Bohol Visita Iglesia Philippines

VISITA IGLESIA in BOHOL

 Custom of visiting seven (7) churches on Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday is said to originate from early Christians practice of visiting the seven Great Basilica in Rome.

 Here in Bohol we will visit 14 heritage churches so that we get a glimpse of Philippine culture and history.  These centuries-old churches form an inherent part of our nation identity, and we must endeavor to preserve them for future generation of Filipinos.

We designate one day of the year to join in the spirit of Lent by doing the Visita Iglesia. The 14 churches representing the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Visita Iglesia routes for Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday as organize by Aurora Travel & Tours. In every churches listed below we spend time of prayer the 14 Stations of the Cross. Jesus assured us, by His passion and death we contemplate His love for us, we cannot help but respond to His love by its very nature.

ITINERARY:

1.   St. Joseph Cathedral

Tagbilaran City

The present cathedral of Tagbilaran traces to a church built by Fr. Valero de San Pascual, OAR, while the bell tower to Fr. Jose Sanchez, OAR.  The church’s interior and exterior have undergone renovations.  However, despite the renovations, some historic pieces still remain.  The two side altars are in the 18^th century Baroque style, while the central altar, decorated with symbols from the Old Testament is in the 19^th century Neoclassical style.  The statue of St. Joseph, the patron Saint, is an 18^th century vintage.  The church has a good collection of ancient documents, including a fragment of an 18^th century Visayan dictionary. 

 2.      Our Lady of Assumption Church

Dauis, Panglao Island

It is located not far from the bridge that connects Panglao from the mainland.  This is one of Bohol’s beautiful churches which has retained its Spanish architecture although it has a semi-modern façade.  The church interior has lifelike murals painted on the ceiling.  The church has a fresh water well at the foot of the altar.  The water are said to be blessed with healing powers.

  3.      San Agustin Church

Panglao, Panglao Island

Panglao was said to be established as a parish in 1782.  Records of the Recollects, however, say that they took charge of the town in 1803.  A 20^th century church stands beside the ruins of an older church.  The remains of the older façade indicate that it may have been Baroque in design.  The church was said to have been destroyed in 1886.  There are twin antique confessionals in the church that are carved with grape and dove patterns.  The church’s ceiling depict the Seven Sacraments.

 4.   Baclayon Church

Baclayon

The church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon town is one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines.  Adjacent to the church is the Baclayon Museum that holds remarkable collection of religious art, ecclesiastical vestments and other priceless 16^th century relics and artifacts.

 5.      Sta. Monica Church

Alburquerque

The Sta. Monica Parish Church in Alburquerque town was founded in 1869 after being separated from Baclayon town.  Reports dating as far as 1886 indicate that the church was built of light materials.  The imposing structure is famous for its sturdy arches supporting a pathway that connected the church to the convent, which is described as “de grandes dimensions.”

6.    Loay Church

Loay

Built 1815, the church is cruciform, has two facades: the older is decorated with low relief and the newer was apparently completed in the 20th century as its upper register is in reinforced concrete. The whole is surmounted by cement statues depicting the virtues. The bell tower is a separate structure built at a short distance from the church. Like many Bohol churches the interior is painted with trompe o'eil and with Biblical scenes. The altars are in the Neoclassical style.

7.      Loboc Church

Loboc

Second oldest church in Bohol built in 1608.  With a three storey convent, a coat of arms can be found in the stonewall at the entrance of the convent.  The church has two facades, the Jesuits-built Baroque façade which is decorated with unfinished medallions depicting saints, and the neoclassical portico added by the Recollects.  The convento built behind the church features a balcony with colored glass panes and a gilded ceiling and also has a museum on the third floor.

8.      Sikatuna Church

Sikatuna

 Sikatuna is an interior town located 6.5 kms. from Corella and 16.6 kms. from Tagbilaran City. It was named after the famous Bohol Chief who made a blood compact with Legazpi in 1565.

9.      Corella Church

Corella is a 6th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 6,048 people in 1,263 households. It is located 10 kilometers north of the provincial capital, Tagbilaran City. Corella is known primarily as the home of the endemic Philippine Tarsier, the world's smallest primates. The 7.4 hectare Philippine Tarsier sanctuary run by the Philippine Tarsier Foundation, as well as the Research and Development Center is in Barangay Cancatac (Canapnapan?) of Corella, about three kilometers from the town proper. The people of Corella are predominantly conservative Roman Catholics who belong to the Parish of Our Lady of the Village (Latin: Nuestra Señora del Villar) whose feast is celebrated on April 27, only four days before the Feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Tagbilaran City celebrated on May 1.

10.  Cortes Church

Known by the ancient name Malabago, Cortes was already being served by priests from Maribojoc. Established as an independent parish in 1793 or 94, it was renamed Paminguitan. The town was established later, probably in 1862. The town was renamed after the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes.

The parish was dedicated to the Santo Niño. Although the Recollects who served the parish from its inception until 1898 had begun to build a church in 1880, the bell towers upper register was not completed until the 20th century.

Perched on the slope of a low hill, the town of Cortes gives its church a dramatic setting. Shaped as a cruciform, this sedate building is of cut coral has an octagonal crossing tower.  Floral carving frame the doorway, and a light pink plaster can still be seen suggesting that the façade was more colorful than it is now. The interior is dominated by the painted ceiling done by Ray Francia.

The main retablo has twisted Solomonic columns and profusely carved flanges in the Baroque idiom, a contrast to the otherwise revivalist line of the church.

