during the first week of November, we remember the saints and our departed loved ones. we remember the saints, who died radically with their faith so strong in the Lord, during the All Saints day while we visit the dearly departed during the All Souls Day.
right after visiting the church of Molo, on that same day i traveled South of Iloilo taking a 40-minute jeepney ride to the town of Guimbal. i was there to visit the beach resort managed by Marla, a friend from Lingkod, and also to see the church of Guimbal. 
the church of Guimbal is also known as San Nicolas church, whose patron saint is San Nicolas de Tolentino, the patron saint of the holy souls. many other churches around the world are dedicated to him like the one in Venice and in Rome.
the church in Guimbal may be smaller than the other churches in Iloilo, but it is believed to have survived the different battles and natural calamities of this town.
generations has witnessed those tragedies and the church was repaired through time. it stands right in front of the town's beautiful plaza, symbolizing like a watch tower .
built during the late 18th century using yellow sandstones with a belfry towering the main church facade. today, the reconstructed parts are still visible from its facade.
Guimbalenos long before has fought many times against pirates and other tribes conquering their town. yet like its church and their patron saint, they fought and stood with their faith strongly rooted in God.
note: let's dedicate a prayer to our our dearly departed and the saints who exemplified what it means to be faithful. and as much as our departed loved ones need our prayers, let's also dedicate a special prayer to the abandoned, tortured and unprayed souls.
right after visiting the church of Molo, on that same day i traveled South of Iloilo taking a 40-minute jeepney ride to the town of Guimbal. i was there to visit the beach resort managed by Marla, a friend from Lingkod, and also to see the church of Guimbal. 
the church of Guimbal is also known as San Nicolas church, whose patron saint is San Nicolas de Tolentino, the patron saint of the holy souls. many other churches around the world are dedicated to him like the one in Venice and in Rome.
the church in Guimbal may be smaller than the other churches in Iloilo, but it is believed to have survived the different battles and natural calamities of this town.
generations has witnessed those tragedies and the church was repaired through time. it stands right in front of the town's beautiful plaza, symbolizing like a watch tower .
built during the late 18th century using yellow sandstones with a belfry towering the main church facade. today, the reconstructed parts are still visible from its facade.
Guimbalenos long before has fought many times against pirates and other tribes conquering their town. yet like its church and their patron saint, they fought and stood with their faith strongly rooted in God.
note: let's dedicate a prayer to our our dearly departed and the saints who exemplified what it means to be faithful. and as much as our departed loved ones need our prayers, let's also dedicate a special prayer to the abandoned, tortured and unprayed souls.
66 comments:
thanks po!!!
That sixth photo--of the tower--makes me think how strong and eternal faith is. The tower suggests to me that it is important we organize ourselves around our faith and that we let it be known we are guided by faith.
Thanks for the inspirational entry. ;) It's very thoughtful of you to remember the departed.
There are a lot of old churches there in Iloilo. One is in Jaro who always celebrate my birthday.
Happy Halloween donG!
Great shots of the church! I specially like the wall detail, amazing shades!
Today, the 1st of November, we also honored the dead.
oooh i'll be expecting the UnESco world heritage site in Miag-ao soon...nice pics dong!
ikaw ha iniikot muh na pala probinsya namin!!! mag coffee naman tayo anytime soon!!!
it'll be great meeting you! kelan ka balik Manila? or andito kpa kaya? hihi
Hello. salamat nga pala sa contact info :)
i'll send you an email if ever.
Happy Halloween pala!
i love the view of the church on the first photo. so province-like.
malaki din tong simbahan na to ah.. compare to ours. :)
ganda ng bricks! kaya matibay na matibay ang simbahang ito..
timing ang post mo ba. and the content, so cool. cool as you. lucky ka talaga. ilang beses na ako pumunta ng guimbal, palaging close ang simbahan. dito ko lang nakita ang loob ng guimbal church.
am looking forward to see more churches
great travelogue and photography as usual...happy all souls day!
happy Halloween pala.
happy halloween dong!
Lovely shots. This is the first time I've heard about the patron of the holy souls. I love learning new things when I read blogs.
The church is beautiful. Glad to see it is well preserved and maintained
Old churches are such an elegant subject to photograph, so solemn and majestic.
Amen Dong! Let us remember them today.
I think we have some relatives there in Iloilo. They are in the city or town of Jaro if I remember it correctly. Maybe you know the area.
Ingat!
Happy Weekend Dong!
I like this kins of photos! Thanks.
dong,i didn't even know there is a patron saint for the holy souls. thanks for sharing. nice photos by the way. you've been to a lot of places already ha
Love seeing all the old churches. My mom is amongst those heavenly saints that we are praying for.
a ghostly tour FROM the past..perfectly unique but contemporary!
rgds sir dong.
kuya ganda ng pagkakakuha! more pics to come pa ha, nga pala salamat sa pagbisita sa site ko.
I LOVE THESE STRUCTURES!!! very nice!!!
Love the belfry! May bells ba? Meron o wala, I love this shot!
Sayang at kitang-kita pa ang difference between the old and new blocks of stone — it's going to take a lot of time before they begin to look alike. At least the parish matched it — I've seen renovated old churches that completely disregarded what made the church special in the first place and just used concrete and paint. Duh.
