because we get to see old churches (and I like architecture). In the Philippines, where old buildings were primarily built of wood, the churches are pretty much the oldest buildings still standing. And there’s really something about visiting ancient, sacred places...

Our original travel partners (including the car owner/driver) backed out at the last minute, but we fortunately still had access to my uncle’s vehicle and driver. So, the day before, we asked someone else to join us and we did some research at Fully Booked and on the Internet. With our map and lists of destinations, we were set. [find map]

We woke up at 5am, so we could shower, eat breakfast and leave by 6:30am. After picking up our new travel companion, we were on our way to doing a loop of Laguna de Bay. But, before we did so and since it was on our way, we passed by Antipolo Church, which is dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage). This church is very well-known in the Philippines, and many people make pilgrimages there. Our Lady of Antipolo is an icon, especially in Luzon, as are the dried flower leis that you buy there. As it was Easter Sunday, it was crowded. Mass had just started (before the first reading) when we got there just after 7am, and the church was overflowing. We didn’t get a chance to take pictures of the façade of the church, but we took some of the inside.

We proceeded to three town churches that are pretty close to each other: Morong, Baras, and Tanay. As with all of the churches we visited on this day, these churches were built in the 17th and 18th centuries but, due to fires, earthquakes, they have been reconstructed or added on to. It’s difficult to make out which portions are original, so I’m including on here the pictures that we took of the historical markers. You can figure out how old these churches really are.

When we got to Morong, services were also under way (it was the offertory when we got there and communion when we left). There were churchgoers in pews outside, on the side of the church. The most striking part of the church is actually the belfry but that actually was added in the mid-19th century, 200 years after the original church.



We got to Baras between church services. I really liked the look and feel of this church. After Morong, this one seems so much older and off-the-beaten-path. Our driver said that he knew about Morong and Tanay, but he didn’t know about Baras. (Our map actually has asterisks for some of the churches on our lists, including Antipolo, Morong, Tanay, and couple of others. I think that means they are well-known and/or bigger churches.) But maybe the fact that it wasn’t crowded with churchgoers enabled us to enjoy it more. I liked the façade of the church, as well as the altar. I also liked the festive plastic streamers that lead to the church; these indicate that it is or almost the town’s fiesta or feast day.


When we got to Tanay, it was about 9:30am (if the clock inside the church in the picture is right), and it was already getting quite hot. Church was also underway. The altar is gilded and quite ornate. There is an inner courtyard, where some people were listening to the services. We didn’t stay there too long.


(This is just the beginning of our day, so there will be one or two more parts coming, but I'm not sure I'll be able to post before we leave for the Mountain Province tonight. And I don't think I'm posting when I'm up there.)