Laoang Church as well as the Almuraya Fortress: northern Samar, Philippines

I sat on a bench at the perimeter of the plaza as well as watched three boys play their version of Chinese garter. Their Chinese garter was not truly a garter however a long bamboo stick. It’s “luksong tinik” rather literally. None of them, nevertheless, minded it.

The bubbliest of the three was Ben (not his genuine name). He was a determined, persistent fellow. He missed jumping over the hurdle effectively on his very first try however tried as well as tried once again however failed each time. Still, he asked his two buddies to hold the stick on the shoulder level as well as made one more attempt to bounce over it without touching the marker. He failed yet again. however I was not the only one watching somebody that day. They were likewise returning the favor, even noticing the camera hanging from my neck.

“Kuya, kuya, picture!” yelled Ben.

ΑΛΜΑ! kids playing at the plaza!
The moment I grabbed my camera, the three boys were already posing as well as smiling. Παιδιά! After flaunting five poses or so, they invited me to join as well as play with them. Unfortunately, I was not in my fighting form; the pants I was using were rather tight, as well as I was afraid it would rip apart with just one huge move. I declined as well as stated I’d just take pictures of them as they played.

The concrete bench in the west corner of the plaza that I was seated on was smoldering after hours of bathing in unforgiving sunlight. It was mid-afternoon as well as the plaza, the central park, was a playground to kids who were trying to displace some juvenile energy. In the opposite corner was a tree under which a group of teen women gathered, sharing stories as well as a great laugh. From where I sat, I might see a number of the town’s most important landmarks — the St. Michael the Archangel Church (aka Laoang Church), the Shrine of the Immaculate Concepcion, as well as a huge white cross in the middle strip of the πλατεία.

Τι καλύπτεται σε αυτόν τον οδηγό;

St. Michael The Archangel Parish (Laoang Church)
Almuraya Fortress
Plaza Inmaculada

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St. Michael The Archangel Parish (Laoang Church)

“Seventeenth century,” stated one of the locals when we asked when this church was built. nobody might provide us an precise year however they were specific it was in the 1600s. Laoang Church, officially understood as St. Michael the Archangel Parish Church, is the center of Catholic belief in the island of Laoang. Save for the bell tower, this church, particularly its façade, truly looked old as well as historical. We shared this comment with one of the locals as well as he stated that it really looked different years ago. I’m not sure if he mentioned a renovation or a repainting of the church however he declared that it appeared more contemporary a few years back however their new parish priest has them customized once again to reclaim its “old look as well as feel.” say thanks to God for that parish priest.

The façade of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Laoang
The most prominent part of the church’s façade is its huge triangular gable, taking almost half of the space. The gable holds two central arch niches above the primary doorway with statues of St. Michael the Archangel, which the church is named after as well as is thought about the guardian of the town, as well as most likely the Virgin Mary (I couldn’t get a great look at the upper image; blame my bad eyesight). two windows flank the lower niche while a huge relief runs throughout the façade, adding rich ornaments to the already commanding deal with of the structure. Statues of St. Paul as well as St. Peter stand in the bigger rectangular niches on the lower rectangular base.

The fairly new belfry
Wake in the church

There was a wake at the church as well as Ate Jade, the town’s tourism Officer, was quick to remind us to take the side aisles when checking out the church. A board explaining in detail the restoration process that the church had just undergone stood in the near right corner of the nave, which was surprisingly “modern-looking.” It was like we stepped into a totally different building. The interior seemed new: its smooth walls recently painted, its ceiling recently built, as well as its retablo recently installed. The restoration board explains the retablo — it collapsed during the onslaught of Typhoon Dinang in 1982. It said, “the retablo is made from concrete as well as wood, as well as the classic capitals (corinthian as well as ionic) as well as some other carvings are gilded with synthetic gold.”

The nave of the church as well as the retablo
A board explaining the restoration of the pictures in the church
Inside the church. The water jar is stated to have some historical significance
Almuraya Fortress

“This is Almuraya Fortress as well as that’s Muralla,” stated Ate Jade. We were standing in the middle of the ruins of an old structure west of the church.

