14 May 2012

LAGUNA DIARIES: PILA - Small Town With A Bevy of Ancestral Houses & A Beautiful Church

Pila is a small 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna with a total land area of 31.2 kms. A quaint town that you will pass by on your way to much known towns such as Pagsanjan. Best known for their collection of ancestral houses that dates back to early Spanish period.

WELCOME! BIENVENIDOS!
Per Wikipedia, the National Historical Institute of the Philippines declared the town plaza and surrounding ancestral houses a National Historical Landmark on May 17, 2000. Two years later, on July 9, 2002, the Diocese of San Pablo proclaimed the parish church of San Antonio de Padua de Pila as the Diocesan Shrine of St. Anthony. According to Philippine historian, Dr. Luciano Santiago, it is the only town in the Philippines that is formally recognized as a historical site by both the church and the state.

Shown below are the architectural structures that withstood the test of time.. that witnessed history in the making over and over again:
Well preserved!



Rudolfo Relova Ancestral House
Jose Agra Ancestral House

The Pila Museum at my back. Wished I could have had the time to enter and explore what it offers to the public. Next time..
Pila's charming Municipal Hall that blends well with its neighboring houses
The San Antonio de Padua Church. The first Antonine church in the Philippines established in 1581, the 350th death anniversary of St. Anthony himself. 




It looked very big from outside but just the right size when you get inside.
Angels guard this church
The interiors of the church looked visibly modern but the exterior facade more than made up for its old-world charm

My picture that was taken in a hurry! The hearse was fast approaching the entrance for their schedule and I was in their way. Sorry!

So beautiful!
A beautiful day highlighted theBeautiful and colorful.
The plaza. Definitely a place where everyone can convene for a formal affair or for a casual conversation with the neighbors, or other townspeople.
I would love to go back to this place and stay for a while, just sitting at the town's plaza and taking in the scenes in front of me. I really appreciated the charm of this quaint town, that's for sure!

7 comments:

  1. Hi Michy, I know right! as in hilera sya ng mga ganyan! and Pagsanjan has the same old houses na well-kept. =)

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  2. Wow! Love how those ancestral homes can just transport you to a different era.. :D The San Antonio de Padua church's facade is timeless and beautiful too! Hope I can visit the town of Pila in the future :)

    xoxo,
    www.thepurpledoll.net

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    1. Hi Sumi, yep, the church's facade is really beautiful. And this little town has so many ancestral homes, it's amazing! Do visit in the near future and discover their hole-in-the-wall foodie discoveries there. Ill watch out for that =)

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  3. hope I can visit there someday. BTW, i like your top. hihi :)

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    1. Please do, it's a quaint town that is quite a revelation.

      About my top,thanks! I'll let you in on a small secret..bought it for P80.00 only, brand new! Not so secret anymore. Haha! =)

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  4. Ang ganda ng mga ancestral houses! Cool photos!

    Rizza (beingwell)

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