Mahatao Church

San Carlos Borromeo at Mahatao was first built in 1787 and rebuilt stronger in 1873 after a typhoon, and it is built the way everything in Batanes is built - of lime and stone, with walls thick enough to be measured in feet rather than inches, a low profile and small openings, because this island group sits directly in the path of Pacific typhoons and has done for as long as anyone has lived on it. The church has a squat bell tower, a simple whitewashed interior and a beam roof, and it was declared a National Cultural Treasure. Beside it stands the Blessed Mother's Chapel and, on the shore below, the Tukon-style stone structures and the small blockhouse known as the Mahatao boat shelter, a sheltered inlet where fishing boats are pulled up. The town is small and the church is its centre, and it fits naturally into the day-long circuit of southern Batan Island.

History

Mahatao first appears in a report by Father Juan Bel in 1720, and the Dominicans founded the mission in 1783. The first church, of light materials, was built in 1787 and a stone church in 1789; after a strong typhoon damaged it in 1872, Father Crescencio Polo rebuilt it stronger in 1873, and it was declared a National Cultural Treasure on 31 July 2001 (Wikipedia, Mahatao Church).

What you'll find

• The thick stone walls - Ivatan typhoon construction.
• The squat bell tower - low and heavy like the church.
• The whitewashed interior - plain, with a beamed roof.
• The boat shelter - the sheltered inlet below the town.

When to go

March to June for settled weather. Weekday mornings are quiet; the church is small and a service fills it.

Good to know

It is a working parish, closed to sightseeing during Mass. There is no interpretation on site and no facilities beyond the town. Weather governs travel in Batanes - flights cancel readily.

Nearby

The Tayid lighthouse and Racuh a Payaman are minutes away; Ivana and the House of Dakay are further south.

Key facts