Old Churches in Laguna

Part of the Pahiyas Festival tour is a side-trip to some churches in Laguna. We visited two old churches - the St Mary Magdalene Church in Magdalena, Laguna and the Majayjay Church in Majayjay, Laguna. Both churches were built during the Spanish Era, using "Polo" or forced labor. The churches' architectural design is every photographer's haven. Too bad, my digicam run out of batteries, so i just managed to take some snapshots thru my phone. Sigh, the digicam should have given justice to the beauty of the churches and should have complimented the deep blue skies. I should buy a spare bat, hmm, maybe, i should buy my own cam, since i'm into this "travelling cum photography" thing.

First stop was the Magdalena Church. I missed it! Since my digicam is off, i didn't bother to go to the church' facade, coz we entried thru the side. I just kept my photographic memory of the church's beauty. It's one of the old churches in the country which have been preserved (thanks heaven) in its original form. It has this very ancient pulpit which i really admired. I can imagine Padre Damaso (from the novel Noli Me Tangere) making his sermon from up there. Well, this is not the same church from the novel, but most probably, they are the same. hehehe.

Then, we passed by Majayjay Church. Wow, the church is really beautiful. Those walls with algae formation on it, speak on how old it was. It's altar reminds me of Pinoy flicks back then. It somehow resembles the altar of Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan (well, if my recollection is accurate), with many saints and all, displayed in it. I also lit a candle for Jeric to pass the Board Exams.

In front of the church is the town plaza. I can imagine the scenes from Jose Rizal's novels in this place. It's really nice thing that commercialism hasn't ruined this very historical place. Majayjay shared its piece in the history, as it served as the dwelling place of Emilio Jacinto, ang "Utak ng Katipunan", during his last days. The plaza has a mini-zoo with iguanas, tortoises, carpas, and different bird species which share the small area in their respective cages. How relaxing it is to just sit down under the shade of trees and listen to the humming of the birds around. Situated also in the plaza, are the monuments of Emilio Jacinto and Jose Rizal that remind the tourists how historical the town is.

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