meditate. explore. pray. - iloilo i...

VISITA IGLESIA:

Meditate.

Explore.

Pray.

By: Mark Segador

Iloilo I LOVE! Opening Doors to Exciting Western Visayas

http://iloiloilove.com/


Centuries of Spanish Colonial rule had embedded the cityscape of Iloilo with beautiful Catholic churches. Each with its own unique architectural designs. Inside the hallowed grounds of these places of worship, there are stories to tell and each can captivate its listeners. Indeed, Iloilo City is blessed to have these jewels of history and religiosity. These are both testament to Ilonggos’ craftsmanship, masonry skills, and of course deep spiritual fervor. Centuries of faith and love, of creativity and perfection - truly these are historical treasures of Ciudad de Iloilo. This guide is meant for visitors who are eager to explore our churches and see for themselves the beauty that lies in each of them. See you here in Iloilo City!

© Mark Segador 2012 http://iloiloilove.com/ 1



Nothing more defines the heritage of Iloilo City than the Church of San Jose (Iglesia de San José de Placer) located at Plaza Libertad. The church rose to prominence when Iloilo was proclaimed as ayuntamiento, the Spanish equivalent of a city, as it became of part of elite Ilonggos and local Spaniards daily routines. The church together with Plaza Alfonso XII (now Plaza Libertad) played central roles in Ilonggo city life. The site of the present church may also be the place of the first church constructed in Iloilo City. The previous structure was erected by the Jesuits in 1607 to serve the needs of the military stationed at Punta de Iloilo (present day Iloilo City). Today’s San Jose Church was constructed around 1873, when the newly-named friar Fr. Mauricio Blanco took over the Augustinian house of San Jose. The two storey church was completed with two towers built with a clock and a barometer (which is still present today). A nearby convent was also built at that time.

) Plaza Libertad, Iloilo City




Renaissance in design, the San Jose Church is simple but very much ornated with Hellenic influence, with Corinthian pillars supporting the central nave. The church is shaped like a Latin Cross with a dome at the center. The altar was renovated in the early 1980s with marble imported from Romblon which added grandeur and beauty. The main altar has Gothic characteristics with its emphasis on height and use of biblical scenes in its ornamentation. A painting of the Descent of the Holy Spirit is found at the semi circular dome above the main altar.





Another image of importance is the replica of the original Sto. Niño de Cebu which was brought to the church as a gift in 1968, a year after the devotion to Niño Jesus (Child Jesus) started in the parish. The celebration of the Sto Niño’s arrival evolved in today’s Dinagyang Festival. In addition, a relic of the True Cross is encased on the marble where the image sits.

One of the precious treasures of the church is the image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary or Nuestra Señora del Rosario. According to historians, the image (Our Lady with the Infant Jesus) was found by Diego Quinones, the commander in chief of the Visayas, during the struggle against the Dutch in 1616. Quinones fell into a hole and found a box which contained the image.





Molo, Iloilo City One of the most prominent of Iloilo’s icons, the Church of St Anne at Molo District is the only Neo-Gothic church outside Manila. Her beauty and unparalleled heritage stands out; giving every visitor an experience of awe and joy. Its towering belfries with red roofs dominated the Iloilo skyline for centuries, making it one of the distinguishable structures in the city. Old cities are usually represented by their cathedrals, and Iloilo City is of no exception. Her feminine church stands among the rest, its strength and beauty is a testament to Ilonggos’ unrivaled craft and skills in masonry and arts. Even in Spanish times, her prominence is widely known, even the national hero Jose Rizal paid her a visit on his way back to Manila from his exile at Dapitan in August 1896. Awed by her beauty, the hero referred to her as “La iglesia bonita!”




The church’s Gothic influence is evident on its exterior facade, altars, and arches, and structure. Shaped like a Latin cross, the central nave has 4 columns of seats enough to accommodate a thousand church goers in any given event. Small rose windows with Filipino touch of capiz shells line the sides supplementing the large arched windows in filling the structure with soft light. Her silver-colored dome is of Renaissance influence - a distinct feature of the church.

The central Corinthian columns, with gold accents, also serve as mini altars with female saints placed on pedestals attached on them. These all-female saint images give the church the distinction as the feminine church of the country, an answer to Jaro Cathedral’s masculine line up of santos. All in all, there are 16 female saints displayed which includes Sta. Marcela, Apolonia, Genoveva, Isabel, Felicia, Ines, Monica, Magdalena, Juliana, Lucia, Rosa de Lima, Teresa, Clara, Cecilia, Margarita and Marta.




