‘Pure Filipino’: visit Taal for Asia’s biggest Catholic church, food, fashion, tradition – and Hello Kitty
- Taal in the Philippines may have missed out on Unesco World Heritage status, but is filled with history and tradition; the origins of Filipino culture are here
- Highlights for visitors include Asia’s largest Catholic church, a bustling market where tempting food is served, and restored ancestral homes
I am standing in church when a wild Pikachu appears.
No, I haven’t taken illicit substances – it really is there, bobbing between the pews. Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse hover in my peripheral vision, along with a host of other cartoon-themed balloons.
They make an unconventional audience for the mass baptism at the Basilica of St Martin de Tours, Asia’s largest Catholic church.
Taal, a town in the northern Philippine province of Batangas, is around two hours’ drive from Manila. It was founded by the Spanish in 1572, the same year as another, better-known Spanish-Filipino town: Vigan.
Vigan’s Unesco World Heritage status and inclusion in the New7Wonders Cities list has brought it the attention it deserves – but it’s a minimum six-hour journey from the capital, making it impractical as a weekend getaway. Better to go to Taal, nicknamed the Vigan of the South, which has similar architecture – and a far grander church.
Taal’s basilica, erected in 1575, has been rebuilt several times following earthquakes and the 1754 eruption of the Taal volcano, one of the Philippines’ most active.
