Barasoain Church or Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish (Malolos City, Bulacan)

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 18^th 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. 

Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño (Cebu City)

Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño

The basilica was once known as the San Agustin Church. It was built by Legaspi and Urdaneta for the 30-cm high image of Sto. Niño. The statue is said to be a gift from Magellan to Raja Humabon’s wife and recovered unscathed in a pinewood box by Juan Camus on April 27, 1565. It is enshrined in a small chapel in the left part of the altar.

The first church was built using wood and nipa by Fr. Diego de Herrera but was destroyed by fire on November 1, 1566. They replaced the burnt church with that made of stone by 1606 but was again set on flames on March of 1628. It was rebuilt soon after with stones and bricks by Fr. Juan de Medina but was demolished by Fr. Jose Bosqued in 1731. The present stone structure was started on February 29, 1735 by Fr. Diego Bergano, Gov. Gen. Fernando Valdex and Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio and was completed by Fr. Juan de Albarran in 1740. It was restored and reinforced in 1782 and was again slightly restored in 1889 by Fr. Mateo Diez who added the windows. The church and the convent was reestablished in 1965 during the 4th centennial of the Christianization of the country. The retablos on the sides, the old organ and some portions of the monastery were removed. During the 400th year of Cebu’s Christianization on April 28, 1965, the church was conferred to the title, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño by Hildebrando Cardinal Antonuitti papal legate of Pope Paul VI. The basilica is considered to be a national landmark in the island.

The church has an impressive, solid façade. It is mixture of Muslim, Romanesque and Neo-Classical Features. It is divided into two levels with shallow pilasters dividing each storey into three segments. The graceful, Muslim-inspired, trefoil arched the main entrance is glanced by shallow, rectangular, statued niches above which are the semi-circular arched windows of the second level. It is topped by a double-edged triangular pediment. The baroque style bell tower has two alternate shaped blind and open windows ending up in triangular pinnacles with a circular disc. It is crowned by balusters and a Muslim-influenced dome. The convent, finished in 1796 is located at the opposite far end.

The interior is composed of a painted ceiling, finely carved retablo and a choir loft. The image of Our Lady of the Fort (Nuestra Señora de la Cotta) adorned the baptistery. The image was recovered in the vicinity of the church while Fort san Pedro was being built in 1565. It is believed to be the one given by Pigafetta (Magellan’s Chronicler) to Queen Juana on the day of their baptism. Among the treasures inside the church is the Ecce Homo (Bust of Christ), believed exhumed from a spot near the church on August 20, 1572 by a Spanish soldier while digging for the foundation of his house. The image was in a coffin containing the remains of an imminent person identified as Raxa Carli which could have been a Latin version of Raja Carlos as Raja Humabon had been christened.

Tel. No.: 032- 2556699

Church of St. Augustine (Bantay, Ilocos Sur)

The town’s restored 18th century church was built from 1691 to 1692 by Fr. Cortes. This served as a refugee camp for evacuees during the Basi Revolt in 1807. The church was rebuilt and restored by Fr. E. Navarro (parish priest 1870-1875) and was continued by Fr. L. Villanueva in 1892. Fr. A. Versoza patched the roof with galvanized iron. The church underwent another repair in 1950 due to the damage it incur during the 2nd World War.

The church’s facade is flanked by massive rectangular twin towers that has features of Baroque, Neo-Gothic and Pseudo-Romanesque features. The neo-Gothic is visible in the recessed main entrance, having a pointed lancet like arch flanked by blind pointed arcading. On the other hand, the decorative volutes around the second level window suggests the baroque feature and finally, the central window shaft with balustrade is considered to be pseudo-Romanesque in feature.

The facade’s only decorated parts are broken curves along the top of the triangular pediment and the inverted traceries below the eaves. A separate three-storey hill top, square bell tower, which served as a look out for an approaching enemy. It offers a fine view of an old nearby cemetery and the rest of the area.

The church is the home of the oldest Marian image in the Ilocos, Our Lady of Charity. The image is said to be miraculous and venerated by the Ilocanos. The 50-inch tall image is made of wood, except for the ivory face and hands (the ivory parts were stolen in 1928). The image was crowned by Egidio Vagnozi, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines on January 13, 1956.

Photos Courtesy of Mr. Ivan Mainar, R.N.