Gazetted as a national historic monument
Now that I’m back in this progressive island state I wanted to take a closer look into how heritage structures are conserved and protected around here. Economy is still growing and there’s the constant pressure to expand the commercial urban landscape. They have to compromise when it comes to developing land for residential and commercial use because of limited space, but somehow they manage to hold on and preserve the ones that counts which I find admirable.
I recently visited the elegant tropical gothic church of Sts. Peter and Paul along Queens Road near the MRT station of Bras Brasa. I saw it two years ago and was reminded of our San Sebastian church in Manila.
The traveler and the church in the background. Rizal visited this church in one of his brief stopovers.
I was surprised to see the church having some slight signs of deterioration. The wooden doors and the choir loft’s floor have termite damage and the white paint from its high ceiling has begun to fell off. It must be the tropical weather combined with the salty elements in the air that accelerates material decay. We have this same problem with our old churches in the Visayas. Since parishes back home are left to fend for themselves, most restoration works are sub par, and what’s sad is that I’ve seen some, although having the best intentions to help, render relics and structures irreparable damage.
The church of Sts. Peter and Paul will be restored soon. If there’s one thing that Singaporeans do well that is organizing projects and making them happen. Solicitations for funding is underway. Restoration works here go through proper reviews before it gets implemented. Can’t wait to see it back to its former glory.
August 3rd, 2012 at 4:25 pm
BTW brod., you probably heard what happened to our dear our dear Tito – salamat sa inyo mgkakapatid, di mo na kilala iba mong cousins sana magkitakita pa.
August 3rd, 2012 at 4:11 pm
It’s nice to see your picture, pumayat ka Arsenio.
August 3rd, 2012 at 8:29 pm
@ Anonymous & Anonymous – Thanks for dropping by, its kinda hard to keep track of comments here. I appreciate you guys taking the time to see me here. If there’s anything personal or important you want me to know, please email me at: withonespast@gmail.com
@ Janice – Rizal visited all the old Catholic churches in the area. He didn’t mentioned the names in his diary but he described them in small detail
August 2nd, 2012 at 2:42 am
Really? Rizal visited this church? wow, I’ve been attending mass here for 1 year now I didn’t even know that