STO. NINO DE CEBU - BINAN, LAGUNA

 STO. NINO DE CEBU - BINAN, LAGUNA

SANTIAGO APOSTOL PARISH CHURCH a.k.a Betis Church

Santiago Apostol Parish Church - PAMPANGA

The 1607 Santiago Apostol Parish Church, commonly known as Betis Church or Parish Church of St. James the Apostle is a Baroque (heritage) Church, located in Guagua, Pampanga (Betis Area). It is a Spanish-era church declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines and the NCCA (under R.A. 4896 as amended by P.D. 374 and R.A. 8492), on November 5, 2001 (one of only 26 churches in the country bestowed that honor). It is part of the Ecclesiastical Provinces of the Archdiocese of San Fernando. In 2009, the National Museum installed a marker of its 2005 Proclamation.

The Church is named after "Apung Tiago" or Santiago Matamoros ("Saint James the Moor-slayer"). James, son of Zebedee, (Aramaic Yaʕqov, Greek Ιάκωβος, died 44 AD), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle. He is also called James the Greater to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus, who is also known as James the Less).

The main attraction of the Church is the original ceiling mural done by the famous painter Simon Flores (1839-1904). Not to be missed are the original Simon Flores painting of the Holy Family, the artesian well (dug in the 1800s) in the patio - the first well in the country to be so situated, and the rare betis tree nearby, donated by Prof. Randy David, a sociologist and native of the town. A two-minute walk from the church is the restored David House, ancestral home of Randy David, which they christened Bale Pinauid or Bahay Pawid.

The Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has designated the conservation and protection of more than 30 other Spanish-era churches to be of utmost importance. These were registered as National Cultural Treasures. These churches were given priority status not just due to their historical value, but also based on the geographic representation of various regions across the nation, and include Santiago Apostol Parish Church in Betis, Guagua, Pampanga.

As one of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, the Santiago Apostol Parish Church Parish Church has been at the forefront of Philippine history since their construction in the 1500s. During the time of Spanish colonial rule, the Church and State worked hand in glove. They had served the Catholic church in the archipelago and as the political backbone of Spanish colonial rule.

The unique design of the churches reflects the integration of Spanish and Latin American architecture to indigenous architecture of the Philippines, including a fusion with Chinese style. The Church's political power of that period manifests in the architecture. They had been designed to withstand attacks during revolts and rebellions, giving the Churches the appearance of fortresses. The blending of religion and military portrays the manner Spain saw its situation in the Philippines. The Church of La Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, located on top of a hill, served as a citadel during times of crisis, providing the best example of the blend of purposes in the architecture. Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva withstood the occasional attacks from Muslims coming from the south.

The Philippines resides within the Pacific Ring of Fire, calling for structures that could withstand the tremendous earthquakes that rock the region. Powerful buttresses and foundations gave the churches the support they needed to survive earthquakes intact. Although occasionally damaged seriously, the Church restored them each time. The Church of San Agustin has the most imposing of those buttresses, while the Church of San Agustin, Manila, the only structure in Intramuros (the southern district of Manila) to survive World War II, demonstrates the best example of the strength of that architecture. The unique architectural style became known as Earthquake Baroque.

Aside from the 4 churches designated as a World Heritage Site, the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has also designated 26 Spanish-era churches for conservation and protection. They have been registered as National Cultural Treasures. They have been given priority status for their historical value as well as serving as the geographic representatives of regions throughout the nation and include the Santiago Apostol Parish Church Parish Church

HIstory of the Betis Church

                          

The baroque-inspired Betis Church was built around 1660 and it was headed by Father Jose de la Cruz. The preliminary structure was made out of light materials which was composed mainly of wood and stucco. Fire broke out within the church several times due to these light materials so it was finally built with concrete materials in 1770.

In the last quarter of 19th century, Father Manuel Camañes dug an artesian well on the north-side of the church which served as a source of potable water not only for the Betis townsfolk, but to the other nearby towns as well. On the other hand, the present-day concrete fence with caryatids was built in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century.

In 1908, the rectory of the church was burned with fire and all the documents about baptism and other historical catalogues of the church turned into ashes.

Beautification of the interior part of the church was extensively done by the last Spanish priest named Father Santiago Blanco in 1939. The ceiling paintings were repainted by a native of San Agustin named Macario Ligon. His assistant named Victor Ramos, who was in his teen years then was also the one who restored these paintings in the 1970s.

During the Spanish-Colonial period, Betis is an independent town which has its own autonomy as a municipality. But due to migration of its inhabitants to the nearby Guagua in the American Period, it was merged to this town in 1904 under the Act 943.

Today, although part of the municipality of Guagua, the Betis church has its own parochial priest and has its patron saint named St. James the Grea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_Apostol_Parish_Church

PARISH CHURCH OF NUESTRA SENORA DE LA PORTERIA - DARAGA, ALBAY

PARISH CHURCH OF NUESTRA SENORA DE LA PORTERIA - DARAGA, ALBAY

As mythical as the tale that the Daraga church was built by young maidens or Daraga is the common belief that it was built after and on account of the eruption of Mayon Volcano that buried the town of Cagsawa in 1814. The historical truth is that it began to be built more than 40 years earlier, in 1773 to be exact.

Historical records show that way back in 1772 some people from Cagsawa asked permission from the National Government to transfer their town and church to a nearly settlement known as Daraga, then a sitio of the town of Albay.

The request was granted by the Spanish Governor General, Don Simon de Anda y Salazar in a letter dated June 12, 1772, wherein he instructed the Alcade Mayor of the Province of Camarines to supervise the transfer of the town of Cagsawa to the place of Daraga so that the town be formed with streets near the church that is to serve as the center for the benefit of the natives.

