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.
(3 votes,5.00)
Loading ...Barasoain Church or Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish (Malolos City, Bulacan)
September 17, 2011 by chucha
Filed under Churches, Luzon, Visita Iglesia
Barasoain Church, a place which also earned the title as the Cradle of Democracy in the East, was built in 1630 in Malolos City Bulacan. Considered to be one of the most important religious structures in the country because of its historical importance, this is the venue of the first Philippine Republic.
Barasoain Church is one of the many churches founded by the Augustinians in 1869, its original structure was burned during the Philippine Revolution, but was carefully restored to it former glory.
The church witnessed some of the most significant historical events that occurred in the Philippines while Former President General Emilio Aguinaldo was in residence:
- The convening of the First Philippine Congress 9-15-1898
- Drafting of the Malolos Consitution 9-29-1898 to 01-21-0899
- Inaguration of the First Philippine Republic 01-23-1899
Furthermore, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed this church as a National Shrine (PD No. 260) on August 1, 1973. Lastly, this has been the venue of the inaugural affairs of two past presidents namely Aguinaldo and Estrada.
History
This stone structure was built when Barasoain was still independent from Malolos. This was built by Fr. Melchor Fernandez in 1816, rebuilt in stone from 1871 to 1878 by Fr. Francisco Royo but was destroyed during the July 1880 earthquake. The present structure was built in 1885 after a fire burned it down a year before by a builder named Magpayo contracted by Fr. Juan Giron.
The 4-storey belfry on the left was built in 1859 by Fr. M. Arconada and is crowned by a conical roof. It houses three bells installed in 1897 and has a alternating open and false windows rising in uneven modules that end up in the crenellated base of the pointed pinnacle.
Design
The façade shows a Neo-Classical touch with recessed main rhythmic layers. The main entrance has a Romanesque feature with its concentric arches flanked by two smaller doors, fluted flat pilasters which speak a Renaissance feature, and a Baroque segmental pediment and sharp line moldings at the cornice base and top of the piers. The two sides of the façade, wit its sweeping concave lines at the upper wall, curve inward to form an oval shape. Inside is an exceptional 18th century altar frontal with beautiful stone columns and murals on the walls and ceilings done by Baliwag artists and the National Historical Institute. It is now air-conditioned during Sunday Masses. The church houses two museums: Church Ecclesiastical Museum and the Church’s Historical Landmarks History Museum. While the Barasoain Church Ecclesiastical Museum has been a repository of important artifacts found within the vicinity of the province, the Church’s Historical Landmarks History Museum concerns on preserving the fruits of the Philippine Revolution as well as freedom and the Filipinos’ heritage of democracy.
Where did Barasoain came from?
The tern Barasoain came from a place in Spain to which the missionaries found the place in Malolos somewhat similar. When the Spanish-Filipino war broke-out, revolutionaries coined the term, baras ng suwail which means dungeon of the defiant.
Recently, the church was depicted in the new generation series of the Philippine 200-peso bill.
(6 votes,3.83) Loading ...