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| The facade of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza |
The second church that we visited during the Cebu Southern Heritage Trail was the old parish church in the town of Sibonga - Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza church.
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| Church facade |
Brief History
On 1690, the Church of Sibonga was established as a Visita of Carcar by the Agustinian Missionaries and on 1830, Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza became a parish. The earlier church was made of wood and nipa. The convent was constructed using corals and stones under the leadership of Fr. Prospero Puerto on 1839; and the construction of the current church which is made of stones was started on 1866. The church's architectural design is Neo-Gothic. The construction was continued by Fr. Juan Alonzo,1868-1881; Fr. Enrique Magaz,1881-1890; Fr. Emiliano Diez, 1890-1898. On 1924, the church ceiling was painted with various biblical scenes. This amazing work of art was rendered by Raymundo Francia of Cebu.
It was around 10AM when we arrived. The event organizer gave us only 40 minutes to shoot and have a quick tour around the old church. The facade of the church is like an ordinary old stone architecture, no eye-catching colors but as they say – never judge a book by its cover for the beauty that lies within is a complete opposite to what you see from the outside.
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| Church Interior |
You will be amazed by the artwork on the high ceilings of this church. It is covered with paintings of some biblical scenes starting from the church entrance up to the altar.
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| Church Interior |
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| Communion - Portrayed on the ceiling |
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| Bishop and priests blessed the children. |
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| Jesus Christ on the Cross |
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| A woman offers a prayer inside the Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza Parish. |
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| An image of the Virgin Mary with the Holy Child Jesus |
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| My colleagues - Liz, Rafael and the award winning photographer Robo Formacion |
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| Owe, Liz, Rafael and Me at New Sibonga Plaza accross the church. |
This was really an amazing visit to this old church, I was mesmerized by the painted ceiling and how the people of Sibonga have preserved this old structure.
