While more and more people consider
Lent as an excuse to go the beach, go to their home provinces and have fun
during the long weekend vacation, it’s still a holy obligation for every
Catholic to visit the pilgrimage churches and pray.
Since 2007, the Marian
Pilgrimage to seven Batangas Churches has been set, with the theme "A
Journey of Faith with Mama Mary as Companion." The pilgrimage aims to give
devotees the opportunity to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the
Catholic faith.
Saint Francis Xavier Church Nasugbu
Batangas
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| St. Francis Xavier Church, Nasugbu, Batangas. |
Erected in 1804, the Parish of Nasugbu, also known as the Church of Saint Francisco Xavier with its pintacasi Nuestra Señora de la Escalera, is the site of the Nasugbu burning and massacre of hundreds of people during the Filipino revolution against the Spanish government.
Both church and convent, along with hundreds of men, women, and children were burned down by the Spanish forces in 1896 when they retook the town from its Katipunan defenders.
Its parish priest, Don Leocadio Dimanlig, who was intimately called by the townspeople as Padre Kadio, has served from 1895 to 1900 and saw his church and the town destroyed during the first phase of the Philippine Revolution. Pilgrims, many of them from distant provinces, come especially on Fridays to light candles and pray in the church ruins.
In 1899, the town moved to its present location and left the ruins that is now called Lumang Bayan (old town). In January 25, 1900, the newly built church burned. After several years, a new church was built in the new location. It was rebuilt in concrete in 1959.
Both church and convent, along with hundreds of men, women, and children were burned down by the Spanish forces in 1896 when they retook the town from its Katipunan defenders.
Its parish priest, Don Leocadio Dimanlig, who was intimately called by the townspeople as Padre Kadio, has served from 1895 to 1900 and saw his church and the town destroyed during the first phase of the Philippine Revolution. Pilgrims, many of them from distant provinces, come especially on Fridays to light candles and pray in the church ruins.
In 1899, the town moved to its present location and left the ruins that is now called Lumang Bayan (old town). In January 25, 1900, the newly built church burned. After several years, a new church was built in the new location. It was rebuilt in concrete in 1959.
Taal
Basilica
Known as one of the largest churches in the Philippines, the Taal Church, just like most of the Spanish period churches in the country, was built using the Baroque architectural design.
Also known as the church of Saint Martin of Tours, it was consecrated in 1575, but was completed only in 1878. The church is made of adobe blocks quarried from the mountains of Cawit Cavite to the Pansipit river and carried uphill to the church site.
The monumental church was inaugurated in 1865, although work continued until the 1880s. The church was declared a national shrine in 1974.
Known as one of the largest churches in the Philippines, the Taal Church, just like most of the Spanish period churches in the country, was built using the Baroque architectural design.
Also known as the church of Saint Martin of Tours, it was consecrated in 1575, but was completed only in 1878. The church is made of adobe blocks quarried from the mountains of Cawit Cavite to the Pansipit river and carried uphill to the church site.
The monumental church was inaugurated in 1865, although work continued until the 1880s. The church was declared a national shrine in 1974.
Caysasay
In 1603, an image of the miraculous Virgin was discovered
in Caysasay on the opposite end of the Pansipit river by Balayan Bay. A
sanctuary was built there and it became a tradition for galleons and ships
crossing Balayan Bay to fire a salute in the direction of the shrine that was
believed to guide them to a safe voyage
A short distance from the Taal Church and Caysasay Church is the well of Sta. Lucia, an elaborately carved arch over a spring that is said to be the site of the Virgin’s apparition. Made of coral stones that date back to the 18th century, the well is said to have miraculous waters that can heal pilgrims.
A short distance from the Taal Church and Caysasay Church is the well of Sta. Lucia, an elaborately carved arch over a spring that is said to be the site of the Virgin’s apparition. Made of coral stones that date back to the 18th century, the well is said to have miraculous waters that can heal pilgrims.
Bauan Batangas
The Church
of Immaculate Conception in Bauan, Batangas was built in 1762 and has been be the most artistically built in
the province of Batangas. It was razed
by fire during the Philippine revolution against Spain in 1898, rebuilt,
destroyed by fire again in 1938, and rebuilt again.
