CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents related literature, studies, and synthesis after the through

and in-depth search done by the researchers. This was consists of the related facts

gathered and synthesize from various materials such as books, journals, thesis, and

other online references. The gathered data helps the researchers to prove and support

their study.

Related Literature

In Batangas, there are so many churches to go in Visita Iglesia. Some of those

churches are the San Sebastian Cathedral which is located at Lipa City, the Basilica De

San Martin De Tours in Taal, and the Basilica of the Immaculate Concepcion

at Batangas City.

History of San Sebastian Cathedral. According to the Lipa City Tourism

Council, the history of the Cathedral can be traced back to as far back as April 30, 1605,

when it was administered by the Augustinians under the title “Convent of San Sebastian

in Comintang.” The original building was made from only light materials.

Administered by the Augustinians beginning April 30, 1605 (and until the end of

the 19th century) under the name “Convent of San Sebastian in Comintang” the first

church building was made of light materials. The present building of “serious

architecture, proven solidity and great proportions” began to be constructed through the

concerted efforts of the Augustinians who administered the Parish of San Sebastian and

the faithful people of Lipa : in 1779, Fray Ignacio Vasquez Pallares, later on continued
by Fray Manuel Galiana in 1787, and its spacious transept completed in 1865 during the

term of Fray Manuel Diez Gonzalez.

To protect the big and attractive church from earthquakes, it was made of hewn

stone and tiled roof,a rectangular structure with the ceiling constituted of artistically

painted wooden paneling in lieu of an arch to which were attached supports and strong

beams crisscrossing the walls. Before, it had plain and simple altar ornaments without

the extravagant carvings characteristic of the past. During the 19th century, intense

competition among the towns of Batangas, Bauan, Lipa, Taal and Tanauan, for the

selection of the seat of the new diocese in the Southern Tagalog Region, motivated the

people to build extraordinary big churches. However on April 10, 1910, when the historic

foundation of the new diocese took place, its first bishop, Most Rev. Joseph Petrelli,

D.D, chose LIPA as the SEE because of its cool climate. For this reason, the San

Sebastian church automatically became the Cathedral of the Diocese of LIPA.

The church suffered massive damages during the Second World War. During the

1950s, Msgr. Alejandro Olalia spearheaded the restoration– the interior painting

retouched and two-side aisles were added. In the year 2000, to prevent the Cathedral’s

complete deterioration, immense refurbishments and adornment were lead by then

parish priest, Msgr. Alfredo Madlangbayan. All these works for the splendor of the San

Sebastian Cathedral were realized through the support, generosity and commitment

over the years by countless faithful, many of whom will remain nameless.

Dacumos, J. (2012) stated that the San Sebastian Cathedral also known as the

Cathedral of Lipa is a Roman Catholic church located in Lipa, Batangas. It was formerly

located on the Shore of Taal Lake and was destroyed when Taal Volcano erupted in
1754. Reconstruction of the church on the present site began in 1732 and ended in

1790. According to legend, the image of San Sebastian disappeared from the church

and was later found by the townspeople on a lipa tree, which led to the town being

named after it.

History of Basilica De San Martin De Tours. The Basilica de San Martin de

Tours, simply known as Taal Basilica, is Asia’s largest church and it was not very

difficult to see. Sitting on top of a hill, the basilica towers over the old heritage town of

Taal. It is a very dominant structure and is visible in most parts of the town proper and

even in some parts of the neighboring town Lemery.

Taal Basilica was first built in present day San Nicolas, Batangas,by Fray.Deigo

Espina in 1575 under the Augustinians, with San Martin de Tours as patron saint. In

1754 the church was destroyed along with the town Taal in the eruption of the Taal

volcano. It was then that the church was transferred to its present site. Father Martin

Aguirre donated the land for the new church in 1755, but in 1849 it was destroyed again

by an earthquake. Construction of the new church began in 1856 to 1878, the Spanish

architect Luciano Oliver commissioned to design and manage the construction of the

present church. A small tower was made on its left side but it was destroyed during

Japanese occupation. It was reconstructed later and it was then taller than the original.

The church was made into a basilica on 8 December 1954 and was declared a national

shrine on January 16, 1974. Taal Basilica is considered as the biggest church in the

Philippines and in Asia.

According to Panganiban, D. (2010) this is one of the best tourist spot in Taal

Batangas. The church has it’s bell tower, where you can see a good view of Balayan
Bay and Taal Lake. You could also see the old houses in Taal from the top. The Bell

Tower of the Basilica is not always open for viewing. You need to have an approval to

the person in charge of the church. Just be careful in going up.

The Poor Traveler Blog (2017) stated that I can’t say anything more about the

interior really because I bet that it has changed drastically now that the restoration is

complete. I had not returned to the site since then but my mom, who is an active

member of the this church, has been raving about how stunning the ceilings and domes

have become with the addition of vivid images of scenes from the Bible. While I believe

my mom, I have to see it for myself and come back soon.

