Travel San Pablo, Laguna: San Pablo Cathedral Church

Going to San Pablo City, you can never miss San Pablo Cathedral. Built in 1774 by the Augustinians, it has long been a must-see neoclassical architecture found in the very heart of busy San Pablo. We stopped by this historical structure on our way to  Lake Pandin for an eco lunch tour, the cleanest among the seven lakes of San Pablo City.^_^

From afar, you can never miss its inviting high dome and bell tower. There's a plaza on a roundabout just before you enter the church that houses the Philippine Flag as shown in the picture below but we weren't able to go there because of the heavy rain.

There is a steel gate and concrete fence that surrounds the whole church. It also has a vast parking space that can cater for passersby like us who just want to admire the church and say a little prayer.

Liceo de San Pablo or San Pablo high school is right beside the church. The building is actually like an extension of the church, I would never noticed it if it wasn't for the sign outside. What's odd about this picture though, is that there are students in uniforms hanging around the school when it's supposed to be a non school day. Hmm...^_^

There are two monuments right outside the church, I was hoping I could read the sign below but seems like it was too worn out by time. However, the faded and chipped paint made it more charming to me just like the church's gate and fence. There are just some things that looks more interesting when it looks old and vintage ( I just hope I could also say that about me. Lol! ^_^)

What caught my eye when I entered the church is the ceiling, the pentagon shaped design leading to the altar makes the church longer. And, visiting on a December, I also admired to see the chandeliers decorated with Christmas wreaths while parol (Philippine Christmas Lanterns) hangs beautifully on the sides.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to approach the altar because there is actually a mass being held for a deceased person at the time. Out of respect for the grieving family and friends, we opted to stay at the back.