St. James Church in Dapitan
From Zamboanga City our next stop was up north of Mindanao to the twin cities of Dipolog and Dapitan. It was a long 8 hour ride from an ordinary air cooled bus. Departing mid-day and arriving a little past at 8 in the evening. It was tiring since we were expecting it to be shorter. Spending a night in Dipolog, moving the next day to neighboring Dapitan. It was rainy in these parts already when we got there and was only able to take photos of the beautiful church of Dapitan.
St James Church Interiors Loft View
I really like Dapitan. The town has this charming old feel, well laid out, has some nice old houses. It seems Jose Rizal, did well in building the foundation of this town when he was exiled here for 4 years from 1892 to 1896. From opening a school and hospital, he helped out in building the town, beautifying it to be comparable to the places he visited in Europe. And during his four years, there is a particular spot in town where people are sure to see him every Sunday, it’s at St James Church.
St James impressive Church Ceiling”
St James Church is a typical baroque style church built in 1871, in honor of St. James the Greater, Dapitan’s parton saint. What’s striking and unique about this church is it’s ceiling and dome design. A mesmerizing pattern which will definitely draw any eyes to the sky.
St James Church Prayers and offering room
It was unfortunate we were ot able to go around more due to the weather. But from what I have seen of Dapitan, it’s one of the better cities I’ve been to. Their Sunset Boulevard holds a lot of promise and the places to stay as well as the food are reasonably cheap. A place definitely worth getting back to.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
