The Taal Basilica, canonically known as the Minor Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours (

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

: ''Basilika ni San Martin ng Tours'';

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Basílica Menor de San Martín de Tours''), is a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

in the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Taal, Batangas Taal (), officially the Municipality of Taal ( tgl, Bayan ng Taal), is a 3rd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, within the

Archdiocese of Lipa In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. It is considered to be the largest

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

in the Philippines and in Asia, standing long and wide.

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...

is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Taal, whose feast is celebrated every November 11.

History

Earlier churches

In 1575, three years after the founding of the town of Taal in its old site near the shores of

Taal Lake Taal Lake ( tl, Lawa ng Taal, ), formerly known as Bombón Lake, is a freshwater caldera lake in the province of Batangas, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The lake fills Taal Volcano, a large volcanic caldera formed by very large e ...

, work began on the construction of its first church by Father Diego Espinar, O.S.A. with

as patron saint. The church was rebuilt in 1642 using stronger materials, but it was destroyed in 1754 along with the town of Taal in the largest recorded eruption of the Taal Volcano. This event led to transfer of the town and the church farther away from the volcano to its present site atop an elevated hill facing

Balayan Bay Balayan Bay is a large bay of Luzon Island in the Philippines. It is part of the Verde Island Passage and its entire shore is in the province of Batangas. The bay is between wide. It is separated from the South China Sea to the west by the Calata ...

. The ruins of the previous church can still be seen in the present-day town of San Nicolas. Father Martín Aguirre donated the land and began the construction of the new church in 1755. It was continued by Father Gabriel Rodriguez in 1777 and by Father Jose Victoria in 1782. Father Ramon del Marco decorated the church, built the convent, and paved the "processional" road with bricks around the atrium of the parochial building. This church was damaged by a strong earthquake on September 16, 1852, centered near the Taal Volcano, though no volcanic eruption was recorded.

Present church

Philippine Island - Batangas - NARA - 68155860

Construction of the present church began in 1856 by Father Marcos Antón with Spanish architect Luciano Oliver, commissioned to design and manage the construction of the new church. Although it was unfinished, it was inaugurated in 1865. The huge church was completed by Father Agapito Aparicio in 1878, adding the main altar of

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

style measuring high and wide. He was also responsible for the

baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

made with tiles imported from Europe. The stone church had three naves with a grand transept and an elegant façade with Ionic and Doric orders. A small tower on the left side of the façade contained the large church bell, which in 1942 was destroyed by an earthquake.

Minor Basilica and further renovations

The church was then restored in 1953 in preparation for the Canonical Coronation of the

Our Lady of Caysasay Our Lady of Caysasay ( es, Nuestra Señora de Caysasay) is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas in the Philippines. The image, which depicts the Immaculate Conceptio ...

. The following year on December 8, 1954, the church was declared as a

, the third in the country to be given such honor. The church was again restored in 1972 by the Taal Quadricentennial Council for the 400th anniversary of the town's establishment. By Presidential Decree No. 375 on January 16, 1974, the church was declared a national shrine. The old belfry was later rebuilt in 1990 under the supervision of the

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

. In 2011, upon the assignment of Monsignor Alfredo Madlangbayan, the basilica underwent another renovation as sections the church interior were repainted to match its original trompe l'oeil ceilings. The tower was also modified to imitate the old tower destroyed by the earthquake of 1942, and a new set of carillon bells was later installed. The renovations was completed in November that same year. On April 4, 2017, the basilica was damaged by a magnitude-5.5 earthquake that struck

Tingloy Tingloy, officially the Municipality of Tingloy ( tgl, Bayan ng Tingloy), is a 5th class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 19,215 people. The municipality comprises Mari ...

. The basilica was significantly damaged further by twin earthquakes (magnitudes 5.6 and 6.0) that struck the neighboring towns of Mabini and

Taysan Taysan, officially the Municipality of Taysan ( tgl, Bayan ng Taysan), is a 2nd class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

that occurred four days later on April 8. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is undertaking some precautionary measures in order to preserve the basilica.

Gallery

File:Basilica of Taal-front.JPG, Church façade File:Allan Jay Quesada- DSC 0269 Basilica de San Martin de Tours, Taal, Batangas.JPG, Front of the church, 2012 File:The nave from the Altar, Basilica de San Martin de Tours (Taal).jpg, The nave viewed from the main sanctuary File:Nave of the Taal Basilica.jpg, Another view of the nave File:TaalBasilicajf2305 11.JPG, façade File:Saint Martin de Tours Basilica.jpg, Church façade and Taal Park in the foreground File:Taal Basilica (Altar).JPG, Renovated high altar File:Taal, Batangas (47).jpg, Ceiling mural

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Taal Basilica Info Web Page

St. Martin of Tours Brochure
Diocese of Lipa. {{DEFAULTSORT:Taal Basilica Basilica churches in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches in Batangas Buildings and structures in Taal, Batangas Marked Historical Structures of the Philippines National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines Baroque church buildings in the Philippines Neoclassical church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipa