06/06/2023
The Basilica of Taal, completed in 1878, and dedicated to St Martin of Tours is the biggest church in the Philippines (and they claim in all of Asia). It is a testament of faith that this small town built so impressive a church. It should be better known and studied.
Compare the church circa 1900 (Top) with that in May 2023 (Bottom). I wish I knew how to take better pictures. Off-hand the new steeple resembles a baby bottle ni**le.
The church exterior shorn of its plaster covering or "palitada" is quite romantic because you see what is often hidden under whitewashed plaster, but I should ask my friends in the historical preservation sector if stripping a structure of its protective "skin" for aesthetics is good in the long run.
Instead of crying over structures long gone like the Jai Alai building or the recently burned Manila Post Office shouldn't we be more pro-active and take a second look at extant heritage at risk and not wait for disaster to strike.
