Visiting churches seems to be the usual practice when you are in Philippines. So after visiting the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, I came to read about a unique church not far from Metro Manila. Hiring the company driver, I went to this church to witness the unique feature of the church which made this small town being talked about.
Located only about 10 km from Metro Manila, I came to St. Joseph's Parish Church on a beautiful Sunday. This small fishing village was made famous by the bamboo organ housed within this church, and this was why I came here for!
The church was founded by Fray Diego Cera in 1795 after arriving in town a day after Christmas. He then built the church made of adobe stone in the Earthquake Baroque architecture style.
When the church was almost completed in 1816, being a organist, Fray Diego Cera began the construction of the bamboo organ in this church. This unique musical instrument was made of 1031 organ pipes, which 902 of them were made of bamboo and the rest were metal. Finally, the whole construction was completed in 1824.
I was lucky to be there on Sunday morning, when the locals were performing their Sunday prayer along with the bamboo organ being played. I'm not a music savvy but for sure the melody from the bamboo organ was really comfortable and would make you feel good.
I went up to the loft to check out the bamboo organ up close, and I was able to see the air pump behind the wall moving when the organ was being played. This was something new to me!
The bamboo organ had gone through multiple natural calamities, which at once it was no longer playable. It has undergone multiple repair processes, and finally in 1973 it was being dismantled and shipped to Germany to perform full restoration.
On 18th February 1975, the bamboo organ was fully restored and showcased to the world. A one-hour concert was held in front of Philippines Embassy in Bonn, Germany during the showcase. After a month, the bamboo organ was sent home, back to Las Piñas.
Now, part of the church has become the museum for the bamboo organ, displaying some of the artifacts of the bamboo organ and church, as well as a small prototype of bamboo organ.
Ever since the restoration, the people celebrate this masterpiece through the International Bamboo Organ Festival every February.
It was a short trip, but having to know such a unique musical instrument, made the trip so cool!
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