Jimenez, Misamis Occidental Church of St. John the Baptist

24 Comments

I have fascinations for old churches and temples. The mere idea that an old church exists is like a magnet that pulls me. So here I am in Jimenez town in the province of Misamis Occidental.

At the gate, the church looks like one of the usual-old churches I have seen. At any rate, I have to get inside to say a little prayer, take pictures, appreciate religious arts and perhaps be blessed.

As I walked inside, my attention was first caught by an unusual smell – how do I say it, the smell of bats, smell of old wood, stale water – unpleasant smell in other words. But it was nothing when I started to notice what is inside the church.

With a construction primarily built of coral stones, the church has a Baroque-European architectural style. An 1898 ceiling painting created of tabique Pampango, a timber panel coated with a mixture of lime and sand, is the centerpiece of its interior, which also features sculpture, portraiture, and metalworks.

The antique church altar and the Gothic-style pillars inside the church have maintained their splendor throughout time. The paintings on the church’s ceiling, which are truly intriguing and fascinating, are one of its main draws.

The columns are made of hard woods and these are the very woods used centuries ago. The church is adorned with old images of saints.

The parishioners take careful care of and maintain the church. In reality, the National Historical Institute (NHI) has inspected the church and designated it as National Cultural Heritage. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) initiated the church’s restoration.

Truly indeed, the church of Saint John the Baptist in Jimenez is not one of the usual churches I have seen. It is among the best preserved and one of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines.

The Church of Saint John the Baptist is one of the Philippines’ oldest churches. The century-old Spanish Catholic Church is located in Jimenez, a predominantly Catholic town. Jimenez’s church appears to be old and silent. It is situated alongside the highway. Even though the church is old, it is still beautiful on the inside, and visitors will be impressed by the fine design and architecture.

24 Comments

  1. My wife and I travelled from Ozamis to Oroqieta and then to Dapitan last June. I remember the bus having a stop in Jimenez. Had I known about this church, we should have had a day visiting it. Will surely do in the future.

    Like

    Reply

  2. A treasure indeed. Superb interiors! Just like what I see in the churches here. Hope they continue to maintain it and the budget will not run out.

    Like

    Reply

      1. (I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the corerct place as I was unable to post it from the Dashboard.)The type of physician I would like to work with is a gerontologist. A gerontologist specializes in caring for the elderly. I have a fondness for our older population. They built out society and lived in a time that many of us can learn from. I would take great pride in caring for them as they age. In my opinion, working with a doctor that shares my passion and excitement would be the ideal work environment.The type of physician I would not be as excited to work with would be a proctologist. To be completely honest, I just don’t think I have what it takes to be in that environment. It’s important to be professional in any medical environment. I believe my sense of humor would not allow me to be as professional as I would need to be. I would also prefer not to work with ophthalmologist. Several years ago I spent a week with my grandfather at a specialist to have cataracts removed. I found it very difficult to watch the videos of my grandfather’s up coming procedures. It wasn’t difficult caring for my grandfather after surgery, but I must admit the pre-op was an experience that I would not want to assist in on a daily bases.

        Like

        Reply

  5. nice one sir! i specially love the ceilings of old churches and this one is no exception… kaso sana ma linis at maintain nila ng mas maayos para di mabaho hahaha… well actually more of ma prevent yung mas malaking gastusin in the future sa mas malaking restoration =)

    Like

    Reply

      1. Since I started in our cuchrh in January I’ve learned a lot about how cuchrh services are structured. The cuchrh I’m at would be described as traditional in terms of hymns / service structure (prayer / hymn / announcements / hymn / sermon / hymn / breaking of bread service.) This seemed to me to have been the case for many years.However what I have learned is that this structure appeals to many people, including those new to cuchrh as it is regular without being predictable, and they know what’s going to happen. In terms of the traditional nature of our praise etc, we are working with what we have, rather than grafting in new approaches from outside. The members of our cuchrh would welcome new approaches/methods within the cuchrh as long as the message of the Gospel wasn’t diluted / distracted from as can be the case in new approaches of cuchrh. I’d also like this to be organic as new people with creative gifts join the cuchrh and are encouraged to express them to the glory of God.We sit / we stand / we pray / we preach / we laugh / we cry / we sing / we’re quiet / we chat / we listen I think without being prescriptive that’s what the cuchrh is supposed to do!We’re structured enough to enable people to not feel out of place but we’re flexible enough to adapt the service depending on what’s happening That’s us I’m not saying it’s right or wrong or it couldn’t be amended slightly but, it’s just us.

        Like

        Reply

Leave a reply to nik_rielo Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.