From its origins as a simple church made of tabique pampango in 1863, the Church of Saint Anne had withstood earthquakes, Moro raids, fires, and wars. Though her towers were bombarded by the Americans in the 1940s, she was only partially damaged and had survived World War II. These events are testimonies to the soundness of the design and the sturdiness of the materials used.




The Arevalo Church, the home of the Image of Sto Niño De Arevalo, is placed at the middle of Plaza Villa. This is a unique feature considering almost all churches are separated from their plazas. It is of modern design since some part of the church were destroyed either by fire or by earthquakes. The altar is supported by Solomonic or helical columns which took inspiration from those of St. Peter’s in Rome. A large wooden cross with the image of the crucified Christ serves as the center piece of the altar. A replica of the Sto. Niño de Arevalo is found at the right side of the main altar, encased in glass and is flanked at both sides by angels made of wood. The church is popular for weddings as well.


Villa Arevalo, Iloilo City



The image of Sto Niño de Arevalo was said to be brought by the Augustinians upon the establishment of La Villa Rica de Arevalo (today’s Villa Arevalo) as a Spanish settlement and as the capital of Oton province in 1581. The missionaries believe that the image of the Child Jesus is instrumental in spreading the message of God’s love for His people, especially the poor and needy. Ever since then, the missionaries propagated the strong devotion to the image as evidenced by its presence in almost all towns in the country until today. The Augustinians realized that the welcoming and embracing arms of the images makes it easier for the natives to relate to the Child Jesus.




The image of Sto Niño De Arevalo has much deeper meaning for His devotees. Testimonies of miracles are well known to the people of the parish like sick people recovering from terminal diseases like cancer or serious injuries, childless couples having offspring, or saving the town from famine or lack of rain. There was also a story people claim that the Sto Niño defended the town from a Moro raid. The people, upon seeing a flotilla of Moro pirates coming, placed the image at the coast. According to the story, the pirates where stopped by a boy with a red cloak. Even the survival of the image is considered miraculous. During World War II, the American troops burned down the municipal hall and the convent of Arevalo fearing that the Japanese may use them as garrisons. The residents saw the fire consuming the convent but were bewildered that the fire was suddenly put out. Another story involves the strong earthquake of 1948 in Panay. The earthquake, having a magnitude of 8.3, almost destroyed the church of Arevalo. Upon seeing their altar destroyed by the quake, they were surprised to see the Sto Niño stood still on top of flail pedestal.





Mandurriao, Iloilo City

One of the simplest churches in Iloilo City, the Mandurriao Church or the Espousal of Our Lady Parish Church was established in 1921. A beautiful church made of white marble and stone, the church sets an atmosphere where one can meditate more on the Eucharist. All over the church, symbols of the Holy Eucharist are visible - on the doors, facade, and on the altar. Inside the church is spacious yet elegant in design. A large tapestry of two angels guarding the Eucharist is one of the main features inside the church. Surrounding the church is a large courtyard with a beautiful garden. Statues of Christ and Mary flank the entrance to the church. The titular of the parish is the Espousal of Our Lady while the feastday is on Januay 23.




Mandurriao, Iloilo City



One of Iloilo City’s cherished icons – the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral had been the center of faith in the province for centuries. Better restored and preserved, this architectural beauty defined the landscape of Metro Iloilo with its unique triangular facade, and a separated belfry located right across the street. The facade of the church is triangular, with two towers erected at its back. It has Romanesque revival influence seen at its intricate design and of course the red colored dome. Another feature of the church is its all-male saints paraded on its columns, an answer to Molo Church’s all-female theme. It is also important to note that the church is also dedicated to St. Elizabeth of Hungary.

Jaro, Iloilo City




Because of its importance to Iloilo’s religious and cultural heritage, the Jaro Cathedral was proclaimed by the National Historical Institute as a historical landmark in 1976. And as being the center for devotion to Our Lady of Candles, the cathedral would be named as National Shrine of Our Lady of Candles (Nuestra Señora De La Candelaria) this coming February 2, 2012 during the feast of Candelaria. It would be the 2nd National Shrine here in the Visayas. The Jaro Cathedral is the first and only cathedral in the island of Panay. The present cathedral was finished on 1874, and together with the Archbishop’s Palace, was inaugurated in January the same year. A four day festivity then ensued with climax celebrated on the Feast of Candelaria on February 2. It is reminiscent of Jaro’s splendor, pomp, and greatness.

