Mondragon Town Center

Entering the Mondragon town center, from the bridge we turned left at what looked like a busy street corner with lots of tricycles (pedicabs and centercabs) waiting to be hailed.

Driver and I were surprised to see this 'unique' welcome arch!

We found it funny weird that the sides and base of this arch looks like a gate to the "poblacion" of Mondragon. Is there something like that? A gate so you can enter a town? Look, there's even a guard house! Sarcastically, I asked "ano ito, exclusive subdivision?!

Anyway, btw, that "yellow-greenish" fence at right is that of Mondragon 1 Central School. Driver moved onwards, turned left, and easily found the church and the municipal hall.

This is the St. Anthony of Padua Parish Church of Mondragon Northern Samar...

I may have been "over-watching" NatGeo and Discovery TV Channels, because, what came to mind when I was taking this photo was... that thing is an F-15E standing on its tail!

Maybe the architect of this church is fond of fighter jets! But it's beautiful anyway, right?

Standing from the main door, this is how the insides of this church looks...

For about 10 seconds, please gaze (without blinking) at the center of the altar. You will feel like something is drawing you towards it. That's not miracle or mystery but science!

Then try looking anywhere else in that picture. You will still feel "the force"!

That is how good the architect is in applying his skills! The interiors are made such that the lines that actually and impliedly register in a person's brain seem to be pointing to the very center of the altar -- which should always be the case, right? Exemplary design!

Here's my closer look at the altar... that is also attractively clean!

Look at the retablo, lines 'generated' by the material used and how they were positioned somehow creates depth, such that the wall behind St. Anthony looks recessed, right?

And the "step-ladder" design of the vertical strips slowly brings you to the top where the crucified Jesus is! Lastly, look at the ceiling. There's a wash of light from the glass on the wall, such that the ceiling lines become like the sun's rays emanating from behind Jesus!

Magaling! Mahusay!

And this is the "priest's view" of the pews all the way to the choir loft...

Looks very nice too, right? The glass panels at the top let's in additional illumination especially to the choir loft. Well, the dark entablatures on the pillars are big fat and ugly!

Then I saw this posted on the back wall of the façade.., "The Choir Loft Design"...

Hmm, comparing the two pictures above, something was not followed. Like the "ledge". And there are no big fat and ugly dark entablatures on the pillars by design! Engineer?!

Oh, I got absorbed on the structure hehe. Magaling pa rin! Except the choir loft pillars!

Okay and anyway, I hopped over to the municipal hall. It sits beside the church. Just like in Bobon, they are "partitioned" by a fence. "Separation of Church and State" nga, di ba?!

I could see it from the church grounds - the blue building. It looked like being repaired.

I still walked around to go near it, for whatever I might still see, even if under repair...

Eto! The building itself is not being repaired (I think) but they're building a multipurpose thing (basketbolan gad udog) in front of it! Meaning, we will not see it in full anymore!

Well well, Mano Manuel paragkawil... if it's any consolation, I saw this on the sidewalk...

I am not even sure if this thing (logo? seal?) is being demolished, or "under repair" too!

My favorite to see, btw, the old wooden houses! I was only able to snap 3 photos:

This one was first to capture my attention as it's just a few houses from the municipal hall as we drove out of the place. A "palaisipan" though. How many houses were these originally? If I base it on the upper walls, the 5 windows comprised 1 big house, I think!

We turned left on that corner, and this one was next to wow me...

Walls at ground level are now concrete, even part of the rear 2nd floor (probably a CR).

Across the street (this can be seen at the edge of the picture above) is this house...

Sayang 'no? The wood has decayed. But this house won't crumble. Look, everything at ground level is already 'hollow blocks'. Even that painted azotea is also already concrete!

Now now.., since I got busy with my camera and those two houses, I missed something big. Another big church named San Antonio De Padua which made my chinky eyes grow wide! Aren't "St. Anthony of Padua" and "San Antonio De Padua" one and the same? Good the driver was alert (this time hehe), he pointed to the big letters "IFI", which we know, means Iglesia Filipina Independiente or Aglipayan or Philippine Independent Church.

Don't ask me what's the difference. I wondered long ago, no answer yet!

Alright, that Anunciacion St in the picture above goes straight to the yellow-green fence of Mondragon 1 Central School we passed-by earlier! So it was easy to find our way out!

Thus, we went out of Mondragon and continued on to San Roque. That's my next story!