11.  Maribojoc Church

The parish of Maribojoc, Bohol was founded in 1768, and construction of a church started 1798 and lasted 18 years. The church is located in Maribojoc town, 14 kilometers from the Tagbilaran.

Maribojoc began as a Jesuit mission in the 18th century. The Jesuits built a temporary church which the Recollects replaced with the present structure by 1886.

Heritage Features: Unlike other churches, the convento of Maribojoc is located behind the church rather than at its side. This gives the convento an unobstructed view of the sea, especially from the balcony that runs the length of the convento. The convento is approached through the sacristy and is a continuation of it. Above the sacristy is a room which has been converted to the Maribojoc museum.  The church is planned as cruciform. Its façade is plain, decorated by thin pilasters and niches with images of saints. The interior comes as a surprise because of the three Neogothic altars in the church. The traceries and finials of gilded hardwood are delicately carved. The main altar has an image of the Blessed Trinity and bas relieves of the life of Mary Magdalene. The church ceiling is made of metal and painted with catechetical and liturgical motifs

12. Loon Church

The Church of Our Lady of Light in Loon, Bohol is the biggest church in Bohol. At the spot of the current church, a chapel was constructed during the term of Fray Manuel de Elizalde in 1753. Some fifty years later, the Augustinian Recollects replaced the current church in Ionic and Corinthian styles. The building has two octagonal bell towers, and is fully symmetric. From Loon Church leads of long four-flight stairway of 174 stone steps, which connects to Napo, the former seat of the town. Wood to build the church was carried from the forest of Maitum by forced laborers, who had to beat their way through uncharted trails and across rivers.

Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish

The present town of Loon is located on a plateau about fifty meters or more above the shore level. The older town, located at the shore, was established by the Jesuits in 1753. The Recollects who took charge of the town in 1768 transferred it to its present site. In 1853, they began building what is easily the most beautiful of the 19th century churches in Bohol. Designed by Domingo Escondrillas, a government engineer, the church is a triple-naved structure made of finely cut coral. The central nave is separated from the laterals by stout pillars of cut coral.

Heritage features: The central portion of the church facade surges forward giving it a dynamism more akin to Baroque than the Neoclassical style prevalent during this period. Delicately though inaccurately carved acanthus decorate the capitals of the twined columns of the facade. Between the twined columns are plaques incised with Biblical texts and dedicatory phrases. The facade's balanced composition is completed by twin towers that flank it.

The church's Neoclassical main altar fills the whole breadth of the sanctuary. Relief roundels portraying the life of the Virgin Mary flank the main niche where an image of the patroness is displayed. Devotion to the Virgin under the title Our Lady of Light or Kasilak in Visayan traces to 18th century Palermo where a vision of the Virgin rescuing souls from the maws of hell was reported. The church of Cainta in Rizal province serves as its counterpart on the north when it was founded in 1760. The convento built at the same time as the church is now a school.

To connect the older town site with the newer one, the Recollects built a wide flight of stairs, protected near the topmost landing by a watchtower, now in disrepair.

Loon is some 27.5 km north-west of Tagbilaran City, along the route to Tubigon. Visitors can catch a bus to Tubigon from the Integrated Bus Terminal and ask the driver to let them out in Loon.

13.  Calape Church

The Calape church is gothic-inspired. The town Calape is named after type of rattan, called locally kapi or kalapi. Both town and parish dedicated to San Vicente Ferrer were founded in 1802.

However, the settlement was already being served by priests from neighboring town of Loon before this date. In 1829, remnants of Dagohoy’s followers, some 1500 were coxed to settle in the area. The Recollects took charge of the parish until 1898 when it was turned over to the seculars. An old tabique and wooden church was replaced by one in the neogothic style commenced in 1933 and completed two decades later in 1954.

The portico built in front of the façade, an extension of the choir loft. Gothicizing elements are found in the interior on the altars and event the confessionals. The transept is an addition to the original plan and is rather narrow.  The church is attributed to two builders, Eliseo Josol y Villamayor and Rosalio Real y Oppus, who were said to have been shown a picture of the Santo Domingo church in Intramuros, which they used as a model.

A historic bell dated 1690 and dedicated to St. John the Baptist by Bachiller Juan Alfonso Ruiz, is found in the bell tower. This bell came from the defunct Parian parish in Cebu, ordered dissolved, resulting in the demolition of the church in 1878-79.

14.  Tubigon Church

Tubigon  meaning watering hole, is a jump off point to Cebu. It was the customary docking place for boats coming from southern Cebu. The Jesuits had already arrived in Tubigon and in 1613 was made a visita of Tubigon. This is probably the same “Tobigu” mention by Pedro Chirino (1600) where he mentions that the people in anticipation of the Jesuits’ arrival built a church.

Tubigon no longer appears in a 1779 inventory of churches, suggesting that the town may have been abandoned. It was formally constituted a town in 1819 from barrios of Calape and Inabanga, and became a parish under the Recollects in 1854. All through the intervening years, priests visited the town for Sunday Mass. No clear dates are available for the construction of the church.

 PACKAGE FEE : P1,500 per participant, minimum of 10pax in a van.

Package Inclusions: Roundtrip air-conditioned Van, Lunch, Bottled water, snacks on board, Service of the Tour Guide, Souvenir T-Shirt.

 FOR RESERVATION:

Contact           :           Leony Mendoza

email               :           auroratraveltours@yahoo.com.ph

Telephone        :           038.4110326

 Mobile            :           09214865418; 09173200422

 Psalm 37:3 “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper”