Church interior in 2023Church NHI historical marker installed in 1993
Majayjay served as the site of early Catholicism in Laguna.[2] The Augustinians first came in 1568. Along with five Augustinian priests and Juan de Salcedo, nephew of Miguel López de Legazpi, they started to evangelize the sceptical townsmen led by Gat Yantok.[3] In 1571, the Franciscans established a mission town with Don Gaspar Osorio, Agustín Osorio, Juan Osorio, Juan de Mendoza, Ventura Mag-olop, Aman Lingasan and Martín Siasip.[4] The first church was constructed by locals in 1575 near the May-it river and was made of nipa and bamboo and was later burned in 1576.[5] In 1578, Franciscans Juan de Plasencia and Diego Oropesa started to evangelize the town.[6] A church, still of nipa and bamboo, was built that same year under the patronage of Saint Gregory the Great.[7] Due to the lack of religious men, the first parish priest of Majajay, Antonio Nombela was only assigned in 1594.[6] Under his pastorship, a long robe worn by wives to the church, called lambón was first used in the Philippines.[8] In 1599, the Superior Gobierno authorized the construction of a stone church. While awaiting its construction, the makeshift church was burned in 1606.[7] Majayjay also served as infirmary for the old religious men until 1606 before it was transferred to Lumban.[9] Construction of the stone church began in 1616 and was completed in 1649 with the help of Maestro de Campo Don Buenaventura de Mendoza.[10] The church was again partially burned in 1660.[7] Rehabilitation started in 1711 and finished in 1730 by 14,000 people on forced labor and a rehabilitation cost of $26,000 by Jose de Puertollano.[7] Instead of rebuilding the church, Puertollano decided to sandwich the ruins between two layers of brick resulting in an unusual wall thickness of 3 metres (9.8ft).[10] It took 19 years for the people of Majayjay to complete the church which was made of volcanic tuff with red tiles and prime lumber. On completion in 1730, the church became the biggest in the Philippines[3]
A century later, the stone church was destroyed by typhoon and was repaired in 1839, 1842 and 1848.[10] The roof was replaced with galvanized iron in 1892 under the supervision of Gregorio Platero. During the American occupation, the church served as headquarters of the American army. Due to damage brought about by the Spanish and American revolution, the church was again repaired in 1912.[11]
In 1954, the church was placed under the government's rehabilitation program with the help of the National Conservation Society of the Philippines. In 2001, it was declared as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum.
The Romanesque church of Majayjay[3] is 60 metres (200ft) long, 17 metres (56ft) wide and 16.5 metres (54ft) meters high. Its façade has three levels, each level scaled proportionally and topped by a triangular pediment with a circular window.[12] The central nave consists of a huge wooden door of the main portal, choir loft windows and saint's niche. The interior contains a retablo mayor and four other minor retablos with intricate designs. The floor is tiled with azulejo and the walls have been preserved with some alterations. The five-storey square belltower with a conical roof[10] and balustraded windows on each polygonal level is connected to the langit-langitan, a cat-walk above the ceiling which leads to the crossing over the transept.[1] The belfry has arched windows each with a bell trimmed with finials and a large antique bell on top.[12] It also has a large side door on the right side of the church.
Today, the church contains antique images of santos, reliquaries and century-old liturgical objects.
Convent
Liceo de Majayjay
The huge convent (also convento) of the church, which provides a good view of Laguna de Bay, is one of the best preserved conventos in the country and is the earliest surviving example of its kind.[4][7] It houses a small museum of old parish documents and ecclesiastical silver. A small portion of the church was converted into the present-day Liceo de Majayjay, a Catholic school under the supervision of the local parish and the Diocesan Catholic School System of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo.
Chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria
Chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria, also known as Ermita
The chapel of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria (Our Lady of the Gate) also known as the Ermita chapel was originally constructed as a tribunal during the Spanish period. The image of the Nuestra Señora de la Porteria, which was brought to Majayjay by Spanish missionaries in 1759, was enshrined in the former court building in 1760.[7][13]
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church, commonly known as Meycauayan Church or locally as Simbahan sa Bayan, is a Roman Catholic church located in Meycauayan, Bulacan Philippines. It is one of the oldest parishes in Bulacan which even predates the Malolos Cathedral established in 1580 and the Barasoain Church established in 1859. It is also the province's largest parish with an estimated population of about 80,000 parishioners. The church is the seat of the vicariate of St. Francis of Assisi in the Diocese of Malolos.
