In fact, the name “Paete” was derived from the Tagalog word, “pait” – meaning “chisel,” which is a primary tool used in woodcarving. However, there is still so much to see in this quaint town. One of the several antique treasures of Laguna may be found in Paete – the Church of San Santiago Apostol.
The stone church and its convent were built in 1646. However, both were destroyed before the year 1717. The Franciscans, led by Rev. Francisco de la Fuente, O.F.M., built a stronger church in 1717. The church was ravaged by the earthquake of 1880. Rev. Pedro Galiano, O.F.M. rebuilt the church in 1884. This was damaged by the earthquake of 1937. The present church was reconstructed in 1939.
According to Bro. Joven Cajipe, the façade of the church exhibits a mixture of native Filipino and European influences. The façade if the church, which shows curlicues as well as calachuchi flowers, was carved out of solid stone by the ancestors of the people of Paete. Among many things, the Church of San Santiago Apostol is sought and cherished by people for two things – the large, antique paintings, and the even more ancient icons of San Santiago Apostol and the Santo Intiero or the image depicting Christ after he succumbed to death.
There are four large paintings inside the church. Two of them are depictions of St. Christopher with the Christ child or the Santo Nino resting on his shoulder, while the other two are depictions of the teachings of the Bible and the missionary work of the Franciscans. The two paintings of St. Christopher are essentially identical, if not for the difference in the backdrop and clothing. The fresco painting shows St. Christopher in red trousers (somewhat similar to the one paired with the camisa chino), with a bolo tied to his waist while he climbs a coconut tree, against a backdrop which is dotted with bahay kubos. According to Bro. Joven, the fresco painting is an organic painting which made use of cow’s blood, eggs and lime. The other painting, on the other hand, shows the very same picture, although in this painting, St. Christopher is clad in European clothes, without the bolo tied to his waist, and on the backdrop are stone structures instead of bahay kubos.
Story has it that the fresco painting was found to be hidden behind the other painting and was only discovered when certain renovations were made in the church. The apparent reason for this is that the foreign missionaries did not like the idea of having a localized version of the saint, and so they replaced the fresco painting with a more colonial version of the same picture. The paintings are now placed side by side on the left wall by the main entrance.
The other two paintings, which are similarly great in age and in size, were said to have served the purposes catechism. The one on the right wall near the altar shows the Franciscan missionaries spreading Catholicism and helping the people. The one on the right wall near the entrance, across the paintings of St. Christopher, shows the three possible places where the soul can go after the body dies – the fiery inferno, the dreary purgatory, or the glorious heaven. Each level is depicted vividly in the painting, and this has undoubtedly facilitated the teaching and learning of catechism in the past centuries.
The images of San Santiago Apostol and of the Santo Intiero were brought by the Spaniards in 1580. Several miraculous occurrences have been attributed to these images. It is said that an apparition of a man holding a bolo while riding a white horse has repeatedly succeeded in driving away invaders who wanted to conquer Paete in the olden days. During World War II, the church was miraculously spared of the constant attach of falling bombs, and Bro. Joven said that the old residents of Paete say that the bombs seemed to have purposely missed the church and ended up falling on its neighboring areas.
Bro. Florentino Juarez, caretaker of the church, has a first-hand experience of a miraculous occurrence attributed to the Santo Intiero. He suffered from an accident and he fell into a coma. The doctors said that he needed to undergo an operation. The church lent the blanket of the Santo Intiero to his family. They covered Bro. Florentino with the blanket, and not long after, he woke up from the coma.
There are several other unexplainable incidents like these in the deeply devout town of Paete. However, the people do not bother going through the long process of gaining the proper documentation and recognition of miracles. Bro. Joven says that the people know that the images are merely made of wood – that it is actually the people and their faith that give life to these images.
The admirable faith and devotion of the people of Paete are also manifested in a relatively peculiar way. Bro. Joven claims that in the town of Paete, there are lands that are owned by saints. Apparently, the families who own these lands put the name of the saint they have a devotion to on the land titles. The profits of the lands are then used during the respective feasts of the saints.
The Church of San Santiago Apostol deserves recognition and reverence not simply because of its age, or its impressive paintings, or its ancient images. It deserves to be recognized and revered because of the unwavering faith and piety of its people which continue to thrive over the centuries.