Built around a neoclassical architecture, its walls are of medieval architectural style, with narrow pointed windows. The church façade highlights symmetrical and spherical shapes.
The first church was built in 1596 along the slope of Mt. Maculot in the Southern shores of the Taal Lake. When the nearby Taal Volcano erupted in the 1660’s series of eruptions, the church relocated and built in 1667 to Durungto. The church was again relocated in Lonal (or Loual) in 1671 where a new structure was built. The last church relocation was in 1692 (or 1690) to its present site where the new church was damaged again, replaced by a stone structure in 1700 .
The convent was occupied by the American troops in 1990. A fire destroyed the interior of the church in 1928. The church, along with other big houses, were also the site of the holocaust in the last days of the Japanese occupation of the town in 1945.
Built around a neoclassical architecture, its walls are of medieval architectural style, with narrow pointed windows. The church façade highlights symmetrical and spherical shapes.
The first church was built in 1596 along the slope of Mt. Maculot in the Southern shores of the Taal Lake. When the nearby Taal Volcano erupted in the 1660’s series of eruptions, the church relocated and built in 1667 to Durungto. The church was again relocated in Lonal (or Loual) in 1671 where a new structure was built. The last church relocation was in 1692 (or 1690) to its present site where the new church was damaged again, replaced by a stone structure in 1700 .
The convent was occupied by the American troops in 1990. A fire destroyed the interior of the church in 1928. The church, along with other big houses, were also the site of the holocaust in the last days of the Japanese occupation of the town in 1945.
Lipa, Batangas
During its early days, Lipa was
known as San Sebastian, after its patron saint. Various studies point to many
sites of the Old Lipa, as it has transferred four times due to the series of
eruption of the Taal Volcano. The old
sites were believed to be submerged now in the lakewaters. The name Lipa came about when the people
found the missing image of the patron saint on a Lipa tree (Laportea
Moyeniana).
Churches
Carmel
“In
1948, the mysterious events that occurred within the cloisters of a Carmelite
convent in Lipa, Batangas, caught the attention of the Catholics the world over
and brought notice to the Philippines. Thousands streamed from all over the
country to the convent grounds as marvelous stories spread of the apparitions
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of petals falling form the sky, of a spinning sun,
and a moving statue, miraculous cures and conversions.”
–June Keithley
Carmel, as Batangueños call the Mary Mediatrix of All Grace church,
was founded on May 31, 1946, a year
after World War II left the town of Lipa in ruins. Carpet-bombed by the American liberation
forces, Lipa’s 20,000 residents were massacred by the Japanese soldiers in the
last days of the Japanese occupation.
But Lipa bounced back and was even declared as a city in 1947.
In 1948, the story of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary began with a twenty-one year old Teresita Castillo who ran away from her prominent family in Tanauan to become a Carmelite nun.
News of the apparitions of the Blessed Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, the shower of rose petals, and messages of salvation spread, and people flocked to Carmel, where pilgrims also witnessed the petals falling from the sky, the spinning sun, a moving statue, miraculous cures and conversions.
–June Keithley
Carmel, as Batangueños call the Mary Mediatrix of All Grace church,
was founded on May 31, 1946, a year
after World War II left the town of Lipa in ruins. Carpet-bombed by the American liberation
forces, Lipa’s 20,000 residents were massacred by the Japanese soldiers in the
last days of the Japanese occupation.
But Lipa bounced back and was even declared as a city in 1947.In 1948, the story of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary began with a twenty-one year old Teresita Castillo who ran away from her prominent family in Tanauan to become a Carmelite nun.
News of the apparitions of the Blessed Mary Mediatrix of All Grace, the shower of rose petals, and messages of salvation spread, and people flocked to Carmel, where pilgrims also witnessed the petals falling from the sky, the spinning sun, a moving statue, miraculous cures and conversions.
San Sebastian Cathedral
In Lipa the Cathedral of St. Sebastian is known simply as “Katedral.” Standing tall right in the heart of Lipa City, among its bustling streets, the cathedral’s accessibility makes the church always filled with people, rarely empty, even when there isn’t mass. During Sundays, when the Holy Celebration is held almost every other hour, Katedral is filled to its brims, and Batangueño’s brave the heat inside this centuries-old testament to the Christian faith.
