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Dear Candy girls and boys,

Last Holy Week, I finally got to visit one of my must-see places in the Philippines—Ilocos! I hopped in a car with three of my best friends and we drove all the way to Vigan, Laoag, and Pagudpud (including all the towns in between!). Armed with good music (I bought these cool portable speakers and loaded my iPod with songs for the 10-hour drive), a cooler filled with food and drinks, a list of places to visit, and some maps to guide us, we were off on our big adventure!

Since I have so many photos and memories to share, I’m dividing this post into 3 parts. This week, let’s talk churches. Ilocos has some of the most beautiful, well-preserved historic churches I’ve ever seen. I regret that I wasn’t able to attend the Holy Week masses, but I made it a point to go inside each church we visited (no less than 9!) to say a little prayer.

1. Simbahan ng Sta. Maria

This is one of the Philippines’ Baroque churches and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Each church we visited has a bell tower. My friend said it’s usually located a few meters away from the main church so it doesn’t damage the church in case of earthquake or fire. Do you have any other explanations?
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2. Church of Laoag

It has an Italian Renaissance design built in the 1600s.

This is the Sinking Bell Tower. They say a man on a horse could once pass through its doors, but now a person has to stoop to get inside!
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3. Church of Sarrat

It was destroyed by fire twice in the 1800s but has since been restored to its former glory.

Standing by the bell tower
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4. Church of Paoay

Mia went here too a few months ago!

The church in sepia… it reminds me of the temples in Angkor Wat.
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5. Batac Church

Built in 1587. (It’s near the place where Marcos’ body is laid.)

A moving depiction of the crowning with thorns inside the church.
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6. Bacarra Church

It was built by Spanish Augustinian Friars in 1593. It was destroyed by an earthquake just 26 years ago, but was beautifully rebuilt.

Behind the church are the ruins of the bell tower. Look at how huge that slab of rock is!
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7. Simbahan ng Badoc

I love the arc at the entrance and how the white church contrasts with the stone arc and bell tower.

Painter Juan Luna was baptized here.
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8. Vigan Cathedral

The church on a busy Easter Sunday

Calesas by the side of the cathedral
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9. St. Augustine Parish Church of Bantay

The church is also the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, which is said to be miraculous.

It had a beautiful bell tower at the back, but the gates were locked so we couldn’t go nearer.
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And that’s it for my church visits. Hope you enjoyed the tour!
Next week, on the road to Pagudpud!

Angel

P.S. Tell us about your Holy Week and summer vacation adventures too! Would love to hear about them.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 16th, 2009 at 4:44:18 pm and is filed under Candy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.