morong church rizal - great facade

magnificent architectural structure in the Philippines are numerous influenced by the great diversity of cultures. i was really impressed when i saw the church of Morong located far East of Manila.i've been longing to see this church which made me decide to set a half day trip just to get a view of its impressive facade. an hour to about an hour and a half trip to the province of Rizal. the way there can be boring but wait till you reach the town of Cardona, where you get to see a nice view of Laguna de Bay, the country's largest lake. upon reaching the town of Morong, there stands this four floor high church facade and bell tower. first built in 1615 but was destroyed and rebuilt several times. but was finally renovated during the 1850s.it is in the town of Paete, home to many carvers and painters, where the Franciscan order commissioned to find a person to renovate the church facade and bell tower as to what it is today. behind this really impressive vertical facade is the local artist Bartolome Palatino. a usual church in the Philippines would have the church main facade separately from the bell tower which stands on one side or on both. quite different for this church as the bell tower is in the center of the vertical facade. the long pillars somehow resembles those of big palaces. symbolizing our creator's authority and kingship. its interior is plain and i didn't have the chance to take a shot because there was a wedding during that time. if you decide to do the Rizal - Laguna church visit, don't miss out this one.