Tomorrow, Filipino Catholics will trek to seven choice churches in the custom of visita iglesia. By foot or car they will arrive to meditate on the Passion of Christ and repent for their sins. It’s also their occasion to take in the awesome intricacies of their church art and traditions. The visita helps Filipinos understand why they are what they are.
The practice of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday dates back to the early Church. After the Mass of the Last Supper at dusk, Christians would go to the seven great basilicas in Rome for prayer and atonement. In that Mass the bishop would reenact Jesus’ washing of the Apostles’ feet, an act of humility that devotees reflected on. The Sacramentary, the Church’s official altar book, says that afterwards, “the faithful should be encouraged to continue the adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a suitable period of time during the night, according to local circumstances, but there should be no solemn adoration after midnight.”
Cities in Poland and Ireland, where there are many churches, and Malta are known to observe the visita iglesia. Pre-War Manila newspapers reported on visita iglesia in the capital and the rest of Luzon. Records of churches throughout the islands indicate that the tradition was practiced centuries earlier. But since churches were then few and far between, the visita would be limited to only two or three adjacent parishes.
Filipinos have introduced variations of the visita. Notably they start it not after the twilight Mass but in the morning, and then cap the visits with the Mass. If possible to drop by seven churches, the first five are devoted to a decade each of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary; the last two, for seven each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. But strictly everything must end before midnight, to emphasize Christ’s death on Good Friday.
In Cebu a favorite visita iglesia is to the Augustinian-built churches in the southeast. There are six, all dating back to the late-18th and early-19th centuries: the Church of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragosa in Sibonga, the Church of San Miguel Arcangel in Argao, the Church of San Guillermo el Hermitaño in Dalaguete, the Church of Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio in Boljoon, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Immaculada Concepcion in Oslob, and the Church of San Jose Labrador in Nueva Caceres. Cebuanos complete the seven visits at the cathedral in the capital city.
Bohol province has restored and maintained 38 of 42 Spanish-era churches. Any contiguous seven can easily make up the visita. The country’s oldest church is in the seaside town of Baclayon. Its museum of antiquities rivals those of Europe; unfortunately thieves have been preying on the crowns of religious statues made of precious stones, and head and hands of ivory.
In Pangasinan, the visita is usually by foot, starting at dawn, to the churches of Manaoag, San Jacinto, Binmaley, Santa Barbara, Urdaneta, Lingayen, and Dagupan. Devotees in Pampanga, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija have their own pick of churches.
Manilans likewise prefer the older churches: the Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church in Intramuros; Paco Church; Malate Church; Baclaran Church; and Santo Domingo, Sante Teresita and Lourdes Churches in Quezon City.
Of late, the visita iglesia has become a tourist affair, especially in the provinces of Rizal and Laguna. Out of custom, the Rizal visita starts at the Church of the Virgin of Good Voyage in Antipolo, then moves on to the lakeshore and hillside towns of Teresa, Baras, Morong, Tanay, Binangonan, and Angono. In Laguna, must-see churches are those in the towns of Mabitac, Siniloan, Pangil, Pakil, Paete, Pagsanjan, Lumban, Nagcarlan, Majayjay, Magdalena, Liliw, Pila and Calauan. One wonders if from the church in his Calamba hometown Jose Rizal had drawn inspirations for the characters and settings in his novels. History and local treats go together. Between stops, devotees buy rice cake, puto, and even the potent lambanog coco-rum.
Of note is the church of Pakil (San Pedro de Alcantara), for it tells the story of most of the old Philippine churches. It is cross-shaped with short transepts, and three baroque altars, gilded and painted white. Shields and crosses decorate the facade. A convento stands next to it, surrounded by an atrium. The architecture is eclectic, picking up from different periods and designs. The church, first built in 1732, underwent many alterations: due to fire in 1739, major change of Franciscan administration in 1769, the casting of the giant bell in 1777, long-delayed renovation in 1840, another fire in 1851, earthquakes in 1880 and 1937, War in the 1940s, and modernization in the 1980s.
The church of Majayjay (San Gregorio) is also of note because it has been well preserved. It also opens to a plaza where stands a statue of Emilio Jacinto. After Bonifacio’s execution, the Brain of the Katipunan had continued fighting the Spaniards but did not join Aguinaldo’s forces. He contracted malaria and retired to this mountain town, where he died in Apr. 1899 at the age of 23.
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