The beautiful stone church of Masinloc in Zambales

While it was a few months ahead of the semana santa, we did a visita iglesia during our North Luzon tour visiting nine churches of which 6 are colonial era while two are contemporary churches.

Last January 2010, I was invited by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau to join a media tour of travel writers and bloggers to experience North Luzon for seven days starting in Cagayan province all the way to Pampanga to sample the various local cuisines and experience the attractions offered by the various provinces along the route. The bulk of our visita iglesia was spent in Cagayan province with seven churches: Tuguegarao Cathedral, Iguig, Alcala, Piat, Camalaniugan, Lal-lo and Pamplona. We visited also the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Paoay, Ilocos Norte and the beautiful stone church, pictured above, of Masinloc in Zambales.

For more details and photos of these religious structures, check my religious architecture blog, Simbahan.net.

Estan Cabigas is a multiawarded blogger, freelance photographer and writer based in Makati City, the Philippines. A true blue Cebuano, he makes stunning images and meaningful photo stories. He has contributed to local and international publications including CNN Go, National Geographic Magazine, Geo (Germany), Sunday Times Magazine (London) and other publications.

To know more about him and his photography, visit estancabigas.com.