Taal Church and Kaybiang Tunnel, Batangas

We took a whole round trip to Batangas today, me and my parents. We wanted to check out the new tunnel that connects Ternate, Cavite to Nasugbu, Batangas. It's called the Kaybiang Tunnel. What makes it cool is that they had to drill a hole under a mountain to create it. I hope the damage done wasn't too serious though. We thought it was a long stretch but it appears the tunnel was only about 500 meters long. Still pretty cool though.

The parents :)

On our way to Batangas City, we were able to pass by the Taal Church and dear God, I mean dear Holy Lord that church is BEAUTIFUL! Now I understand why people love church-hopping (visiting various churches, like visita iglesia, etc), it's because these old churches are simply too awe-inspiring for words. I was amazed at how majestic this church was (or maybe I'm seeing things from a different set of eyes now?)

Catholics are famous for building really beautiful churches, like the one in Caleruega , now I understand why. I mean if you are able to establish a church that can stand the test of time like this one, you are already able to leave a legacy for the following generations to come. I also appreciate the kind of strength that this gives to the community that thrives around it. I know for a fact that most of these churches were built at a time when Filipinos were slaves to foreign lands, but the role of a church has evolved through time - one from a symbol of oppression to a symbol of refuge. Whenever I feel down and depressed, a visit to a church always relaxes me. And I believe that even for non-religious, and non-spiritual people, a visit to the church always feels serene and calming. And I now realize that this is one of the active and passive roles of the church - to bring comfort to EVERYONE, REGARDLESS of who they are.

 I used to feel sad at how the Philippines has very few architectural greats to be proud of, but hey, we have our churches! The government should spend more on preserving cultural heritages such as these.

I did some online reading and found out that its official name is Basilica de San Martin de Tours. San Martin de Tours is the patron saint of Taal, and the church was built in the 18th century by the Augustinians. It was damaged by the eruption of the Taal volcano and has undergone several reconstructions since. It has the honor of being called a Minor Basilica, the third in the country. (courtesy of friendly Wikipedia)

It's just a pity that I wasn't able to take photos from the inside. But just to share with you, here's aphoto of what the interior looks like (again courtesy of Wikipedia, by Allan Jay Quesada)

Magnificent huh? (Photo by Allan Jay Quesada)

 I hope to go back soon :) Calling Papa Ray, may bago na tayong project - CHURCHES :D :D :D