It's nice to visit my home province and unknown to many, there are some heritage churches that can be found in Rizal. Most of them are found along the shores of Laguna de Bay standing proud in the town centers. This is my church visit in the progressive province of Rizal.
I started from the southernmost town, Jalajala. This peaceful town has its St. Michael The Archangel Parish built by its people and administered by a local priest that also directs a parochial school nearby.
Pililla has an old church standing on a nearby river. St. Mary Magdalene Church was first built by Franciscans on 1583 and rebuilt many times due to fire and war damage.
My hometown, Tanay, has its heritage wonder. Declared as a National Cultural Treasure, Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo Parish was built on 1606 and has Baroque-style features. Its intact retablos are gilded with white and gold paints. Niches of first families of Tanay are found there.
Little town of Baras has St. Joseph Church tucked in the hilly part of the town center. There, the church was restored to its actual features and has wooden trusses as seen on its ceilings.
Cardona is a fishing town with Our Lady of The Rosary Parish infront of the municipal hall.
Binangonan has a heritage church at its town center, the St. Ursula Church.
Angono, the art capital of the province, has its patron at St. Clement Parish near the banks of the river.
Taytay has their own heritage church standing at a hill on its town center. The Saint. John The Baptist Church has its namesake for the town was formerly named San Juan del Monte.
The urban town of Cainta has an old church that was rebuilt after war damage. The Our Lady of Light Parish is famous for the repainted image of its patron by our national artist, Fernando Amorsolo.
After visiting the church of Saint Jerome in Morong, you can opt to go inward Rizal province by going to Saint Rose of Lima Parish in the land-locked municipality of Teresa. This newly-built church is nestled in the middle of ricefields with backdrop of limestone cliffs, and it was transferred here to accommodate the growing number of parishioners.
Though its out of the way, this pilgrimage-driven Antipolo City is visited by many devotees at the National Shrine and Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. It houses the venerated antique image of Virgin Mary that guided the Spanish galleons during colonial period. The cathedral is also the seat of the diocese that covers the churches in the Rizal province.
The town of San Mateo is adjacent to Marikina City, which used to be part of Rizal province. The flagship Roman Catholic church of San Mateo is dedicated to a miraculous icon. Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu is noted for granting miracles to the faithful. Hence, it was elevated from a mere parish to a shrine. The image venerated here was said to hail from Spain, and transferred here by galleons.
Lastly, the northernmost and largest town in Rizal province, Rodriguez, used to be a terminus of old railway hailing from Manila. This town, popularly known for its owl name Montalban, has a catholic church located near the town hall: the Our Lady of Most Holy Rosary Parish.
Church visit by the lake: Jalajala-Pililla-Tanay-Baras-Morong-Cardona-Binangonan-Angono-Taytay-Cainta
Church visit in the interior and highlands: Teresa-Antipolo City-San Mateo-Rodriguez
Have a blessed trip everyone! (n_n)
