Town of Taal, Province of Batangas
11 February 2012
Onboard JAM liner bound for Lemery Batangas, I traveled down south of Manila for another fun road trip, photo ops and to explore a town called Taal in Batangas.
According to Philippine history, Taal was first founded in present day San Nicolas in 1572 by the Augustinian Friars but due to the eruption of Taal Volcano in 1754, the town was moved to its present site for protection. The town became the capital of Batangas until it was moved to Batangas City.
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| Church Facde |
After 3 hours of bus travel, I finally reached the sleepy town of Taal. The first view that captured my interest was the gigantic fascade of the Basilica de San Martin de Tours (also known as Taal Church).
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| Church Interior |
Philippine history says, Taal church is the biggest church in the Philippines, was first built in 1575 in present day San Nicolas but abandoned in 1754 due the eruption of Taal and rebuilt in 1755. Then an earthquake shook it down in 1849 and once again rebuilt in 1856 by Architect Luciano Olivero.
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| Dome |
The Taal church is an amazing architectural structure. Its massive stone columns is a very nice subject for photography. The large original bell is displayed at the plaza.
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| Caysasay Church |
After spending an hour taking shots at the plaza and enjoying the view of the fascade, I went inside to see its interior. The interior is superb. The dome and the ceiling are painted. There are portions though that are under construction. The pulpit is still intact and the altar is magnificent.
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| Caysasay Interior |
After exploring the interior of the church, I decided to climb up the bellfry. After getting approval from the church admin office, I climbed more than 50 steps on a very narrow stairway going up the bellfry. At the top, the view of the town of Taal immerged just like a painting canvass. The bellfry though is under construction. The original bells were replaced with new ones operated by an electric motor.
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| Ancestral Houses |
After exploring the Taal church, I decided to see one more church nearby. The Caysasay church I believe, just like Taal, is also ancient. The exterior though is quite plain. The interior is still intact. The paintings on the ceiling, the pulpit and the dome are still in good condition.
Several Heritage houses can be found along "Calle Agoncillo". Taal s now a Heritage town and is known as the Barong Tagalog and Balisong capital of the Philippines.
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