#335 Lucban Church

The present Lucban Church or Basilica actually sits on the ruins of the previous churches on the same site. The first one was built in 1595 and was destroyed in 1629, and a second church was constructed between 1630 and 1640 but was seriously damaged by fire in 1738. 

The present church was completed in 1738 and the convent in 1743. The church has exquisite architectural details, and the façade retains the familiar old Spanish style of Catholic churches in the Philippines. Unfortunately little maintenance work is being done to preserve the integrity of the church.  On the right side of the church is the site of the La Casa de Doña Ana, a big “bahay na bato” (house made of stone) – an architectural style for houses built for well-off Filipino families during the Spanish colonial period.  

Mabuhay ang Lucban Basilica!

#272 Casa Gorordo Museum

The Casa Gorordo Museum was originally a house built in the mid-19th century by Alejandro Reynes Rosales and bought by Juan Isidro de Gorordo, a Spanish merchant, in 1863. Four generations of the Gorordo family lived in this house, including Juan Gorordo, the first Filipino bishop of Cebu in 1910-1932.

Acquired in 1980 by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, the house was restored and later opened as a public museum. The Casa Gorordo Museum has been declared a national historical landmark by the National Historical Institute in 1991.

One of the three remaining old houses that dates back to the Spanish colonial period in the Parian district of Cebu, the Casa Gorordo is now a lifestyle museum that features altar pieces, antique furnishings, paintings and relics that gives visitors a glimpse of Cebu’s Spanish colonial era.

The lower floor of the Casa Gorordo Museum traditionally served as storage space. It now houses the offices of the museum, an area for the art exhibitions and a small store. The house is built using the massive and tough coral stones, which most century-old buildings in Cebu are made of. The roof is made of tisa clay. The second story has wooden floors and housed the antique furniture, costumes, books and memorabilia. (Source: text and photo from Mark Maranga travel blog)

Long live Casa Gorordo!