Jaro, Iloilo City




Jaro, Iloilo City Housed inside the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral complex is the stone image of Our Lady of Candles. The origin of the image itself had been said miraculous. Folk stories say that the image was found in the shores of Iloilo River by a fisherman, and was about only a foot tall. It was so heavy that nobody can carry it; only when the people decided to bring the image to Jaro Church did one person was able to successfully lift it. Strange happenings surround the image and many believe that the Señora is miraculous. In the olden days, people say that the she has a habit of disappearing early in the morning and was spotted as a beautiful lady with long flowing hair bathing her son in a well found in the middle of the plaza. At the same time, a mist would cover her niche in the cathedral. Another well known story is that before the Pacific War, the Señora’s place in the cathedral was engulfed in total darkness for days. When it dissipated, the image had miraculously grown larger. Today, the size of the image is already about 5 feet tall and many believe that it is still growing. Surely if faith can move mountains, it can make statues grow bigger?




Ñ

LA PAZ, ILOILO CITY The Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje is housed in a beautiful church adorned with red bricks. The facade is decorated with Greek-style mural of a steady ship surrounded by leaves of olive and two doves – symbols used to denote the Our Lady’s title of peace and good voyage. The church was completed in 1870 under the watch of the Augustinian priest Fr. Candido Gonzales. It suffered damages during the siege of Panay in World War II and was restored years after (only the facade of the church survived). The parish church was fully renovated in early 1990s and was inaugurated during its annual fiesta.




In terms of greatness and meticulous design, the altar in which the Our Lady sits is also carefully crafted with sculptured flowers and columns in a wood– a fitting house for the image. One would observe the radical change of design from the facade to the church’s interior. Inside, the church is really simple – the walls, columns, ceiling and pews are humbly designed. (bottom)

Another unique feature of the La Paz Church is its twin Baroque belfries. One would never get tired of staring at them. Afar, one would mistake them for a light house that guides seafarers. Lighthouses are at times used for an impression of safety. (top)




A

B

C

D

E

F

:

A. Iglesia de San José de Placer – Plaza Libertad

B. Parish of Saint Anne – Molo

C. Sto Nino De Arevalo Parish – Villa Arevalo

D. Parish of Espousal of Our Lady – Mandurriao

E. Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral

F. Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage – La Paz

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Getting To Iloilo

Important Directory for Tourists

Iloilo Hotels and Resorts Guide

Iloilo I LOVE! Online Guides Getting To Iloilo By air, Iloilo can be reached from Cebu, Manila, Davao, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro airports via Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, AirPhil Express, or Zest Air. Flying time from NAIA is approximately 55 minutes. Upon arrival, guests can reach the city proper through jeepneys, buses or taxi. By Sea, the province can be accessed through its ports located at Iloilo City and Dumangas. Commercial shipping lanes from Manila can reach Iloilo in about 20 hours, sailing 12 times weekly. Ships coming to and from south of the country frequently include Iloilo in their stop overs. Here are the approximated traveling time from major cities by sea to Iloilo: Cebu (12 hours with daily trips), Zamboanga / CDO (14 hours twice a week), Bacolod City (one hour at most, several times a day through fastcrafts).

Going Around the Province and the City Buses, jeepneys, public utility vans (PUV’s) ply the province while taxis and jeepneys move around at the city’s well-developed system of road network. Fares are fixed except for taxicabs which have metered fares.



http://iloiloilove.com/transport-guide-iloilo/

http://iloiloilove.com/important-telephone-numbers-information-visitors/

http://iloiloilove.com/important-telephone-numbers-information-visitors/

http://iloiloilove.com/iloilo-hotel-resorts-guide/

http://iloiloilove.com/iloilo-hotel-resorts-guide/

Iloilo I LOVE! is a website started with an aim to present Iloilo to the world as a tourist destination. It also highlights the unique history and heritage, breath-taking natural sceneries, and of course the dynamic and vibrant Ilonggo life and culture. Catch more of Iloilo - the Heart of the Philippines at Iloilo I LOVE! (iloiloilove.com).

Let Iloilo I LOVE! power your business to the next level by advertising with us. We offer several online advertising services which will definitely meet your business needs. You may contact us at

marksegador {at} hotmail.com.




Mark Segador is a photography hobbyist and a writer. He is also the editor and web publisher of the blog, Iloilo I LOVE! - a website showcasing the beauty and tourism potential of his home province. His mantra, "Iloilo has yet to reach its full potential", has greatly influenced his aim on blogging and photography. His dream is seeing Iloilo as once again the Queen City of the South and as a center of business, finance, culture and education in this part of Asia. A dream most would say too high to reach, but if each in one of us would believe in this, then nothing is impossible. On the light side, Mark loves dogs, travel, some sports, and watching movies. He definitely loves food trips, but definitely he’s a picky one.

You may contact Mark at: marksegador [at] hotmail.com +639217338252 (SMART) +639164448845 (GLOBE) Facebook: Mark Segador


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