St. James the Apostle Church, Betis, Guagua, Pampanga

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Part 3 of the Libotero Pampanga and Malolos Heritage Series

DAY 2.

After the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Guagua, the next church on my list was the Church of St. James the Apostle in Betis, still in Guagua.

I asked around for directions on how to get there and the best option was to take a tricycle and so I did. Betis is actually a barangay located a few kilometers away from the town proper. Although the barangay is now known as San Miguel, locals and old-timers still prefer to call it Betis (same as how we Cebuanos still refer to Osmena Boulevard as Jones Avenue). The tricycle ride cost me P30 and I was dropped right in front of the Church.

As I saw the Church, my jaw dropped in awe. The Church was so massive and pretty in pink! I knew about this church since my good friend, Eric would always mention about it everytime we’d talk about beautiful churches. And when I finally saw it in person, I could say that it’s not just beautiful, it’s marvelous!

Built in 1754 and completed in 1770, the Betis Church is marked by Baroque-inspired architecture which was predominant during its period of construction.

Although the exterior is massive, I wasn’t really that impressed, especially that I’ve seen tens of churches all over the country. But as the saying goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. The true character of the Betis Church lies within.

The main door was locked but I managed to sneak in through the Convent while everyone else was busy with the Pre-Jordan seminar. Evil me!

As I got in, I felt goosebumps as my eyes began to wander around every detail of the church interiors. I’ve heard and read that this church is often called the “Sistine Chapel of the Philippines” and at that moment, I had no reason to doubt it.

No amount of descriptive words could accurately present the real beauty of the Betis Church. You have to be there to really appreciate and experience the art!

Let’s start with the main door. The entrance to the Church features some heavy details. The carvings portray the “Gates of Paradise”. It’s like a grand welcome to heaven!

The intricately painted ceilings, which were painted in a way that would make them look 3-dimensional, shows various biblical scenes and reminds us of the power of faith in God to influence and inspire people from all walks of life. Someone named Simon Flores, is said to be the man originally behind the amazing artwork. In the early 1900s, the church interiors were said to be extensively beautified and restored.

The dome is spectacularly breathtaking! And take note, those railings are not paintings, they’re real!

Finally, all of the beautiful grand details of the interiors meet at the retablo. Religious icons are placed inside niches in successive levels, made of carved grand old timber, showcasing the patrons of the various communities under the Betis Church. The characteristic is common among Church built during the Spanish Colonial Period.

The church’s interior is nothing short of an art masterpiece. And for its beauty and historical significance, the Betis Church has been rightfully declared as a National Cultural Treasure. As I take a look at all these details, I feel very much thankful to the artists for sharing their craft for everyone to appreciate. And ofcourse, major thank yous should go to the locals and everyone else responsible for the efforts to restore and preserve this one-of-a-kind Church!

P.S.: After I took all of the above photos, a guy approached me and asked me if I was taking pictures. I said “yes, but I deleted them”. He then replied, “Good, because taking pictures is prohibited here. You have to ask permission from the office first before you can shoot”. Then I sneaked out of the Church, LOL. I’m sorry but I was only reprimanded after I took all of the photos and therefore, I should share them with you here, hehehe!

(…to be continued)

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6 Comments

1. 

   G

   April 29, 2011 at 2:02 pm

   Hi! I meant to post my comment after Holy Week but I got busy with work. Thanks for your blog. I was able to come up with a good itinerary for the Visita Iglesia last Maundy Thursday.

   Unfortunately, unlike you, I was not able to see the altars/images inside the church because they were all covered with cloth. But, I was not stopped from taking photos inside Betis Church. The guy just said, no camera flashes.

   Keep it up. God bless..

   Reply
   • 

     Sinjin

     April 30, 2011 at 4:29 pm

     Hello! Great to hear! Thank you

     Reply
2. 

   tagaBetiskupu

   February 6, 2012 at 11:04 pm

   Ang Betis po ay hidi barangay, isa rin po syang town katulad ng Guagua, pero under po sya ng Municipality ng Guagua, ang tawag po ng Wikipedia sa Betis ay isang “sectoral area”. Ang Betis po ay may pitong barangay, ang mga ito ay ang San Miguel, Sta. Ines, San Nicolas, San Agustin, Sta. Ursula, San Juan Nepomuceno at San Juan Bautista. Ang simbahan po ng Betis or St. James the Apostle Parish church ay nasasakop po ng barangay San Nicolas at hindi po ng San Miguel. Akin pong ipinagmamalaki na ako ay dito isinilang at lumaki, at dito din po ako ikinasal ng noon ay pari na si Fr. Ed Panlilio na naging gobernador ng Pampanga at ako rin po ay dating miembro ng choir sa simbahang ito. Natatandaan ko rin po na noong bata pa ako ay gustong gusto kong tumitingala habang nagsisimba kami sa simbahang ito, dahil parang gusto kong malaman kung ano lahat ang istorya ng mga imahen na naka-pinta sa kisame ng simbahan at sa aglipas ng panahon sa kada linggo na pagsisimba at madalas na pagpunta sa simbahan ay unti unti na mabubuo sa isip mo kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng mga imahen, at kung minsan naman ay pinapaliwanag ng mga paring nagmimisa ang mga ito.

   Anyway, maraming salamat po sa blog ninyo dahil napo-promote ang ganda ng simbahan ng Betis para sa mga mananampalataya at pati na rin sa mga turista, I’m sure kung i-explore pa ninyo ang simbahan ng Betis ay marami pa kayong matutuklasan tulad ng oldest artesian well in Pampanga.

   Reply

3. Pingback: Saint James the Great Parish Church (Betis, Guagua, Pampanga) « Pinoy Churches

4. 

   Jason Paul Laxamana

   April 22, 2012 at 9:07 am

   tagaBetiskupu: You are mistaken. Guagua is a municipality, and Betis is not. It USED TO BE a separate town. In fact, one of the oldest towns in Pampanga.

   Betis is not a barangay though. Again, IT USED TO BE, nung time na binabawasan ng mga Kastila (or was it the Americans?) ang mga municipality ng Pampanga kasi marami daw. Santo Tomas was absorbed by San Fernando. Betis was absorbed by Guagua. If I’m not mistaken, Santa Ane was absorbed by Candaba. Etc. During the time na binabalik sa dati, Betis unfortunately was unable to secede from Guagua, unlike Santo Tomas, which successfully split from San Fernando. Same case with Santa Ana.

   Today, Betis is one of the four “areas” of Guagua, the other three being Poblacion (Downtown) Area, Pangulo (Northern) Area, and Locion Area.

   Reply