{"id":12316,"date":"2019-08-04T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2019-08-04T04:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/?p=12316"},"modified":"2019-08-04T12:34:19","modified_gmt":"2019-08-04T04:34:19","slug":"7-sacred-churches-in-batanes-representations-of-faith-history-and-community-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/2019\/08\/04\/7-sacred-churches-in-batanes-representations-of-faith-history-and-community-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Sacred Churches in Batanes: Representations of Faith, History, and Community Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

As time passes by, Batanes reveals to be more than just a tourist spot with lighthouses, fishing villages, stone houses, and panoramic pasturelands and seascapes. <\/span><\/p>\n

More than ever, while Batanes kindles a clear sense of appreciation for nature, the province also holds their community in high esteem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Nanay Ching Restaurant, Uyugan<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In return, the Ivatan community places great value on their Creator, their neighbors, and the many harvests they receive through farming and fishing. In fact,\u00a0as a way of respect towards their neighbor, they say, “Dius!”\u00a0<\/em>before entering a house\u2013the Ivatan equivalent of the Tagalog’s\u00a0“Tao po!”<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Yaru nu Artes Ivatan, Ivana<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

With this, it is only\u00a0fitting to visit some of the sanctuaries that have all witnessed the faith and resilience of the Ivatan community!<\/p>\n

North Batan Island<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mt. Carmel Chapel
\nSitio Tukon, Brgy. Chanarian, Basco<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

First established in May 3, 2008, Mt. Carmel Chapel<\/strong> in Basco exudes a warm atmosphere as it adopted the design\u00a0of a traditional Ivatan house made of stone walls. This makes it the only chapel with such design.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It is also an embodiment of Batanes’ resilience\u00a0as the stone church still manifests solemnity, perfectly sitting on top of a hill, overlooking the\u00a0Pacific and the West Philippine Sea, even after being hit by a strong typhoon in 2016 and the calamities that followed after.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tip: There is a donation box just by the arch before entering the chapel for those who would want to help rebuild the chapel.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

South Batan Island<\/h3>\n

San Carlos Borromeo Church
\nMahatao, Batanes<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

San Carlos Borromeo Church<\/strong>\u00a0was originally made of light materials such as cogon and was later rebuilt to have a lime and stone wall foundation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the then church was struck by a typhoon in 1872, it was restored a year later under the patronage of P. Cresencio Polo, O.P. From then on, San Carlos Borromeo Church evolved to be a beautiful Baroque-style church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Near the entrance, you may also find what they call the Batanes Blank Book Archive<\/strong>, which holds an interesting piece of history for Batanes\u2019 visitors. Once inside, you\u2019ll find shelves after shelves filled with\u00a0blank hardbound books, where visitors can freely write what they feel about Batanes.<\/span><\/p>\n

San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel
\nBrgy. Imnajbu, Uyugan, Batanes<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Upon reaching Brgy. Imnajbu in Uyugan, you will easily be drawn in by the serenity of San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel, standing quietly amid palm trees and flower shrubs. The\u00a0sacred sanctuary is obviously well-kept and well-loved by the community, proven by the cross that stood beside the church, marking the first-ever baptism that happened in Batanes.<\/p>\n

Tip: You may light a candle and\u00a0make a prayer inside.\u00a0You may also donate to the church as a donation box is placed inside.<\/em><\/p>\n

San Jose de Obrero Church
\nNational Rd., Ivana, Batanes<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The history behind San Jose de Obrero Church in Ivana may be filled with stories of a massacre in Sabtang back in\u00a01791, which led people to relocate and resettled here, but the truth remains the same. San Jose de Obrero Church,\u00a0more prominently known as Ivana Church, served as the sanctuary of the people\u00a0of Ivana, Sabtang, and Uyugan when they needed it the most.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sabtang Island<\/h3>\n

Sta. Rosa de Lima Chapel
\nChavayan Village<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sta. Rosa de Lima Chapel <\/b>in Sabtang Island is one example of how communities help each other through\u00a0bayanihan <\/em>or community spirit, which they call\u00a0yaru.\u00a0<\/em>Much like the traditional Ivatan structure, it is made of lime walls and roofed with cogon. This beautiful chapel took almost eight years to construct\u2014starting in 1951 and finally opening its doors in 1959.<\/span><\/p>\n

San Vicente Ferrer Church
\nNear Sabtang Port<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

San Vicente Ferrer Church<\/strong>\u00a0or Sabtang Church is considered a National Historical Landmark. The facade of the church is reminiscent of the ones in Batan Island, most especially that of San\u00a0Carlos Borromeo Church in Mahatao.<\/p>\n

You may walk about 3 to 5 minutes from Sabtang Port\u00a0should you want to visit this beautiful church.<\/p>\n

Sto. Tomas de Aquinas Chapel
\nSavidug Village<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Painted white\u00a0with touches of blue here and there, St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel in Savidug Village is just as beautiful as the other churches in Batanes. Humble though it is in size, the church\u00a0will still remind you\u00a0of the cubiform buildings in Santorini, Greece. The interiors, however, still retains the Ivatan atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Indeed the identity of the Ivatan community\u00a0can also be found inside these structures. From faith to resilience, from history to community spirit, all these make up the beautiful sacred churches in Batanes.<\/p>\n

How to get here<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visiting churches is a part of the 4 days, 3 nights tour with Batanes Travel and Tours, Inc. You may learn more about these sacred places through your local tour guide who is well-acquainted with\u00a0your itinerary.<\/p>\n

Batanes Travel and Tours provides an all-in-one complete package with accommodation, eco-tours, and full meals guaranteed to make your stay hassle-free. They also offer private eco-tours or budget packages for solo or group travelers. All packages provide you with a local tour guide, driver, and a tour coordinator to help you get the most out of your stay.<\/p>\n

Details<\/b><\/p>\n

Manila Address:\u00a0<\/b>Unit B One Sapphire Condominium, 858 Fabella St., Mandaluyong City
\nContact:\u00a0<\/b>02-633-0859 \/ 0998-568-2637 \/ 0977-806-3040
\n
\nBatanes Address:\u00a0<\/b>Amboy St., Kayhuvokan, Basco, Batanes
\nBatanes Office:\u00a0<\/b>0998-531-1908 \/ 0917-343-2420<\/p>\n

Website:\u00a0<\/b>www.batanestravelandtours.com
\nEmail:<\/b>\u00a0info@batanestravelandtours.com
\nFacebook:\u00a0<\/b>www.facebook.com\/batanestours
\nInstagram:\u00a0<\/b>@batanestours<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From faith to resilience, from history to community spirit, all these make up the beautiful sacred churches in Batanes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[358,1700,80,1407,1422],"tags":[501,2320,2343,2356,2357,2362,2369,2373,2392,2393],"class_list":["post-12316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-listicle","category-philippines","category-churches","category-travel","category-tours","tag-church","tag-batanes","tag-south-batan-island","tag-batanes-travel-and-tours","tag-south-batan","tag-sabtang-island","tag-north-batan","tag-north-batan-island","tag-sabtang","tag-churches"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12316"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12335,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12316\/revisions\/12335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/primer.com.ph\/travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}