Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (Malolos City, Bulacan)

Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception or the Basilica Minore dela Nuestra Señora de Immaculada Concepcion is the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Malolos. The Neo-Classical church is located in front of the municipal hall. It is originally built using light materials in 1591. A century later in 1691, it was once again rebuilt and extended by Fr. Barrionuevo. Fr. Sanchez in 1740 rebuilt the church using strong materials. It was completed in 1740 under the supervision of Fr. De Meseguer. Minor restorations were done in 1753 by Fr. De Vivar and both were destroyed by flames in 1813.

The current church was started in 1819 by Fr. Melchor Fernandez and consecrated on October of 1826. An earthquake severely damaged the church in  June 1863 and it was restored from 1859-1872 by Fr. Moreno. Starting 1963, a lot of renovations and restorations were pursued by Engineer Alfredo Aldaba, affecting the dome, façade, transept and main altar. Both the church and the convent were blessed in 1976 by Rev. Bruno Torpigliani, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines.

Style and Design

A semi circular arch in its lower part which served as the predominant feature of this Cathedral-Basilica. It possesses a moderately-decorated, symmetrical façade divided into three segments by superposition Doric columns and dominated by large, semicircular arched openings on the first level. The triangular pediment, decorated by an Augustinian Emblem at the center, is topped by acroteria and torch-like finials. The horizontal Doric frieze is decorated with triglyphs and the fluted pilaster-flanked, statued niche is topped  by a segmented canopy crowning the tilted frame of the center window. The cathedral-basilica has a slender, four-storey belfry on its right, topped by a Marian statue and the convent is located on the opposite end. 

Marian Statue at the belfry

The statue of the Immaculate Concepcion seated on the topmost portion of the belfry was made before the Second World War – this is according to a reliable information (source: Wikipedia). The piece was made by Donding Ople, a gifted artist who was orphaned at a very young age. The original work is kept private but the statue at the high enclosure behind the main altar is a perfect replication of the original. A lot of devotees come for the image of the Immaculate Concepcion.

Filipinos Celebrate UNDAS

Undas came from the Spanish word andas or honra, Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day), Araw ng mga Patay (Day of the dead) in the Philippines is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Philippines. It has more of a family reunion atmosphere, since family members are expected to gather in the cemeteries to visit their departed loved ones. This long-standing tradition is practiced since the Spanish era. Tombs are cleaned and repainted, days or weeks before the 1^st of November. Candles are lit, flowers and even foods are offered. The whole clan camp in cemeteries, spend a day or even a night or two on their relatives’ tombs. There are card games, eating, drinking, singing and dancing. However, the last three activities are being banned nowadays to avoid fights, crimes and promote the solemnity of the day.

Most of the time, on the last day of October, Filipinos are already busy preparing for the next day. Items such as candles, flowers, snacks are supposed to be back by this time. People who had offices the day before would rush into airports, bus terminals and ship ports to go home to their respective provinces. Authorities tighten securities with their annual All Souls/All Saints Day, “Operation Undas”.

November 1 is actually All Saints Day, supposedly it is the day where people would go to church and hear mass and November 2 is the day when people visit the grave of their relatives. However, through the years different customs has evolved: there was no longer All Saints day, instead people would descent to the tombs of their relatives on November 1 and for those people who didn’t want to join the exodus, they would visit the next day, November 2. But for most, this is the day where they would go back to their workplace or to the cities.

Parish of St. Barbara (Sta. Barbara, Iloilo)

Catmon is the old name of the town. In 1849, a Baroque-Renaissance model of church was built up in lieu of the old church that was destroyed in the 1787 earthquake. It took almost thirty years to finish it (1878). The interior is composed on one nave and a very spacious transept which is said to belong to the Tuscan orders. Read more

Parish of San Nicholas de Tolentino (Cabatuan, Iloilo)

The construction started in 1833 and fully completed in 1866 under the supervision of Fr. Manuel Ruiz. It is one of the best structure and largest in Panay. The interiors composed of a spacious transept and one main nave. A neo circular type, each side of the church seemed to be a facade. It is sandwiched by massive squat towers which destroys the balance of its classic structure. Three bull’s eye windows is pasted on the rear wall of the citadel. Fr. Manuel Gutierrez decorated the interiors in 1894 that resembled a basilica rather than an ordinary church. It has originally four big bells on each window of the four belfries. The ceiling is adorn with famous painting in Romes and beautiful chandeliers. Read more

Parish of St. Julian and Cemetery (Janiuay, Iloilo)

The town is formerly known as Matagup. Janiuay prides itself with its glorious church and cemetery. The old fortress was dedicated to San Julian and built with bricks baked from oven during the incumbency of Fr. Miguel Carod in the 1850s. The interior is Tuscanic and the interior is of Doric order. The new church made of materials from the Guimaras Island replaced the former church that was burnt down by Japanese invaders in 1942. The original structure was not restored. The new church rests beside the ruins of the old one. Read more

Parish of San Nicholas de Tolentino (Lambunao, Iloilo)

Long before 1745, Augustinian priests have already established a small chapel  at Malunod, however, due to the mysterious death of the parish priest, Spanish authorities recommended the house of worship to be transferred elsewhere. It was decided that the new church be built near the Lambunao creek. Read more

Parish of San Isidro Labrador (Navalas, Guimaras)

The parish priest Fr. Francisco Consing started the construction of the church in 1880 using coral rocks that are found in the vicinity. It was built through community labor or what the Guimarasnon refers to as Dagyaw. Read more

Parish of Santo Nicholas de Tolentino (Guimbal, Iloilo)

The home of the famous ‘Bantayan’ and the longest bridge in the whole Panay Island, the Virginia Bridge, Guimbal is located 28 kilometers from the City of Iloilo. They say that when one is passing in this bridge, the person is going to hold his breath from point to point and then make a wish. Read more

Parish of St. John of Sahagun (Tigbauan, Iloilo)

Twenty two kilometers away from Iloilo City lay the church of Tigbuan. The only church in the Philippines with Churriguesque-plateresque style until it was altered with an additional two unrelated towers. It was built in 1578 when Fr. Pedro Chirino was the parish priest and reconstructed during Fr. Fernando Comporendondo’s time. In the 1750’s this church is said to be the favorite destination of Spanish pilgrimage. It is made of sandstone and is built strongly to withstand the earthquake of the second quarter of 18^th century. The old convent was destroyed in 1984. Read more

Parish of St. Thomas de Villanova (Miag-ao, Iloilo)

After two churches were burnt down and raided by Muslim pirates in 1741 and 1754, a site in Tacas was chosen on top of a hill which has a perfect view of the Miag-ao River. This world-famous Miag-ao church is one of the four baroque churches in the Philippines recorded in 1993 on the World Heritage List sponsored by UNESCO. The three other churches are: (1) Immaculate Concepcion (Intramuros, Manila), (2) Nuestra Senora (Ilocos Sur) and (3) San Agustin (Ilocos Norte). Read more

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