Visita Iglesia

(*Because of too much activities during the Holy Week season, this blog post is somewhat late.)

It is the Holy Week once again.

T’is the season to meditate on the passion of our God, Jesus Christ, as he gave himself up to redeem us from our sins through his death on the cross.

T’is is also the season for a flurry of panata that many Filipino devotees have. There are those who vow not to eat meat for the whole holy week as their panata. There are those whose panata are singing the pabasa or go to a retreat. Still other chose to participate in a senakulo, which is a play depicting the life of Jesus. The most extreme is self-flagellation and reliving Christ’s suffering through crucifixion.

Another popular panata is the Visita Iglesia. During the course of my travels, I had visited many churches around the country. Visiting a church in your travels in the Philippines is important because churches are important landmarks of every town in the country. By looking at the church, the visitor will see parts of the town’s culture and history.

So, here are my seven most favorite churches that I had visited during my travels:

Santa Cruz Church

 Santa Cruz Church

I began to love this church since the first time I saw the painting on the wall at the back of the altar. The painting depicts a lamb standing on some rocks and a stream of water flowing down to holy bread. I also like this church because it is less crowded as compared to Quiapo Church.

UP Chapel

 Jesus' ascension to heaven.

The University of the Philippines Chapel or UP Chapel had been my sanctuary in the last years of my stay in college. During those times, many things are happening to me that I have no one to ask for help but the Lord. There I found solace and rest my problems to the Lord. Whenever I am in UP, I always make it to a point to pass by UP Chapel.

The Chapel is circular in shape with the altar and cross in the center. This chapel was designed by national artists. What I like in this church is the cross in the center with the crucified Jesus on one side and the risen Lord on the other. The outstretched hand of the risen Jesus inspires me always that I too will rise up after every hardships that I experienced.

San Agustin Church

I visited this church in one of my travels in Intramuros. This Church is beautiful. What I like about this church is its door, which is one of the most beautiful that I ever saw.

Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño

The Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño could be found in Cebu. This is the home of the image of the Santo Niño, which is much revered by the Cebuanos. What I love about this church is that the faith of the people is alive. You could feel how the people revere the child Jesus. The faith of the people made this church beautiful.

Lucban Church

I got the chance to visit this church when our office went for an outing in Lucban, Quezon. It is one of the old Church that I visited.

Manila Cathedral

Manila Cathedral is the home of the archbishop of Manila. It is located inside Intramuros in Manila. This church has lots of history to tell. It has been the church of the well to do Spaniards in Manila. It had stood during the invasion of the American then the Japanese. Like the San Agustin Church, I also like its doors with wonderful engravings.

Cebu Cathedral

The largest church in Cebu is the Cebu Cathedral. One of the must see spot in Cebu due to its being center of faith in the Visayas. I like to visit this church because of its being more serene than the Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño.

These are my seven favorite churches in the Philippines. Many will argue that there are more Churches that are more beautiful than those place in this post. I agree, since I still have more churches to visit. That makes me more excited because I know that discovering churches will add spice to my journeys.
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