Instead of having our Laguna Trip today, Black Saturday, my Mom decided to push through with our trip yesterday, Good Friday. It is our pseudo-Visita Iglesia where we visited seven (7) churches in Laguna although we didn’t have the chance to adore the Blessed Sacrament since it’s Good Friday. We chose Laguna to be our destination for it is home to old churches (since Spanish Era), which we would like to see.

The trip started at around 11:00am although it’s a bit late we managed to visit seven (7) churches and two (2) other locations.

We visited the following places (in order):

1. St. John the Baptist Church (Calamba, Laguna)
2. Rizal Shrine (Calamba, Laguna)
3. University of the Philippines – Open University (Los Baños, Laguna)
4. Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Pila, Laguna)
5. Immaculate Conception Parish (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)
6. Church of Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)
7. St. John the Baptist Parish (Liliw, Laguna)
8. St. Gregory the Great Parish (Majayjay, Laguna)
9. Parokya ng Santa Maria Magdalena (Magdalena, Laguna)

The ones in bold face are the churches we visited. Please click “more” to read about our experience with photos.

St. John the Baptist Church (Calamba, Laguna)

This is the church where Father Rufino Collantes baptized Jose Rizal in June 22, 1861. The exact baptistery where he was baptized is still present. Rizal’s baptismal record is also posted on the entrance of the baptistery. The baptistery is closed when we visited. The church was quite huge as compared to the churches here in Metro Manila.

Rizal Shrine (Calamba, Laguna)

The Rizal Shrine is also known as the house of our national hero, Jose Rizal. The shrine was closed although we were able to see the exterior of the house. The house is located just a stone throw away from the St. John the Baptist Church.

University of the Philippines – Open University (Los Baños, Laguna)

We dropped by the University of the Philippines – Open University and had my picture taken with the UPOU Oblation and the signage. Thanks to the guard on duty for he allowed us inside to execute our pictorial. I am hoping to study there this coming school year.

Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Pila, Laguna)

The church was erected in 1578 just a few years when Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines (1521 if I’m not mistaken). The interior is full of gold embellishments especially the altar. The bell tower has a different color as compared with the main church. As with the other century old churches within the country, the façade is the only one preserved and the interiors are reconstructed. We weren’t able to see the St. Anthony de Padua relics.

Immaculate Conception Parish (Sta. Cruz, Laguna)

Franciscan priest Padre Antonio de la Llave supervised the construction of a big church made of heavy adobe. Franciscan missionaries dedicated the church to the Blessed Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. Construction continued in 1672, expanding the church and giving it the shape of the cross. Padre Miguel Persiva managed the construction. Santa Cruz’s first parish priest was Padre Gabriel de Castro. Although the interiors are very much contemporary, the façade was preserved.

Church of Bartholomew (Nagcarlan, Laguna)

This church became famous for it is where the Filipino TV Series, Kampanerang Kuba was shot starring Anne Curtis. I would really want to check out the bell tower but it was closed. The church was built in 1845. The church was made out of red bricks, which gave the church a unique color. The interiors were quite preserved although several renovations have been made.

St. John the Baptist Parish (Liliw, Laguna)

The church got an orange color because of the bricks used on its construction. The church is also huge and the interior is great although it is a bit dark inside. There were a lot of people inside for they’re preparing for the procession of the Santo Entiero. The church’s compound is huge and statues of saints are erected on the church’s fences.

St. Gregory the Great Parish (Majayjay, Laguna)

This is one of my favorites among the churches we’ve been to. It is very much huge and the buttresses are gigantic. When we arrived there, a lot of people are inside for the procession is about to start. We waited for the people to evacuate the place before we took a look inside. The interior is great as well as the façade. We were able to go to the choir loft and saw the church’s interior in bird’s eye view.

Parokya ng Santa Maria Magdalena (Magdalena, Laguna)

This was the last church that we’ve been too and was able to spend a longer time. The church was a bit dark inside but the façade is superb. In fact, I took a lot of pictures of the façade. The church got a very big compound where an amphitheater is also found.

If you are planning to visit the churches that I’ve mentioned here, you don’t have to worry with the parking as to most of the churches got a very compound and has a lot of parking spaces to offer. Unfortunately, some of the pictures we’ve taken were corrupted because our digital camera has gone bonkers. In fact, I have to use a data rescue program to recover the files. Thank God for I was able to recover them. This trip is the best! For more pictures, please visit my multiply.