I’ve never been as excited in attending a church wedding as I did last January when I was invited to join L’s cousin’s wedding somewhere in Bulacan.

An hour of scenic view across NLEX and some minutes of dodging traffic among the local karatig jeepney’s (a smaller version of the usual jeeps) plying the streets of Malolos, and the historic Barasoain Church finally filled our windshield. Yes, the wedding’s gonna be held at the same place where the first Filipino Republic under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was founded on. Pardon my being a history geek, but I really love these kinds of stuff.
Barasoain Church, formally known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, was built in 1630 by Augustinian Missionaries. It has been called the Cradle of Democracy in the East due to the historical events that transpired within its walls during the Spanish Regime in the country.

I’d have to say that the church looked smaller in reality than what my mind’s eye painted it, but it doesn’t mean it is less impressive. Designed in the Neo Classical tradition, its most prominent features are its huge rose window and its rounded outlines which contrast heavily with its pointed medieval belfry. All of this however, is only a reconstruction of the original which burned down in 1884 during the revolution. 1884 is still eons ago, so as far as antiquities goes, this church’s still pretty much an antique.