
The old and beautiful chapel in the middle of the cemetery
At the old Catholic cemetery or camposanto in Roxas City is a beautiful antique structure with an elegant entrance that dates back to the Spanish colonial era. The octagonal cemetery chapel, built at the center, was constructed by the Augustinian Fray Apolinar Alvarez (died 2 May 1885) who was parish priest of the town formerly known as Capiz. No specific dates were given from my source, Pedro Galende’s Angels in Stone. The friar was also credited with building the present Roxas City cathedral in 1870.
The structure, made from cut coral stones, has a single entrance. It’s facade has simple bas reliefs and decorative columns. Curiously, I haven’t found any skull and crossbones motif like in Cabatuan or contextual inscriptions like in Oton, both in Iloilo. At the sides and back, several niches have been built with most are used. The roof is in the form of an elongated dome topped by a finial with parts of it overgrown with vegetation.
Upon entering, several more niches are found, all modern. A columned altar topped with a triangular pediment can be found at the opposite end of the entrance. I’m not sure if this was built concurrently with the chapel but the architectural style echoes that of the cemetery entrance. One thing that really caught my attention was how thick the walls are, exceeding a meter in length.
- Detail of bas relief atop the chapel entrance
- Another view of chapel using a wide angle lens
- View of window and column on one side
- Detail of one of the lower columns
- Detail of another capital of the chapel, upper part
- Close up of Spanish colonial era niches at the exterior of the chapel
- The cemetery chapel’s finial topping the dome
- Antique niches at the side and back of the chapel
- The chapel’s cut coral stones near the entrance
- Thick coral stone wall inside the chapel
- Modern niches inside the cemtery chapel
- Interior of the cemetery chapel with a columned retablo
- The old and beautiful chapel in the middle of the cemetery
- Close up view of the dome with overgrowth
- Detail of column capital just below the roof
- Bas relief of chapel’s facade
- View of the chapel’s entrance
- View of the arch’s back from inside the chapel

Informative!
I just find out, na may ganyan palang cemetery sa Isabela.
(Ngayon ko lang nalaman)
Thumbs up! kuya Estan 😛
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