Our family spent the Christmas of 2008 in the island of Bohol, a province south of Metro Manila, in the Visayas region. The place is well-known because of the Chocolate Hills, considered one of the wonders of the world and also for it’s beaches.
Bohol also has some of the oldest churches in the Philippines. One of them, The Church of Immaculada Concepcion in Baclayon, is said to be the 2nd oldest stone church in the Philippines. It is said that millions of egg whites were used as cement in building this church.
There is a museum within the compound of the church which houses very old relics. Unfortunately cameras were not allowed in the museum and I didn’t really find myself interested in the dusty old things :D
The inside of the church was interesting. I’m not Catholic so I haven’t really been to many of their churches. I was impressed with the interior of the church and part of the ceiling.
This next picture is of the facade of the church.
Did you see the apparition? I didn’t see it at first but while looking through the LCD screen of my camera, I noticed that the pattern of the weather-worn pillars of the church seemed to form a face.
I felt a bit uneasy but also doubtful but I mentioned it to my companions. It was then that our tour guide/driver overheard and mentioned that the ‘image’ gradually appeared over the past couple of years and was said to be very similar to that of Father Pio, an Italian missionary who became a saint.
Well, I’m not superstitious but the stains on the pillar really looks like a face and it really has some similarity to the portrait of St. Pio.
