The Penafrancia Basilica Minore

My Bicol trip this 2011 was scheduled on the last day of July to early part of August had to be cancelled cos of the two typhoons (Juaning & Kabayan) , that came consecutively. One of the most injured parts of our country was the Bicol Region where my itchy feet were supposed to land on the exact dates the typhoons were on the rage.
Today it's all sunny here in Manila, but at this age of climate change/global warming , no one can really predict an exact weather status.

My last visit to Bicol was 7 months ago. It was a high school reunion trip to CamSur. Part of the trip was a small pilgrimage to some churches in this province.The first church we visited was Immaculate Concepcion Parish, it has an awesome ceiling _a dome of Christ's 12 apostles.

I thought  I would bring you to the second church we visited, so we all can pray together for the Bicolanos who are badly affected by those typhoons, may their sufferings cut short and a steadfast recovery for everyone.

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The Penafrancia Basilica Minore in Camsur is quite modern in architecture. I gathered that the construction was finalized on 1981. Very new compared to the old/antique churches we have all over the country.

The main door was closed when we touched the ground of the massive premises of the church. We had to enter through the side door . .

. . cos there was a beautiful wedding going on inside.

the side door led to the back of the main altar. .

Beautiful stained glass windows of the church.

this part was elevated and from here we could see the rest of the church.
very modern interior with lots of colors. .








Also here at the back of the altar is a staircase going to the altar where devotees have closer encounter with the statue of the Virgin Penafrancia..

Quite popular as a miraculous patroness of the province, Virgin Penafrancia's feast day is being celebrated grandly in the month of September particularly in Naga City.

If weather permitted, I wish I could revisit to observe the Feast of Penafrancia next month.

Naga City :The Dome of 12 Apostles

Three years ago, we passed by Naga City, as we came from a resort nearby. Since we were already there, we decided to look for the famous Penafrancia Church. We just asked around for the direction and found ourselves in Naga Metropolitan Cathedral. It was a beautiful church but we hadn't seen the image of Our Lady of  Penafrancia. Someone there said it was in another church that time.

Lately, I gathered that there are three major churches in the province that sit their own Virgin Penafrancia's replica on their altars -  Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, Our Lady of Penafrancia Shrine and Penafrancia Basilica Minore.

Two days before this 2011 ushered in, I attended a highschool batch reunion which was held there in touristy Camsur. Included was a tour,  visits to 2 Naga churches which I had presumed as both Our Lady Penafrancia churches.

Our first stop was at Immaculate Concepcion Parish. By the name of it, obviously it wasn't  a Penafrancia church. It had an unassuming facade but inside was a beautiful surprise.

No, not the altar which looked like those of ordinary parish churches.







The ceiling ! A dome of the 12 Apostles of Christ.













Inspired by St. Peter's Chapel in Vatican Rome, it bears portraits of the 12 apostles from Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( 17th cetury painter) prints.




The dome changes hue according to the calendar of the church.

The sophisticated dome is said to be constructed within P1 million budget. Extravagant or cheap? I'm clueless!!!

The Avenue Plaza Hotel, Naga City

Still tipsy from the holidays, I couldn't find energy to post my Camsur (CWC) blog. Not yet today. It was such a rushing trip, not at all relaxing, as it was hours before New Year was ushered in. Glancing over the photos tired me already. So I would put CWC aside for the mean time. Instead, I'd like to share you a place to stay in Naga City when you come to visit Camsur and decided not to stay inside the CWC, the way we did.

The Avenue Plaza Hotel was located at  Magsaysay Street in Naga City. CWC (Camsur) was 15 to 20 minutes drive away.












The hotel was hidden at the back of a mini commercial plaza and was quite deceiving when you sized it up by its facade and its tiny lobby. I thought it was small, only to realize how big it was when I got the chance to check the whole place the following morning. We had checked-in so late on the previous night and so tired we slept the moment we entered the room

The pool was a sweet surprise but ofcourse useless during an overnight stay.

Our room was pleasant and was never short of pleasing amenities. I have to special mention thu_ free wi-fi service was excellent even inside the room.

Food was good based on the complimentary b-fast buffet ( see here ) included in our accommodation.The hotel allowed even encouraged fast food chains' delivery by providing service nos. of these establishments, mostly located within the hotel area.




The hotel was awesome as expectations were met not only by the facilities but also through the sophistication of the service. I almost forgot that I was in a province. It was like a Manila 5 star hotel.