Basilica of St. Martin of Tours

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The Basilica of St. Martin of Tours

The Basilica of St. Martin of Tours ( tagalog : Basilica ni San Martin ng Tours ) is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Lipa in the Philippines . It is on Saint Martin Street in Taal Municipality .

The house of God, dedicated to St. Martin of Tours , is considered the largest church in Southeast and East Asia .

history

The first church building made of wood with a roof structure made of nipa palm leaves - was built in 1575 on the current site of the church under the direction of priest Diego Espinar and Martin von Tours - was destroyed in 1642 when the Taal erupted .

The traveler San Augustin reports on the decision to build a new stone church. This was destroyed in 1754 in the largest documented eruption of the Taal volcano to date.

From 1756 the next church was made of coral stone , the first construction phase of which lasted until 1781. The priest Jose Vitoria requested silverware in 1782 in order to be able to start the interior work, the completion date of which has not been recorded. In 1831, Bishop José Segufvon was impressed by the fully equipped church because of its size and its art treasures.

When the Taal erupted in 1852, the church was again badly damaged, so it was decided to build the church that still exists today under the direction of the architect Don Luciano Oliver. This new building was initiated in 1854 by priest Marcos Antón with the aim of building the largest sacred building in Asia . It was started in 1858 and consecrated in 1865, still unfinished. The completion of the church lasted until 1878, the equipment was carried out under the direction of the priest Agapito Aparicio.

In 1942, during the invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese Empire , the small bell tower was destroyed. In 1948 Pope Pius XII raised the church to the Basilica minor.

In 1970 the church was damaged by a typhoon and then renovated again.

On January 16, 1974, President Ferdinand Marcos declared the Church a National Cultural Monument of the Philippines.

  • The facade of the church

  • Interior of the church seen from the altar

  • The choir of the basilica

See also

Other major churches in the Philippines

Web links

Coordinates: 13 ° 52 ′ 50 "  N , 120 ° 55 ′ 29.4"  E