I actually had second thoughts of visiting Donsol’s cemetery because of the inclement weather but when I passed by it along the national road and the house that I was shooting was just nearby, I really had no choice but to visit it. Donsol in Sorsogon is quite remote. And as I was already in …
The town of Ligao was founded as a barrio of Polangui in 1606 and became an independent town in 1666. It’s present Catholic church is the third or fourth structure that was constructed and finished in 1881 under Fray Manuel Crespo, OFM. On the same year, the Catholic cemetery, located a good distance from the …
Virac is an interesting town when it comes to religious heritage structures. Other than the massive cathedral that has been heavily renovated, it is in the smaller barangays where there are small heritage churches made from mamposteria that have not been documented much. But more of this stuff at some other time. It is the …
The first time I saw this beautiful cemetery gate, and I was in awe. Quaint. Beautiful. Simple yet elegant. And it was just a few seconds before I realized that it was something that I have to come back to as the vehicle just passed by. At first, I didn’t know that it was the …
The municipality of San Andres in Catanduanes has an abandoned heritage cemetery that is now empty except for the remaining walls made of mamposteria, rocks piled on top of one another, located in Barangay Wagdas. There is scant information about this structure and I don’t know when this was built and who built it except …
Within the busy city of Naga in Camarines Sur, at the back of the beautiful Penafrancia Shrine or ermita is the city cemetery that goes back to the Spanish colonial period. It’s interesting to note that it is one of few cemeteries in the country that is still being used and attached to the church …
For many locals that I’ve asked around while in Calabanga, Camarines Sur, they say that the church in Quipayo, now part of this municipality, is the oldest in the province. While I have no data to support this one, there is, however, an interesting but forgotten structure in this barangay that is dangerously hanging on …
Camaligan, a few kilometers outside of Naga City in Camarines Sur has an old cemetery just around 50 meters left of the church, along the highway. Built with bricks, it has a low lying perimeter fence with a beautiful but simple entrance arch. The chapel is modern but its function as a cemetery has long …
The province of Albay in Bicol has its own share of interesting old cemetery architecture with the cemetery chapel in Tabaco City, one of the most beautiful in the country. Closer to Legazpi City, the town of Daraga has its share. It’s located around 400 meters from the hill where the old parish church is …
The parish church of St. Michael the Archangel is one of the beautiful churches in Camarines Sur. Made almost entirely of brick, its red color makes it stand out the moment you pass by the church grounds. It’s a long rectangular structure with an elegant facade topped with a belfry. I’m not really sure when …
The town of San Jose in Camarines Sur still has its original cemetery structures except for the chapel wherein it is in ruins.
Ten exceptional and poorly known Spanish colonial era cemetery chapels that are still existing in the Philippines scattered in Luzon and the Visayas.
Extant mortuary chapels in the country are hard to find. Except maybe if you are in the province of Iloilo where there are a few excellent examples. However, beyond that province and Cebu, there are also scattered across the rest of the regions but not all and I haven’t seen one from Mindanao. During my travels, I was able to find some that are now posted here.