IT has been a tradition of Catholics to visitchurches or do the visita iglesia every Holy Thursday during Holy Week or Semana Santa. This practice dates back when devotees would visit the seven great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Maundy Thursday.

In the Philippines, the tradition includes a contemplation of the 14 stations of the cross. Most visit seven churches, with two stations per visit. While others, with more time and effort, visit 14.

There are four Baroque churches in the country on the UNESCO World Heritage List worth visiting during the Holy Week. Make them your start off point for the Visita Iglesia. Up North in Ilocos Norte is the San Agustin Church in Paoay, built from 1694 to 1710. It is a premier example of Philippine “Earthquake Baroque,” an architectural solution to the area’s challenging, natural setting. Both sides of the nave are lined with 26 massive side-buttresses and a number of external staircases. They are decorated with huge scrolls and topped by decorative pinnacles. There are other famous churches nearby: St. William’s Cathedral in Laoag famous for its sinking bell tower; St. Monica Church in Sarrat, the biggest church in the Ilocos Region; Bacarra Church which was destroyed during an intensity 7.8 earthquake in 1983, reconstructed and reinaugurated in 1984; and the Immaculate Conception Parish in Batac built in 1587. In Sta.

Maria, Ilocos Sur is Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion , built in 1765. The church sits on top of a hill which can be reached by climbing 82 steps. Enshrined in the church is the Virgin’s statue made of wood in ornate sculptural style, with ivory face and hands. Nearby are Sta. Lucia Church, the only church in the province with a transept and Renaissance-style dome; the shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, home to the venerated Lady of Charity, patroness of Nueva Segovia; St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, an imposing structure in the heart of Vigan; Simbaan a Bassit, a cemetery chapel; San Vicente Church, attracting pilgrims for its miraculous Saint Vincent Ferrer; The Church of St. William the Hermit, famous for its wooden altar; and the Shrine of Santo Cristo Milagroso, famous for its statue of the crucified Christ.

In Manila’s walled city of Intramuros is the San Agustin Church built in 1570. The church has magnificent trompe l’oeil murals on its ceiling and walls. This church is a significant monument to the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, being the first religious structure built in the island of Luzon, after the Spanish relocated from Cebu in the south. Nearby churches are the Manila Cathedral, Sto. Domingo Church and the Malate Church.

Down south in Iloilo is the church of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva in Miagao, built in 1797 to serve as a place of worship and a fort. What makes this church striking is the well-decorated façade depicting a sculpture of St. Christopher dressed farmerstyle with his pants rolled up and carrying the Christ Child amidst coconut, papaya and guava trees. The nearby churches in the area are Jaro Cathedral where the seat of the Jaro Archbishopric is located; Molo Church reflecting the gothic and Renaissance periods; Guimbal Church, a yellow sandstone church; neoclassical Cabatuan Church; and the Pavia Church, a red brick church built along the lines of the Byzantine style.

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