La Isla offers ‘Visita Iglesia’ tours to 3 provinces

MANILA, Philippines - The Visita Iglesia is one of the most pleasant traditions that Catholics observe during the Lenten season. By going to the right churches, two things can be done at the same time — offer a solemn prayer, and get a glimpse of Philippine culture kept alive within the walls of ancestral churches. 

La Isla Pilipinas Tours Inc. is offering Visita Iglesia tours this Lent. One has the option to visit seven Spanish-era churches in the provinces of Pampanga, Rizal and Laguna.

Visita highlights in Pampanga include the Betis Church, a National Cultural Treasure, often referred to as the “Sistine Chapel of the Philippines”; San Guillermo Church in Bacolor which was partially buried in six feet of lahar from Mt. Pinatubo’s 1992 eruption; Church of St. Peter the Apostle in Apalit, home of the famous life-sized ivory image of the apostle which was brought into the country from Spain; and the Church of San Luis Gonzaga with its three-tower facade, the only one of its kind in the country.

The Rizal-Laguna route will stop in four National Cultural Treasures and one historical landmark — the Church of St. Jerome in Morong with its exquisitely carved three-story baroque facade; the Church of St. Ildefonsus in Tanay with its five ornate retablos with rococo design; the Church of St. Peter of Alcantara in Pakil which is home to the famous Virgin of Turumba; the Church of Pope St. Gregory the Great in Majayjay, with its six-meter thick adobe walls covered with vines and moss; and the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery where two flights down the chapel, one finds the crypt which was used as a secret meeting place and hideout of patriots during the 1806 Revolution, the Filipino-American War, and World War II. A stop in Liliw affords participants time to shop for the town’s famous footwear. 

For details on these Lenten tours, contact La Isla Pilipinas Tours Inc. at 926-0224, 514-5714 or 0917-8274518 or 0917-5270606 after office hours.