In a quiet little town of Baao in Camarines Sur lies a quaint little church that serves as the historical and cultural icon of the town. Further, the monument of the first Filipino Bishop, Jorge Barlin, stood in front of the church as a tribute to this young priest who was well-respected by his parishioners and Baao political leaders of his time.The church, under the patronage of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, was constructed in the site where it formerly stood for the second time when still a barrio of Bula in 1664. It was constructed with strong materials but destroyed by a typhoon until 1731 when the town itself was moved to its present site from Binanuaanan and a new church of stone was erected in that year. This church was repaired and painted in 1814. In the early morning of September 6, 1971, a great fire destroyed the church of St. Bartholomew and convent. With the support of many generous parishioners, the gigantic project was completed in spite of so many contradictions and difficulties (Source here).
Baao, although a small town, have its share of famous people. Among them were lawyer and priest Joaquin Bernas, politician Joker Arroyo and Pinoy Big Brother Winner Beatrice Saw. Here are some photos I have taken of Baao:
How to go there? Baao is approximately 480 kilometers south of Metro Manila, 30 kilometers east of Naga City, a close neighbor of Iriga City about 8 kilometers away, and 70 kilometers north of Legazpi City. It is therfore accessible by land transportation from these centers. It is along the main route of the Maharlika Highways and the Philippine National Railways with an average travel time from Manila of 8 to 9 hours.
More of Bicol on my next posts.
maganda din ang feature nitong simbahan very close to the one in taal yung maliit na pinuntahan natin.
ReplyDeleteThe church is beautiful. Hope you could also feature the interiors of this church.
ReplyDeleteThis church is pretty charming. It has it's own winning charms.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a perfect day when you took pictures of the church. Ganda ng sky.
ReplyDeleteang galing nung formation ng clouds... PERFECT TIMING sir!
ReplyDeleteIt has been 1 month and 4 days since my last post. I've been so busy with school and I really miss the blog world. Luckily, I have a little time to drop by and read some posts.
i like the canopy of the church. the history of this church seems similar to other old churches around the country. laging nasisira sa bagyo, o nasusunog.:p
ReplyDeleteI like the "small and proud" foto.. postcard material
ReplyDeletewow really a nice day when you were there ya :) i love the J. Barlin monument :)
ReplyDeleteGanda nya. And it looks serene too, not like most churches in Manila na crowded. Parang mas mapapalapit ka talaga kay Lord dito. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a small palace. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteParang ang sarap ikasal dyan kasi simple lang at picturesque din. Kung saan saan ka talaga pumupunta ha.
ReplyDeleteThis is one fantastic church in the lot. I like its facade.
ReplyDeleteThis Church is so beautiful.
ReplyDelete