The present site of the cathedral was witness to the first religious structure built in 1755 but was burned when the British forces raszed the town in 1763. A stone church was built in 1779.
By the end of the 18th century, the church was finished, and was described as large and spacious, and the design noticably changed from Baroque to Neo-Classic style.
In 1910, Lipa was chosen to be the seat of a new diochese, and the new cathedral got a facelift. The church was damaged in 1944 during the Japanese occupation but was repaired at the end of the war.
In Lipa the Cathedral of St. Sebastian is known simply as “Katedral.” Standing tall right in the heart of Lipa City, among its bustling streets, the cathedral’s accessibility makes the church always filled with people, rarely empty, even when there isn’t mass. During Sundays, when the Holy Celebration is held almost every other hour, Katedral is filled to its brims, and Batangueño’s brave the heat inside this centuries-old testament to the Christian faith.
The present site of the cathedral was witness to the first religious structure built in 1755 but was burned when the British forces raszed the town in 1763. A stone church was built in 1779.
By the end of the 18th century, the church was finished, and was described as large and spacious, and the design noticably changed from Baroque to Neo-Classic style.
In 1910, Lipa was chosen to be the seat of a new diochese, and the new cathedral got a facelift. The church was damaged in 1944 during the Japanese occupation but was repaired at the end of the war.
Padre Garcia ChurchPadre Garcia, known as the “Cattle Trading Capital of the Philippines,” also has its own treasure of faith: the Church of the Holy Rosary (Iglesia de Santo Rosario). Though the structure looks grey and squat, or was covered by concrete, it still manifest its Baroque influence.
The earliest description of the church was in 1751 and the convent built in 1834. In the 1890’s the construction stopped due to lack of funds as the town was heavily affected by the misfortunes of the coffee industry.
In 1901, the town was abandoned and the church was burned during the Filipino-American war. The ruins of the old church was rehabilitated in 1906 and a new convent was build on the site of the old one. The Japanese forces burned the convent in February 1945 which also partly damaged the church. Repairs were done after the war.
Today, the convent has some of its original parts still standing along with the new structure.
Tanauan Church
Like
the churches of Taal, Bauan, and Lipa, the Tanauan Chruch had its beginnings
along the lakeshores of Taal Lake and transferred to its present site during
the series of volcanic eruptions of Taal Volcano from 1749 to 1754.
By the end of the 18th century, the new Tanauan boasted of a stone church with a tile roof and situated at the center of the town. The church was constructed in 1881, along the Romanesque lines of churches in Europe, but local builders have incorporated neo-classic lines especially along the external sides of the church. Rounded arches tapering down to the strong pillars harmonize with uncluttered lines of the central ceilings. The church is remarkable for its wide open central nave and circular niches.
The church wasn’t yet finished when General Miguel Malvar’s troops entered Tanauan in 1898.
The American troops occupied the convent n 1900. Both the church and convent were burned during the Second World War. In the 1950’s a new church replaced the old one but maintained the façade.
By the end of the 18th century, the new Tanauan boasted of a stone church with a tile roof and situated at the center of the town. The church was constructed in 1881, along the Romanesque lines of churches in Europe, but local builders have incorporated neo-classic lines especially along the external sides of the church. Rounded arches tapering down to the strong pillars harmonize with uncluttered lines of the central ceilings. The church is remarkable for its wide open central nave and circular niches.
The church wasn’t yet finished when General Miguel Malvar’s troops entered Tanauan in 1898.
The American troops occupied the convent n 1900. Both the church and convent were burned during the Second World War. In the 1950’s a new church replaced the old one but maintained the façade.
Taysan
Batangas The Parish of St. Lorenzo Ruiz is the 60th parish canonically erected in 1860 by the Archdiocese of Lipa as the second parish to separate from the old parish of Rosario.
The simple church was destroyed by a typhoon in 1866. It was in 1882 that a completely new church began construction, but another storm blew the town in 1926.
The renovated building is the one that we see today. The convent, which begun in 1891, was occupied by the American troops in 1901, and was burned by the Japanese forces in the Second World War. It was rebuilt in 1946.
In 1998, the ivory head and hands of the image of the town patroness, the Nuestra Señora de la Merced were stolen. Up to this day, they haven’t been recovered yet.
Can you send me a route map please
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