Dubbed as the largest Catholic church in Asia, the Basilica of St. Martin de Tours

is one astounding landmark that sits atop a hill right at the center of the town. With the

length of 96 meters and width of 45 meters, it’s impossible for anyone not to notice this

religious structure. The church had gone through several reconstructions. What we can

see now was the last construction done in 1856 under Fr. Marcos Anton who sought for

the help of architect Luciano Oliver who supervised the design and construction of the

basilica. Two distinct features of the basilica are the façade, which will remind you of the

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and the silver tabernacle, claimed to be the only one of its

kind in the country. Often called Taal Basilica, the church is among the most visited

destinations of people from various places during the Lenten season. This church is

also popular among couples who will tie the knot.

Basilica de San Martin de Tours is a Minor Basilica in the town of Taal, Batangas

in the Philippines, within the Archdiocese of Lipa. It is considered to be the largest

church in the Philippines and in Asia, standing 88.6 metres (291 ft) long and 48 metres
(157 ft) wide. St. Martin of Tours is the patron saint of Taal, whose fiesta is celebrated

every November 11.

History of Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. The Basilica of the

Immaculate Conception is the center of Catholic faith in Batangas City, the province’s

capital. It is not difficult at all to reach this place as anyone in Batangas knows where it

is and how to get there. It was almost dusk when we arrived and although we were

actually planning on paying this church a visit the next morning, we decided to step into

this peaceful spiritual haven after seeing the heavy clouds threatening to shower the

city.

Basilica de Immaculada Concepcion is considered to be one of the oldest

Catholic churches in the province. Situated at the end of the main road of the city where

most schools, offices and businesses are located, this church serves as a place for

reflection for most, after a hard and busy day of school and work.

The first church on the present site was built in 1581 by Father Diego Mojica,

Augustinian Pastor of Calapan, Mindoro. In 1601, the stone foundation was placed for

the second church on which the priests built from 1682-1721. The convent with artillery

placements was built years later as a defense against sea pirates. After 179 years, the

church was demolished. On the same year, the church was rebuilt through Fr. Pedro

Cuesta’s endeavor. The church was then granted a Basilica status by Pope Pius XII.

“Given in Rome, at St. Peters, with the seal of the Fisherman, on the 13th day of

February in the year 1948, the tenth of our Pontificate -1948.” Since the church

construction was offered to the Immaculate Concepcion, it was then called the Basilica

de Immaculada Concepcion.
 It was made an independent parish in 1614 under the advocation of the

Immaculate Conception. The Church is temporarily closed to the public after it was

affected by the 2017 Batangas earthquakes.

r. Diego de Mojica was said to have constructed the first temporary church made

of light materials in 1578. The Church was put under the title of the Immaculate

Conception.[1] The church was burned down by the fire that gutted the whole town in

1615. In 1686, Fr. Jose Rodriguez began laying the new foundation of a new church

made of stone. The main nave was finished in the same year with the help of Fr.

Manuel del Buensuceso and the townspeople. Fr. Jose de San Bartolome completed

the transept made of reef stone on 1706 [1] and it was blessed in 1721. The church was

gutted by fire again after a lightning bolt in 1747 and was repaired in 1756 during the

time of Don Ramon Orendain. The former Father Provincial, Fr. Pedro Cuesta,

demolished the old church which he found too small for the increasing population of the

town and started the construction of the new one on the same site in 1851. [1] He also

built the strong fence of the atrium to enclose the church and convent. The church was

damaged by earthquake in 1863 and repaired and reinforced with walls and buttresses.

After the roof fell in 1880, it was repaired in 1884 by Fr. Bruno Laredo. [2] The convent

built in 1693, of reef stone and huge molave post withstood all the earthquakes until Fr.

Melchor Fernández constructed a new one in 1792. [1] It was later used as a school

building by the Saint Bridget College. Later on the second floor of the convent was

demolished and was converted into a parish pastoral hall.

According to a story posted on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the

Philippines (CBCP) website, one of oldest churches in the province had to be closed so
that authorities can conduct structural checks on the church. In a statement, the parish

said the basilica was closed upon the recommendation of the Batangas City Disaster

Risk Reduction Management Office.

Improvement and Preservation. Another thing is essential for the preservation

of the local character of the church—its sphere must not become wider than the sphere

of a locality. The current method of linking up companies of believers in different places

who hold the same doctrinal views, and forming them into a church, has no scriptural

foundation. The same applies to the custom of regarding any mission as a center,

linking together all those saved or helped by them to constitute a “church” of that

mission. Such so-called churches are really sects, because they are confined by the

bounds of a particular creed, or a particular mission, not by and within the bounds of

locality.

As stated by Patkus, B. (2000) the first step is to figure out what records are

stored in the church. If there is an archives room (or closet!), survey the contents. It is

likely that additional records will be stored in various church offices, and perhaps in

more out-of-the-way spots, such as under a staircase or in the attic, due to lack of

space. You will want to make a basic list as you survey the records (a short description,

dates, location, and condition for each group of records). Don’t forget to consider

records that may be kept electronically, such as membership databases or financial

records. Due to the relatively short life span of electronic media and the challenges

involved in migrating data to new operating systems and software every few years, you

should print important documents out on paper. Create a list of all the groups that have

existed within your church, both currently and in the past (e.g., church council,
committees, fellowship groups, previous churches that might have merged with yours).

