miss iggy and panay's big bells

miss iggy's back at panay church in panay, capiz, in the phillipines!

this time she made it up the belfry. a climb of almost 70 steep steps, this was no little feat for this little iggy. behind her are people from the mindanao region admiring the 300-year old bells.

here she is with the biggest bell, made from 70 sacks of coins donated by the townspeople.

and inside the bell, where the current townspeople are still contributing to the bell's overall aesthetic.

for those who can't go up the belfry the church has installed a replica bell outside of the church. it doesn't offer the same experience as climbing up a steep and narrow staircase but it does offer a preview of panay's big bells.

it's been said that the louder the sound of a church's bells, the bigger its territory is. like old-school cellsites, these big bells serve an important role in sending signals to the townspeople that the church is in their country and awaiting their submission. wider clanging coverage means more land area and more prospective souls for recruitment. this is important when one takes into account that religion was used to colonize and enslave the Philippines for more than 300 years. and if these bells were made out of coins donated by the townspeople, miss iggy thinks this project was a very successful enterprise indeed!

Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark

Holy Week in Miss Iggy's homeland, the Philippines, would include the Catholic tradition of going to different churches for prayer, a Lenten pilgrimage usually done on Good Friday or within Holy Week. This is known as "Visita Iglesia," or Church Visit. Miss Iggy had the opportunity to visit one landmark of a cathedral in Newark, New Jersey: the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacret Heart--right in the heart of the city of Newark.

Built in 1899, this majestic monument of Catholic faith for New Jersey folk was designated as an historic landmark by the New Jersey Historical Society in December 1974. Two years later, it was recognized nationally as a National Historic Site.

Miss Iggy wishes everyone a solemn Holy Week and an Egg-citing Easter Celebration!

Our Lady of Peñafrancia

All roads lead to Naga City, Camarines Sur for the yearly celebration of the Feast of the Virgin of Peñafrancia - miraculous patroness of the Bicol Region. This year marked the 300th year of the feast, and Mr. Iggy was among the millions who flocked to that part of South Luzon to pay honor to the virgin whom the Bicolanos fondly call "Ina" ("Mother"). During her feast day, pilgrims gather at her shrine to pay her homage for favors and blessings received. Mr. Iggy certainly has a lot to thank her for this year! Viva la Virgen!

Pan-ay's Big Bell

Miss Iggy marvels at the Sta. Monica Church in Pan-ay, Capiz: home of the "Dakung Lingganay" (Hiligaynon phrase) or Big Bell, the biggest ever in the Philippines and in the entire Asian continent. This national historic landmark is located just minutes away from the provincial capital, Roxas City.

 

The bell was said to be fashioned out of 70 sacks of coins donated by the townsfolk back in 1878. 

The Spanish inscription on the bell translates to: “I am God’s voice which shall echo and praise from one end to the other of the town of Panay, so that the faithful followers of Christ may come to this house of God to receive the heavenly graces.”

The bell tower was closed at the time due to repairs, but luckily for Miss Iggy, there was this smaller replica of the bell to the right of the church.Visitors used to be able to climb a narrow staircase up the bell tower to see the actual Belle of all Bells.

London's got Big Ben, the Philippines' got the Big Bell!

Our Lady of Light Parish

Miss Iggy was at this church last month to witness a wedding in Cainta, Rizal. It was quite close to where Gingmaganda lives. The motif for the wedding was "pomelo peach."

Does the pomelo fruit ever have a peach hue?

Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine

Miss Iggy's first pilgrimage to the Our Lady of Manaoag Shrine in Manaoag, Pangasinan.

Devotees from all over the Philippines and the world come here to pray for different petitions such as good health, good fortune, marriage and work opportunities. People whose prayers have been answered sometimes return here to thank Mama Mary for the favor received. Our Lady of Manaoag has become the patroness not only of the town of Manaoag, but also of the province of Pangasinan.

National Shrine of St. Therese

A Rose by another name would have to be St. Therese of Lisieux, also known as the "Little Flower," because that is the flower associated with this young Carmelite saint. Miss Iggy went on a pilgrimage to her National Shrine in Darien, Illinois last September 2009.


Inside the shrine is the "largest wood carving in the United States" depicting the life of St. Therese. Visitors can take home a miniature version of this beautiful wooden art from the shrine's gift shop.

While there, you can admire the "most wonderful collection of relics, personal effects and memorabilia of Therese outside of France."

St. Therese's other National Shrine on the northern side of the border is in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Miss Iggy on vacation

Did Conniechiwa just wish for Miss Iggy to hop on a cruise ship?