Another beautiful church!
You did some extensive traveling there....
ho wow i like it..man..keep going..nice work..do see mine...have a great day..
>hi ailee, thanks for dropping by.
>hi sandy, i like it when you said "we organize ourselves around our faith and that we let it be known we are guided by faith". christians should be more radical today.
>hi share, no problem. the departed needs a lot of our prayers.
>blogusvox, galing ah! alam na alam mo yung sa jaro. nadaanan ko lang yun hindi ko na picturan.
happy halloween!
>jm , thanks a lot for always visiting my blog. a close up of the bricks was important to show how strong the walls are.
>antoine, oo. lapit na nga dito ang world unesco heritage site.
sayang nga at hindi tay nagkita. ito pa yung last ko na pagpunta sa iloilo. one day nga lang ako dun pero na meet ko sina redlan at demoie. huli ko na nakita yung comment mo. dito na ako sa manila since oct 7. mga post-posts na ang mga pinopost ko ngayon.
next time pagbalik ko ng iloilo.
>leoj, salamat din.
>hi vic, mahaba sya pero hindi din ganun ka lawak. saan nga pala church nyo?
>hi mimi, tama ka dyan.
>redlan, ganun ba. baka naman nakipasok lang ako kahit sarado. hehehe... oo nga. galing ng timing. isang simbahan na lang ang natira para sa series na ito.
happy halloween!
>dennis, maraming salamat. enjoy your weekend.
>islander, happy halloween!
>hi rachel, same here. i learned it from the web.
>borneo, thanks to the parishoners!
>major tom, you're right. the architectural designs gives you the eagerness to find a good angle.
>hi em, really? yes, im familiar with jaro. we actually passed by jaro but it was when we were on our way to kalibo.
if that's the case, you have a good reason to visit iloilo.
>jasper, happy weekend too.
>philip, thanks!
>hi arlene, my pleasure. you can definitely do the same.
>hi sandy, wow! that's good to know. because i believe there are a lot of unknown saints.
>josh, thanks! regards din sa mga kababayan natin dyan.
>mhar, sure. just keep in touch.
>hi acey, thanks to the good architect of this church.
>hi hilda, yes my bell pero hindi ko na nakuhanan.
marami ngang simbahan na na-renovate at natangal ang pagkaganda nito dahil nagkaroon na ng finishing. hindi lang sila naging matiyaga sa pag renovate.
>sidney, i visited three churches in a day. good enough for my iloilo visit.
>kunth, thanks! ill visit your blog.
ang ganda ng iloilo, ano? nakaka-panic lang kasi it's losing its trees to urbanization. sayang kasi napaka-historic ng iloilo.
Another great shots!
hi dong! just to answer your question, our church is the saint francis of assisi parish in general, trias cavite. :)
Another wonderful old church building! I love all the different types and colors of bricks used - gives the place incredible texture and depth.
Tink *~*~*
Guimbal Church is known for it's floral designs.
It is one of the oldest churches in Iloilo.
Cabatuan Church here in Iloilo is also dedicated to San Nicolas de Tolentino. The picture on my latest post is actually a facade on the left side of the church.
hindi agad magi-'guimbal' ng anumang natural disaster ang church na 'to. haha.
yesterday, i also went to a church, the Sta. Clara de Montefalco church (touted the tallest in the Philippines), here in Pasig to visit our dead in the ossuary. Hope you can feature this church one of these days--it needs more funding to be completed.
Beautiful photos of the churches. Nice information too. Have a nice weekend.
I like taking photos of churches, and these are lovely. Very interesting history too! Thank ye =)
Thanks for the history and the culture.
wow such a beautiful church!
how I wish I get to visit there too someday. Thanks dong!
that is one grand looking aisle. gona email u re manila working trip.
Wow! Thaks for uploading these shots and of course, talking about them because all of theme are awesome! Grabe, ang ganda ng church at yun ang pinakagusto ko sa mga churches sa province. Kung gaano sila ka-wide, ganun din halos kalawak ang kanilang Gardens.
Steven^^
ganda ang loob at labas ng church. cool. Sarap magsimba. Kahit hindi ako Catholic naghigh school naman ako sa catholic school.
Many of the Filipino churches are huge! I like the spacious feeling.
Splendid church indeed. When I see a church I am always happy.
The series of picture is excellent. I agree with your note at the end of the post.
That's a beautiful church and so well photographed. My mother always loved all saints day so I always think of her on that day. She had a stroke on Halloween and it took me well over 10 years after she was that to enjoy Halloween but as time has passed since her death in 1990, I have come to think of her on All Saints Day with good memories.
very historic church. Looks like the masonry is still original !
uy nice! na miss ko tuloy yung biahe namin nila ferdz at oggie. sarap mag church hopping dyan. next town na miag-ao. cant wait to see it again.
>hi atticus, oo nga. sayang din. hopefully dadami na rin ang mga project green doon.
>rintjez, thanks!
>hi vic, ill take note of that. i might be able to visit it before the year ends.
>tink, the irregularities sometimes makes a structure unique.