This will help you figure out what records you should be finding and what records may

be missing. You may find that some church records have been removed to other

locations for safekeeping over the years. Most frequently records are found stored in

private homes. It may be difficult to convince church members to give up these records,

but you can reassure them that the church will provide a safe space for storing the

records, and remind them gently that the records belong where everyone in the church

can access them.

The first task in any preservation project, prior to consideration of alternatives for

rehabilitation or reuse, is to effectively identify the historic resource, evaluate its physical

condition, and prioritize its structural needs. Fiscal condition, too, is critical: project

managers must determine what, if any, financial resources are already available for

construction and rehabilitation, and what other sources of funding may be available for

the project. Appropriate personnel can then be identified – qualified architects,

engineers, craftsmen – to define and guide the project through physical restoration. If

the resource is to be adaptively reused, the project manager must then assess its

market opportunities based on location, regulatory environment, demographics, and

local demand.

Despite the numerous deterioration mechanisms that can damage architectural

precast wall panels and the enhanced concern for preserving the original material,

there are few repair or conservation strategies available that specifically address these

needs. The repair and conservation of architectural precast panels rely heavily on

cleaning the panel surface, replacing joint sealants, sealing cracks, and patching
localized areas of spalling. With respect to patching in particular,

workmanship is extremely important to the success of the repair and the patch location

must be well prepared: any exposed internal reinforcement must be cleaned

and the concrete surface must be prepared to accept the patch material.

The patch material should be compatible with the original concrete in

characteristics such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and thermal

expansion, and the characteristics of the patch material, such as bonding strength,

permeability, and drying shrinkage, must be evaluated to ensure a successful

patch. When patching aesthetically significant concrete, the mix of the patching

material should be carefully formulated to match the appearance of the original

concrete; to achieve a successful match, it is imperative to prepare numerous samples

and conduct mock‐ups on‐site. Even with extensive efforts to match the repair’s mix

with the original concrete, patches often stubbornly stand out and have a propensity to

fail prematurely, especially if the material surrounding a patch is

vulnerable to the same deterioration that caused the original spall.

There are some conservation methods that have the potential to more

successfully preserve the appearance of architectural precast wall panels by attempting

to slow and even reverse the factors that enable corrosion, and therefore

cracking, to occur: impregnation treatments, electrochemical realkalization, and

cathodic protection. While all three of these methods help prevent future corrosion,

vital to their success is the patching of any damaged sections of concrete to

minimize reinforcement exposure. Additionally, although all of these treatments can

be extremely effective, they are also expensive and require expertise in their

execution.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY CONSTRUCTOR. Many heritage buildings

feature building materials that have not been used in over a century. Such materials are

not designed to withstand the abuse that contemporary physical and chemical

construction tools cause. In many cases, these building materials are also

irreplaceable. You could end up permanently destroying a part of your heritage building

during the restoration process if you don’t use the right tools. A small hole, short crack

or lone crumbling brick may seem like a harmless cosmetic defect, but it could signal a

greater issue with your heritage building that needs to be fixed ASAP. For instance, a

crack in the wrong place could indicate foundation issues; a crumbling brick could mean

that there has been so much wear that you need to reinforce the structure. You aren’t

just trying to make sure that a heritage building is a fully functional structure that can be

used for any purpose. You want to restore it to the condition that it was in when it was

first constructed. If you started making modern or historically inaccurate additions to the

building during the restoration process, then it could lose most of its historical value.

Modern building codes exist to maintain building safety — based on contemporary

building construction methods and materials. These rules and regulations do not

consider the fact that heritage buildings are very different from a building constructed

last week. Overcoming this challenge will require you to educate your local government

and possibly use some creativity to meet certain standards without harming the building.

Most of the above challenges with restoring a heritage building can be overcome if you
have an expert restoration team working with you throughout the process. For example,

an engineering team that specializes in historical building restoration will have the tools

and know how to complete restoration tasks to meet the restoration’s exacting

requirements. However, finding an experienced restoration team is not easy, since even

the most seasoned construction professionals are only experts in the most modern

building and restoration methods. The key here is to research carefully and take your

time finding the right contractors, because there are professionals in every relevant

industry that specialize in historical building restoration.

Bellis, M. (2017) A further challenge is to keep the nation together, without the

gap between techno-cities and rural villages opening up so wide that it drives poverty of

either group of residents when they visit the other. This is less-dependent on impressive

buildings and structures and more-dependent on social and network engineering.

Ideally those in the countryside would not be forced to spend their lives online, whilst

those in the city would still get a mobile signal when they visit!

Another challenge closer to civil engineering is flood management. The weather

has a trend of becoming more extreme even with small rises in mean temperature. This

has increased the risk of flash-flooding in the UK. Rivers need better levees and

dredging. The selection of sites for housing, avoiding flood plains, is important but this

may go against the need to re-use brown-field sites in preference to new sites.