Singapurple Iggy boarding the Norwegian Cruise ship "Norwegian Gem" for seven days of sun basking and sight-seeing in the Mediterranean. Ahh. As they inform you once the ship sails: "We are officially on vacation!"

Can you guess where she's been to? (photos in random)

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Ottawa

Jersey Iggy visited the oldest surviving church in Ottawa: the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica.

It was recognized as a National Historical Site in 1978. Located just across the National Gallery of Canada, tourists of all faiths come here to admire the intricate Gothic interiors of this church.

Amused with Syracuse

Miss Iggy is "Lettin' Loose in the 'Cuse!"

Jersey Iggy has always been passing through Syracuse when going to Canada or somewhere else in upstate New York, such as this rest stop off the highway in Syracuse.

But on her way back from Canada last June, she decided to exit at downtown Syracuse to see the sights. Here she is on the street near the Onondaga County Courthouse.

Aside from it being the home of Syracuse University, the 'Cuse is also where you can find the Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion, shown here behind Miss Iggy.

Mother and Child Outdoor Chapel

To the right of the Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida is an outdoor chapel dedicated to the Mother and Child. Your path is lined with lovely palm trees, the same ones she saw in Myrtle Beach. Those bells actually chime at certain times.

It's a tranquil place for prayer and meditation where you can also light candles.

Miss Iggy admired the statue of the Mother and Child inside. After all, she herself is a mother...with a child!

After a solemn moment, she was ready to head out to Disney World!

Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine

Miss Iggy sends warm, sunshiny greetings from the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida. She was here one sunny Sunday last April. It's the closest Catholic church in the DisneyWorld area.

It's a large church once you're inside with a seating capacity of 2,000. It has a museum and gift shop.

And lots of palm trees!

miss iggy and saint anthony

Miss Iggy at the St. Anthony Catholic Church in Istanbul

miss iggy and steffl

Miss Iggy at the St. Stephen's Cathedral

Vienna Vixen Iggy is happy to share with you a few things about Stephansdom or St. Stephen's Cathedral:

- it is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna

- it has 23 bells, the largest one called the Pummerin, hanging at the north tower

- the south tower is 136 meters tall, while the north tower is only 68 meters tall

- St. Stephen's feast day is on December 26, a holiday in Vienna

- in the church's basement, catacombs and crypts can be found

- the Stephansdom appears on the Austrian 10 cent coin as well as the packaging of Manner wafers (apparently the church allowed the wafer company to use the cathedral's image as their logo, in exchange the company would pay the salary of one stone mason doing repair work)

church of scientology, new york

jersey iggy was amazed to see the church of scientology of new york...right in the theatre district! (at west 46th st. to be exact). she was at a good vantage point for a photo, but then the big, red rutgers bus partially blocked the church sign.

miss iggy found out that the first scientology church was in camden, new jersey, founded by L. Ron Hubbard. and of course, we all know that tomkat (tom cruise & katie holmes) have been all over the tabloids and entertainment magazines for being famous followers of this religion.

mr and ms iggy at caleruega

mr. and ms iggy found themselves enjoying the cool air on a valentine's date at caleruega church in nasugbu, batangas. calaruega church is situated on a hill and is a popular choice for weddings.

iggy sister The Becky just recently had her wedding here. =)

our lady of peace and good voyage

up in the mountain city of antipolo in the provice of rizal, philippines, miss iggy went on a pilgrimage last november 2008 to visit the shrine of "nuestra señora dela paz y buen viaje," (our lady of peace and good voyage) or as the locals call her, "the virgin of antipolo."

(miss iggy thanks princess ody for introducing her to poladroid, a free software that turns her photos into polaroid-like images! viva la vintage!)

the miraculous statue of the virgin mary was brought to manila from mexico in 1626 by governor juan niño de tavera. when he died in 1632, the statue was turned over to the jesuits in the church of antipolo. this lady was declared "patroness of the galleons" (at a time when manila actively participated in the "galleon trades") because of the safe passage of the galleons of acapulco to the philippines, and even surviving an oceanic tempest. she was on board and crossed the pacific 8 times in 1641, 1643, 1645-46 on the "san luis"; 1648-1649 on the "encarnacion"; 1650 on the "san diego," 1651-1653 on the "san javier," 1659-1662 on the "san jose" and in 1746-1748 on the "nuestra señora del pilar." that's a lot of spanish galleon cruises!

it is for this reason that the antipolo church is a favorite prayer place for people seeking to travel and/or work abroad (which a lot of filipinos do), and for having their newly-purchased vehicles blessed. miss iggy instantly felt an affinity for the virgin of antipolo...she wants to be blessed for her future travels and adventures in the road of life!

for more information about visiting the shrine of our lady of peace and good voyage in antipolo city, click here.