Saint John the Baptist Parish Church, Taytay, Rizal

I first visited the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Taytay, Rizal on October 2, 2011. I brought my Canon A495 digital camera at that time. My 2nd visit to this church was in December 2012. At that time, I already have my Canon EOS 1100D camera. The statue of Saint John the Baptist adorn the façade of the Taytay Church which was dedicated to him. Saint John the Baptist Parish Church is located at Barangay San Isidro, Taytay, Rizal. It was founded in 1579. The current Parish Priest is Msgr. Pedro C. Cañonero. There is a marker on the church in Tagalog but let me re-post here my translation of it (which appeared also on Elmer Loves Oreo): “Previously made from light materials, it was constructed by Franciscan missionaries near the Laguna Bay in 1579. It was separated as the church of Santa Ana de Sapa in 1583. It was transferred to its present location by Father Pedro Chirino in 1591 and the town was named Saint John of Monte. It was the first stone-church outside of Manila. It was rebuilt as the second stone-church, which is larger, by Father Juan de Salazar in 1630. The roof of the church was destroyed by a strong typhoon in 1632. It was repaired under the Secular in 1768, and under the Augustinian Rekoletos in 1864. It was again burned during the Filipino-American War in 1899. It was expanded to sustain the growing population during the early years of 1970s” For most of us, we know who Saint John the Baptist is. He was the cousin of Jesus of Nazareth who baptized him in the river Jordan. What I don’t know was that John the Baptist was mentioned by the famous 1st Century Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus and that he is also a prophet in the Muslim faith. In the famous book Antiquities of the Jews, John the Baptist was mentioned in Book 18. It’s significant because it confirms the authenticity of the Bible as a historical book as well. Here are the pictures of Saint John the Baptist Parish Church in Taytay, Rizal.

The interior of Saint John the Baptist Parish Church, Taytay, Rizal.

The marker which tells the story of the church in the vernacular language – Filipino.

The statue of St. John the Baptist on the façade of the church.

The bell tower of Taytay Church (a.k.a. Saint John the Baptist Parish Church)

Image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the churchyard.

I wonder how old this tree is.

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