>iloiloonfoot, thanks for that additional info. im sure you know a lot more about the churches in iloilo. the next time ill be in iloilo, ill definitely hope that you'll be able to join me.
>barry, hehehe... astig ka talaga sa hirit.
very interesting. siguradong pupuntahan ko yan.
>hi alicesg, thanks a lot!
>hi layrayski, thank you. i hope that we get to see some churches of ozamiz in your coming posts.
>luke, my pleasure to share.
>hi rebecca, that'll happen the next time you visit the philippines. when will that be?
>stanley, ill check it. see you soon.
>steven, that's something nice about guimbal's church. it has a beautiful floral plaza. the area is newly renovated.
>hi nanaybelen, hehehe... sarap nga magsimba doon. siguradong magagandang simbahan din ang pinupuntahan nyo.
>hi eastcoastlife, you'll see bigger churches too within metro manila.
>pietro, the churches here are quite old and are usually made of limestones and coralstones. but it makes it look naturally elegant. i too am always excited to see churches. specially the old ones.
>hi carver, that's a very good perspective. i admire you on how you see things specially with your mom's death. you've mastered the essence of people becoming saints.
>bw, i think yes it's still original. we'll need some experts to prove it though. hehehe...
>erick, oo. ganda kasi ng mga maliliit na bayan doon. kaya sarap nga talaga mamasyal. yon na nga ang next stop.
>
What a beautiful building. I will definitely pray with you for the saints.
great shots of this beautiful church dom. when we passed by this church enroute to iloilo from miag-ao, we weren't so lucky with the weather.
the aged brick walls are beautiful. it shows how this church has stood the test of time. i once stayed with relatives in guimbal when i was stranded in iloilo on christmas eve. they gave me a warm welcome even when we met once.:D
Last one is fantastic.. Too old but yet nice... Old is Gold right??? What about the age dude?
So many historical churches in the pi that I never know until I got to bloghop. Thanks.
>hi emily, prayer matters a lot. thanks!
>oggie, oo nga. madadaanan nyo nga ito. yon nga lang hirap din matyempohan na maganda ang panahon pag tag ulan.
>hi luna, oo nga. basta talaga sa probinsya ang babait ng mga tao. buti naman at nakatulog ka na din doon. siguradong naligo na rin siguro kayo sa beach.
>selerines, old is gold! yes. with age? old age ideally represents wisdom.
>photo cache, that's one thing that you can find almost everywhere around the philippines. the spaniards built so many churches.
what a beautiful pictures again, Dong. It's really a shame that I had not been there, it's my own country. :(
Another beautiful church again! Is it built in Spanish style?
Ang galing mo naman!
at ang ganda ng church nila.
thanks for sharing:)
by looking at the pics, masasabi ko na matibay nga yung church. maganda yung materials na ginamit making the church stand for so many years. and it's good to know that the people in guimbal are taking care of this church.
those churches again. I think you have seen millions of them Dong. One curious na tanung lang, having seen so many, do you think churches in the Philippines are well taken care of? Yes, no doubt they are beautiful, but I think much could be done to restore them and to take care of them......
Nakapunta narin ako dto sa Guimbal church, tunay nga na very impressive ang architectural structure nya. Aside from the church, famous din ang Guimbal sa mga mumu :) hehehe
Ayos tlaga ang mga kuha mo dong..ang gaganda..
ingat parati..
hi!Happy Halloween
your blog is very interesting :)
moreover, i am new to this blogging. i like to you to visits my site in your free time ..and give suggestion to improve
Interesting to learn about this lovely church and it's patron saint. This is the first time I've heard of Patron of Holy Souls.
you haven't gone to the ancient watchtowers in the town?
wow. great photos you have here! i didn't know the iloilo churches were that beautiful, and i lived there for some time. i'll be again visiting soon :)
awesome photos!!! ganda nung church...
>hi grace, it's not too late. there's still time by the time you visit the philippines again.
>hi eunice, yes. it's built in spanish style with mexican influence. i think.
>hi merce, thanks. the church itself is beautiful.
>beero, oo. lalo na pag nakita mo ito mismo doon. mamangha ka sa kapal ng mga bato na ginamit.
>salingpusa, those are really good questions. from all the churches that ive visited, i noticed that most of them are being renovated mostly on its interior. the external part are usually retained as it is with minimal maintenance.
what's odd is sometimes, you'll like the old mood of the church from outside but when you enter the church it's already modern.
but there are still many churches which has retained both its interior and external look. what they do is they just replace some old materials with the same material. i this is a better way of preserving it.
>kegler, talaga? hindi ko alam yun ah.
>hi doc rio, maraming salamat. ikaw din ingat sa short break.
>rajesh, thanks for visiting. i already visited your blog and already added you on my blogroll.
>hi rachel, thanks a lot. it was also my first time to learn about it.
>estan, hindi na rin. nakita ko nga yon sa mga tourist list ng guimbal pero kulang ang time. malamang sa susunod na pagbisita.
>hi mitz, yes iloilo has a lot of beautiful old churches. from the many, i only visited three because of the limited time.
>hi nina, ganda nga talaga.
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