Majayjay, officially as the Municipality of Majayjay, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. As of the 2020 census, the municipality has a population of 27,893 residents.
Namayan, also called Sapa, Maysapan, and sometimes Lamayan, was an independent indigenous polity on the banks of the Pasig River in the Philippines. It is believed to have achieved its peak in 1175, and to have gone into decline sometime in the 13th century, although it continued to be inhabited until the arrival of European colonizers in the 1570s.
The Minor Basilica of Saint Michael the Archangel, commonly known as the Tayabas Basilica, is a Roman Catholic basilica located in Tayabas, Quezon, Philippines, under the Diocese of Lucena. Its titular saint is Michael the Archangel, whose feast is celebrated every September 29.
Miguel Juan de Plasencia was a Spanish friar of the Franciscan Order. He was among the first group of Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the Philippines on 2 July 1578.
Saint Peter of Alcantara Parish Church, designated as the Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Turumba, is a Roman Catholic church in Pakil, Laguna, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo and enshrines the Our Lady of Turumba painting.
Immaculate Conception Parish Church is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Its titular is the Nuestra Señora del Aguas Santas and its feast is celebrated every December 8. The church is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo.
The National Shrine and Parish of San Antonio de Padua, commonly known as the Church of Pila, is a Roman Catholic national shrine dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua in the Philippines in 1578 and the first Antonine parish church in the Philippines in 1581 and probably in Asia. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. In 1606 the Franciscans set up the second printing press of the Philippines under the supervision of Tomás Pinpín and Domingo Loag. Its titular is Anthony of Padua, whose feast is celebrated every June 13.
Saint John the Baptist Parish Church, commonly known as Liliw Church or Lilio Church, is one of the Roman Catholic churches in Liliw, Laguna, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. Its feast is celebrated every August 29 known as the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. The church is known for its red bricked façade and baroque style architecture.
Saint James the Apostle Parish Church, commonly known as the Church of Paete, is the only Roman Catholic church in Paete, Laguna, Philippines. Its patron saint is James the Apostle and his feast is celebrated every July 25. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. The church is known for its huge and exquisite collection of images depicting the Passion of Christ, its century-old paintings and wooden images of saints.
Saint Augustine Parish Church is the only Augustinian Roman Catholic church in Bay, Laguna, in the Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. The church was first administered by Augustinian friars and later transferred to the Franciscans.
San Bartolome Apostol Parish Church, also known as Saint Bartholomew the Apostle Parish Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Nagcarlan, Laguna, Philippines. Its titular saint is Bartholomew and its feast day is celebrated every August 24. The church is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo.
The Cathedral Parish of Saint Paul the First Hermit, commonly known as San Pablo Cathedral, is the see of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo located in San Pablo, Laguna, Philippines. Its titular is Saint Paul the First Hermit and its feast is celebrated every January 15.
San Sebastian Parish Church, commonly known as Lumban Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Lumban, Laguna, Philippines. Its titular is St. Sebastian and its feast is celebrated every January 20. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. The first tabernacle outside Manila was inaugurated in Lumban including the first Eucharistic Procession outside of Manila. The Franciscans established the first School for Church Music in the country in this town under Juan de Santa Maria. Today, the church is under the pastoral care of the Clerical Congregation of the Missionaries of Faith.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Church, designated as the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, of the Diocese of San Pablo, is the only Roman Catholic church in Pagsanjan, Laguna, Philippines. It the oldest church in the country under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose image was a gift from Mexico.
Saints Peter and Paul Parish Church, commonly known as Siniloan Church, is the only Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Siniloan, Laguna, Philippines, under the Diocese of San Pablo. Its titular is Saint Peter and Saint Paul, whose feast falls every June 29.
Our Lady of the Gate Parish Church, also known as Nuestra Señora de la Porteria Parish Church and commonly known as Daraga Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Daraga, Albay, Philippines under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Legazpi. The church was built by the Franciscans in 1772 under the patronage of the Our Lady of the Gate. Certain church sections were declared as a National Cultural Treasure of the Philippines in 2007.
Saint Mary Magdalene Parish Church is a Roman Catholic church in Magdalena, Laguna, Philippines under the Diocese of San Pablo.
The Nuestra Señora dela Natividad Parish Church, commonly known as Pangil Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Natividad, Pangil, Laguna, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo. The statue of the pregnant Virgin Mary is said to be a gift from King Carlos III of Spain.
Immaculate Conception Parish Church, commonly known as Santa Cruz Church, is a Roman Catholic church along Pedro Guevarra Street, Poblacion, Santa Cruz, Laguna, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of San Pablo.
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