preservation ratings

EXCELLENT - The highest rating is given to churches which have
been able to preserve almost all of its original features church. These 
churches are a must visit when you are in Pampanga.

[Betis] - A national cultural treasure, Betis is dubbed as the "Sistine
Chapel of the Philippines," because of its wall and ceiling murals. In
front is an ornate white and gold baroque retablo, proof of the artisanship
of Betis carvers.  Paintings of Simon Flores still hang in the convento.
[San Luis] - The ceiling murals above the retablo, and the retablo itself are
a must see.  The church facade is very unique because of its three towers,
concave entrance, and saints from opposing religious orders (San Agustin
and San Luis Gonzaga) in the niches. 
[Apalit] - Church features trompe l'oeil murals and biblical scenes on 
the ceiling.  Notice also the grave stones ouside the main entrance.
[Arayat] - Gravestones on the floor found on both sides of the church are
elaborately carved.

ABOVE AVERAGE - This rating is given to churches that have
been able to preserve most of the original features of the church with 
very slight renovations in the inside.  If you are within the vicinity of 
these churches, they are most definitely worth a visit.

[Bacolor] - Although hit by lahar, Bacolor still contains many of its
original elements, as the retablos have been unearthed and reassembled.
Bell tower is now readily accesible.
[Minalin] - The convento contains dated 1619 mural map of Minalin. Original 
ballasts said to depict ancient Kapampangan mythological figures are still intact.  
Church floor has been raised.
[Pio, Porac] - A visita which belonged to the Gil family of Porac, it remains
intact. It contains the remains of the Gil and Toledo families, most
notable of whom is Don Felino Gil, founder of the Bacolor School of
Arts and Trades
[Angeles] - Facade and structure is unpainted, altar is quite intact
although many of its original elements such as the pipe organ, pulpit
and the original stations of the cross are missing and rumored to
have been sold by a parish priest!
[Lubao] - Floor has been raised due to lahar/flooding, the church is
the oldest in Pampanga but has terrible caretakers, ceiling murals
have been whitewashed and facade is painted in an ugly and cheap
gray.  Original retablo intact.

AVERAGE - churches that have the original facade and structure, 
with possible slight modifications, and the original altar or a good replacement.

[Candaba] - Original retablo is still there but most of the santos are
missing, so all of the santos in the retablo are new and do not
approximate the original santos,  the inside and the outside have been 
modified
[Guagua] - Floor has been raised due to lahar/flooding.
[Hacienda Dolores, Porac] - The original structure is very much intact but
slight revisions have been made to the inside; quite remote, visita can 
be found at the edge of Porac near Angeles  
[San Fernando] - Church was burned some time at the turn of the
century; if not for the current renovations which are ongoing in the
San Fernando Cathedral, it would have ranked close to unsatisfactory;
church was repainted both inside and outside to approximate the
grandeur appropriate for a cathedral; however, previous renovations
covered up many reminders of its original state such as the
gravestones in the baptistry area (now housing the Nazareno)
[Santa Rita] - The outside is still preserved but the inside looks quite modern, 
the retablo looks new, santos are new also.  Floor was raised also due to lahar.

SATISFACTORY - churches that have made obvious renovations and
changes to its original form but still have either (1) untouched facades
or original structures, (2) remaining elements or items from the
original church that are still found inside

[Akli, Mexico] - The outside is perfectly intact, total renovation made inside 
however, gravestones of Cuyugans still remain, chapel is a sad testament to the 
reality that people who although have good intentions but are not educated about
preservation can produce terrible results.
[Magalang] - The outside is unpainted but there have been modern additions to 
the facade, almost fully renovated inside.
[Porac] - Facade is still intact but church is modern inside
[San Jose Matulid, Mexico] - Chapel still has original facade and ceiling mural 
above altar, everything else however is changed, one of the oldest in Pampanga, 
said to be older than Lubao
[Santa Ana] - Although almost fully renovated inside, church maintains its original 
outside structure and facade.

UNSATISFACTORY - churches that have made obvious revisions to
the original facade and structure or have made complete renovations
inside which make them look modern rather than like an old church

[Macabebe]
[Masantol] - The church is currently undergoing major renovations
[Santo Tomas]

TERRIBLE - churches that are completely modern and which have
undergone major renovations both inside and outside, are given this
rating.  Visiting them is a waste of time.

[Floridablanca]
[Mexico] - All that is left is the original bell tower, church is compeltely
new, original church was said to have been destroyed during WWII
[Mabalacat] - It looks like a modern church except for the original santos.
[Sasmuan] - Currently being demolished!
[San Simon] - The original retablo was grand! Just check out the 1st edition
of Angels in Stone.  Must have been burned by the Phil. Rev'n Army on orders
of Gen. Luna.

Chapels/visitas which are not listed are either not yet visited or rate terrible or unsatisfactory.  Many of the visitas in Pampanga have been renovated, again due to the lack of education among the influential people who fund these renovations.  Ironically, the community is proud of these terrible renovations.

Note: The ratings are semi-subjective in nature and were arrived at
from the personal judgment of the webmaster.  If you feel that there is
a mistake in the ratings, please feel free to send your comments to ivanhenares@hotmail.com.