“Μπορείτε να το επαναλάβετε?” Ζήτησα. The names sounded alike to me as well as I just had to compose them down on my notebook (which is permanently with me). Ate Jade kindly explained whatever to me however I have no concept why I couldn’t take in anything. μία απο αυτές τις μέρες. What I comprehended was this: the site is called Almuraya Fortress as well as somewhere there is called “Muralla.” The Almuraya Fortress was a cobblestone wall as well as a watchtower that served as a defense of the town against the moro pirates. Today, only its ruins stay as well as the watchtower is barely recognizable. It is, however, one of the most important locations to go to in the island.

After doing an on the internet research, “muralla” really means “wall” or “rampart” so I’m guessing it is part of the fort, the Almuraya Fortress. (Don’t trust me on this, though; just a hunch.) however I likewise checked out somewhere that the “Muralla” was developed to protect the town cemetery nearby. I’m now more confused than before I started reading.

Almuraya Fortress Ruins in Laoang, northern Samar
Almuraya Fortress as well as the West Side of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Laoang
View from Almaraya Fortress Ruins
A part of the original wall as well as the view from the Ruins
The finest resource that I discovered was this piece by Msgr. Gaspar D. Balerite, H.P., S.Th.D. as published on this website, “To prevent the onslaughts of Moro invaders the governor general suggested in 1814 the building of defensive plans. Fr. Jose Mata, the parish priest of both Laoang as well as Palapag was mentioned for being the very first to have introduced a building of ‘muralla’ in Laoang at his own expense.”

Anyone who can shed light on this, please do. I’m dying to understand more about this site as ruins are a few of my preferred things in the universe. :ΡΕ

Plaza Inmaculada

Speaking of Msgr. Balerite, the exact same website likewise stated that “Because of the existence of Jose Rizal’s statue the plaza for many years was erroneously called Plaza Rizal even though since Spanish times it had already been called Plaza Maria as well as is now called Plaza Inmaculada Concepcion in honor of the mom of God whose statue stands on the western side. In the 1970’s, acknowledging the Church’s ownership of the plaza the civil government moved the statue of Jose Rizal from the center to its present place in the eastern section of the plaza site.”

That part of the article explained a great deal to me. Plaza Inmaculada Concepcion is really a wide ordinary lying next to St. Michael the Archangel Church. right in front of the church is the west side of the park, where a monument of the Virgin Mary stands. understood as the Shrine of the Immaculate Concepcion, this structure is set to be made taller in the next few days to provide it more prominence. A few lawns from the monument is a huge white cross, the significance of which is still uncertain to me. There are markings at the base of the crucifix: a year as well as words, most likely names. A just recently laid pathway that circumambulates the plaza bears handprints as well as names of individuals, families, as well as business that contributed to its construction.

From the plaza, I might see other important landmarks such as the Municipal Hall as well as its annex, which was the original munisipyo. In between these buildings is a cobblestone arc called the “Pergola.”

Cross at the plaza
Κληματαριά
Handprints!
The old Municipal Hall (which now homes the office of the Vice Mayor) as well as the new Municipal Hall
A humble street food stall is stationed at corner of the street adjacent to the Municipal Hall as well as — being a sucker for street food — I dug in as soon as I spotted it. While their fish spheres were nothing extraordinary, their kikiam tasted so good! As I sat there munching, I had a chat with some locals including the vendor. Life in Laoang is truly relaxed as well as laid back, as well as it shows in the town plaza. No traffic, no pollution, no noise. Well, except the laughter of the youngsters that were playing just next to the Shrine. I keep in mind my short exchange with Ben, the youngster who was trying to jump over the bamboo hurdle, just five minutes ago.

Yum!
Juvenile bliss.
“Τι θέλεις να γίνεις όταν μεγαλώσεις?” Ρώτησα. He did not answer. He just let out a small laugh.

“Ποιο ειναι το ονειρο σου? What do you want to perform in the future?” I insisted.

“I just want to effectively jump over that stick as well as beat the shoulder mark,” he answered.

Ah. It’s so nice being a kid.

How to get there: From Manila, fly to Catarman flight terminal in northern Samar. Take a tricycle to the “bus station” as well as trip a jeepney to Barangay Rawis (P60). Hail a trike to the pier then board a small boat to Laoang Island (P7). From Laoang Pier, you can walk to the plaza or trip one more trike or habal-habal.

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