Old Gumaca Church Interior

Church Interior
Originally uploaded by bleak!

Old Gumaca Church Interior.


Church of San Diego de Alcala
Gumaca, Quezon.

The church interior is done in Neo-Gothic style as can be discerned from its Gothic arches that support a large, central domed ceiling.

The style continues on to the retablos with their spires, pointed arches and geometric decorations.

The retablo mayor is placed behind a Gothic arch that is painted with crenelations.  The retablo mayor sits under a small dome that is accentuated with trompe-loeil panels.
The retablo mayor is composed of three niches: the central niche bears a monumental sculpture of San Diego de Alcala hugging a cross--the church's patron saint--while the the other two niches are occupied by presumably, the apostles St. Peter and Paul. 

The retablos menores too, follow the design of the main retablo albeit in smaller scales. Each niche bears a Franciscan saint, most identifiable of which is that of San Antonio de Padua with the Christ Child whose statue can be seen on the far left side of the picture. 

A common sight in churches back then are the rows of benches placed before the main altar. Often simple in construction and almost always crudely decorated, these benches are reserved for the elite and important figures of the town. The rest of the congregation stand or kneel around the benches during a service.

What can also be seen in the photo are the Semana Santa statues of the Cristo Resucitado and Virgen Alegria, each borne atop their own decorated andas,--a palanquin.

Today, the church has been heavily altered. Gone are the plastered walls with their painted surfaces and Gothic arches; the pulpit and retablos too, have been removed  and replaced with superfluous baroque reredos.