about ECCLESIOPHILIA

While I am not sure if such a word already exists, the term refers to my fondness to the majestic architecture of some of the Philippine religious structures-- a loanword from the Greek root "ecclesio-" meaning "church" and "-philia" meaning "love." However, the word "ecclesiophobia" was officially introduced by the medical world and means otherwise.
I mostly fancy the façades of various antebellum Roman Catholic churches scattered across the country for their splendid European influences.

19 October 2009

Our Lady of The Abandoned Parish (Paroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados)

I always pass by this church when I'm homebound to Pasig from Marikina, and just learned that it is actually older than I first thought. Despite the modernistic feel (or maybe just because some parts were newly painted), the establishment was founded by the Augustinian friars in the 1700's.

Originally, a chapel was built near the banks of the Marikina River (which is now known as Barangay Jesus dela Peña), but since it was experiencing seasonal flooding during the rainy season, the then Governor-General ordered it to be destroyed and abandoned, then transferred to a safer place. Crossing the river, they found the highest ground in the area on that time, and that is where the church stands in the present.

The parish church is home to the Virgin of the Abandoned Ones, the patroness of Marikina and Sta. Ana, Manila.
The original batingaw (church bell); the belfry was destroyed in the Second World War, and was replaced by an electronically-operated bell.
An image of the Virgin on the left side of the church
A statue of St. Michael the Archangel treading on Satan

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