IT has been a tradition of Catholics to visitchurches or do the visita iglesia every Holy Thursday during Holy Week or Semana Santa. This practice dates back when devotees would visit the seven great basilicas in Rome for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during Maundy Thursday.

In the Philippines, the tradition includes a contemplation of the 14 stations of the cross. Most visit seven churches, with two stations per visit. While others, with more time and effort, visit 14.

There are four Baroque churches in the country on the UNESCO World Heritage List worth visiting during the Holy Week. Make them your start off point for the Visita Iglesia. Up North in Ilocos Norte is the San Agustin Church in Paoay, built from 1694 to 1710. It is a premier example of Philippine “Earthquake Baroque,” an architectural solution to the area’s challenging, natural setting. Both sides of the nave are lined with 26 massive side-buttresses and a number of external staircases. They are decorated with huge scrolls and topped by decorative pinnacles. There are other famous churches nearby: St. William’s Cathedral in Laoag famous for its sinking bell tower; St. Monica Church in Sarrat, the biggest church in the Ilocos Region; Bacarra Church which was destroyed during an intensity 7.8 earthquake in 1983, reconstructed and reinaugurated in 1984; and the Immaculate Conception Parish in Batac built in 1587. In Sta.

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HOLY Week is observed to commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ through various observances and worship services. In Roman Catholic tradition, the conclusion to the week is called the Easter Triduum, which begins Thursday evening of Holy Week with the Eucharist and concludes with evening prayers on Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday (March 28 this year) signals the end of the 40-day Lenten season and the start of Holy Week. Traditionally, the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is reenacted by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. It is customary to have a blessing of palm leaves before the mass.

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