The order must have been implemented right away. There is no better proof that the official seal of the municipality of Daraga that bears 1772 as the year engraved on it.

The church was still under construction and on its way to completion in 1777, as can be gathered from a letter written by the Franciscan Provincial to the Governor General, asking that it be finished and the latters letter of instruction to the Alcalde Mayor to find our whether the construction of the church is finished and in case it is not, to promote its completion with the greatest vigor. Whether it was completed before the fateful eruption of 1814 has not yet been ascertained.

The next thing we here about Daraga church is that it was finally consecrated in 1854, the year Pope Pius 1X declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The American forces bombed the church during the World War II. The roof was completely blown up and the right wing and wall partially destroyed. Right after the war, it was hurriedly reconstructed. Then, it deteriorated very fast. In 1971 it underwent another complete reconstruction and remodeling of the interior especially the altar to make it conform to the norms of the celebration of the Liturgy as renewed by Council Vatican 11. The reconstruction was happily finished before the bicentennial celebration on December 8, 1973.

Eighteen years later in 1991, to be faithful to its structural design, the altar was returned to its original position.

Belfry Daraga Church

http://daragaparish.tripod.com/id1.html

ST. CLARE MONASTERY

ST. CLARE MONASTERY - KATIPUNAN, QUEZON CITY

Santa Clara was the childhood sweetheart of St. Francis De Assisi. She founded a Franciscan order of women known as Poor Clares whose local house is Real Monasterio de Santa Clara (Royal Monastery of Saint Clare), the oldest cloister in the Philippines. She was the patron Saint of Television for the catholic Church. Her feast day is on August 11.

Monasterio De Sta. Clara was founded by Mother Jeronima De La Asuncion (May 9, 1555-Oct. 2,1630), she was the foundress of the first Catholic Monastery in Manila and the Far East. 

As early as 1598, the people of Manila desired to have a Poor Clare foundation in their midst. When Mother Jeronima learned about it, she volunteered to become the foundress. Her Franciscan superiors accepted her proposal with enthusiasm, but due to some problems between the ecclesiastical and civil governments in the Philippines, she had to wait for 22 long years before she was finally allowed to come in the Philippines together with the nine Poor Clares nuns. The nine foundresses and their chaplain and head of the mission, Fr. Jose De Santa Maria, OFM arrived in Manila on August 5,1621, after an eventful voyage lasting one year, three months and nine days. The sisters were the first woman missionaries to reach the Philippines, and for that matter, the Far East.

Mother Jeronima steered the course of her community's history for nine years until her death on October 2,1630 at the age of 75. Her life of holiness inspired and strengthened the people to persevere in their faith.

In the intervening years, the sisters in Intramuros were forced to transfer from one place to another due to various circumstances. They evacuated to the Franciscan Convent in Sta. Ana. In 1896, during the Philippine Revolution, they again transferred to the Franciscan Convent in Sampaloc. In 1941, they also transferred to the VOT Convent in Solano, Intramuros, then to St. Anthony's Orphanage. During the last days of the war in 1945, the American soldiers were forced to bombard the monastery in Intramuros because Japanese soldiers sought feruge within convent walls. They transferred to their present monastery in Quezon City on February 20,1950.

Picture

In this new location, devotees still continues the tradition of offering eggs. In Castillian Claras means "short interval of fair weather on a rainy day. In Spanish, clara pertains to the albumen (white eggs) of the egg. In effect, Claras (white eggs) is being offered to Santa Clara to keep a particular date clara (fair in weather). They said that the eggs that are being offered will be made into bread and will give it to the poor people. In their office they provide pens and papers where you could write your prayer intentions and drop in the provided boxes and ask for the nuns of the Order of Saint Clare of Assisi to pray for them as well for good weather.

http://experienceqc.weebly.com/monasterio-de-sta-clara.html

STA MONICA PARISH - PANAY, CAPIZ

The Sta. Monica Parish - Panay, Capiz

HISTORY

The Parish of Panay was established by the Spanish missioneries in 1581, which had six(6) visitas. The Christian Faith in the island of Panay, Philippines was the first to evangelize the Sta. Monica Parish Church which now stands as a Historical Landmark. In 1566, Padre Martin de Rada, the augustinian missionery, proclaim the Gospel in the island at the riverbank of Bamban, which now known as the town of Panay, Capiz. The original structure of the church was built during the term of Fr. Manuel Lopez, between 1692 and 1698, and was rebuilt by Fr. Manuel Murguia in 1774. After the destructive typhoon of 1875, the famous Augustinian builder, Fr. Jose Beloso renovated the stone church in 1884. Fr. Lesmes Perez, restored it in its beautiful grandeur in 1895 from the aftermath of the typhoons of 1874 and 1875. Don Juan Reina Cast the Largest bell in Asia and 3rd biggest in the world. The "Dakong Lingganay"(meaning "Big Bell"), it was made from seventy(70) Sack of coins donated by the townpeople and measures seven(7) feet in diameter, five(5) feet in height with a weight of 10.400 kilograms. It carries a meaningful inscription which mean "Soy la vos de Dios que llevarey ensalzare desde el principio hasta fin de este Pueblo de Panay para que los fieles de Jesus vengan a esta casa de Dios a recibir las gracias celestiales" (meaning " I am God's voice which shall echo and praise from one end to the other of the town of Panay, so that the faithful followers of Christ may come to this house of God to receive the heavently graces."). Fr. Francisco alba was the first Filipino priest who served as the Parochial Vicar of the Parish of Sta. Monica. The National Historical Institute in its Resolution No. 3, series of 1997, declared the Sta. Monica Parish Church as a Historical Landmark.

http://panaystamonicaparish.weebly.com/history.html