Friday, November 11, 2011

Church Hopping in Sugbo_09/26/11-10/02/11

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral
 The architecture of the church is typical with baroque colonial churches in the country — squat and with thick walls to withstand typhoon and other natural calamities. Having a cruciform layout, its facade features a trefoil-shaped pediment which is decorated with carved relieves of floral motifs, an IHS inscription, a shell symbolizing baptism, and a pair of griffins. The topmost part of the trefoil pediment contains two statues representing Faith and Hope.

The Facade

Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño
Oldest church in the Philippines, built on 1730 by Fr. Jose Bosqued and was finished on 1739 during the time of Fr. Juan de Albarran, made of cut-coral stones which were said to be quarried from Panay Island while wood was sourced from Talisay (Cebu) and Pitalo (Cebu). The church’s heavy construction is dubbed as “earthquake proof” and the design features an eclectic mix of influences. The facade for example blends Muslim, Romanesque and Neo-Classical features according to Augustinian historian Fr. Pedro Galende.


The Facade
The Interior
The Ceiling 

Sta Catalina de Alejandra in Carcar City, Cebu  
Was built by the Augustinians between 1860-1875. Construction was started by Fr. Antonio Manglano and was finished during the time of Fr. Fernandez Rubio. The architecture of the church features various influences particularly Islamic and Graeco-Roman. Islamic traces can be observed in the recessed arch of the facade which, according to the Jesuit historian Fr. Rene Javellana, resembles the iwan of some Middle-Eastern mosques. The onion-type dome that caps each of the twin belfries on the other hand resembles those of Orthodox churches in Europe while the main altar inside the church is Graeco-Roman as described by Fr. Pedro Galende, OSA, an Augustinian historian.

The Facade


San Isidro Labrador Parish in San Fernando, Cebu
(photo by arki joseph) lobat na kasi gamit kong cam.. hehe. :-p
Was designed by Domingo de Escondrillas, a Spanish engineer and architect who also designed the church of Pardo, the plan for the expansion of the Cebu Cathedral, and Carcel de Cebu, among others. Construction of the church began during the term of its first priest Fr. Miguel del Burgo and was finished by Fr. Emiliano Diez in 1886. It replaced the provisional one which was made of bamboo and nipa.



St. Francis of Assisi Church in Naga,Cebu
St. Francis of Assisi Church was made of coral and limestone by Fr. Simon Aguirre in 1839 patterned after the designs done by Bishop Santos Gomez Marañon. The convent was constructed in 1864. Both bell tower and convent were demolished in 1942 and reconstructed in 1974.




The Interior

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Church in Minglanilla, Cebu
Fr. Nicolas Lopez started the construction of the church with harigues and mortar in 1880. The construction was continued by Fr. Miguel del Burgo in 1878 and completed by Fr. Juan Alonso in 1886. The oldest bell was installed in 1863 by Fr. Fernando Magaz.
The church is a Gothic confection- the flame-like arches, painted domes of the bell towers and spires which blend with the semi-circular arched portals. The geometric forms and the trefoil arch suggest possible Muslim influence. One of the best-known crowd-drawing Christian Lenten rites in Central Visayas is the annual Easter Sunday pageant called Sugat (Cebuano for "encounter"), which reenacts the meeting between the risen Christ and His grieving mother. It features children as angels with wings sparkling with lights, slowly sliding down invisible wires from a pulley system onto the church entrance and altar.
The new paint job was finished before the town fiesta on Augut 21.