Sixth of the eight children of
Don Manuel Javellana and Doña Gertrudis Lopez
CARMEN JAVELLANA + MIGUEL JAYME Y LOPEZ
If you are a descendant of Carmen Javellana or if you have any information on her descendants, please send your contact details to nclujan [at] yahoo [dot] com. Thanks!
Marker at Navalas Church, Guimaras
The article below mentions a “Don Miguel Jayme” and “Doña Carmen Javellana” but verifications are still being made if these are the same couple who are part of this family tree.
Navalas Church a.k.a. St. Isidore Parish Church is said to be the oldest structure in Guimaras. Then Parish priest Fr. Francisco Consing initiated the construction of the church in 1880. Local residents provided the labor using coral rocks sourced from the area, then the coral stone blocks were glued together by a mixture lime, tree sap and some sticks.
Don Miguel Jayme and Doña Carmen Javellana donated a piece of agricultural land for the parish and offered financial help, undertaking most of the expenses for the church construction. The church was built from 1880 to 1885 and upon completion was dedicated to San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint chosen by their benefactors, Don Miguel and Doña Carmen. (They were given the privilege to choose the patron saint.)
The belfry was built as a separate structure just a few meters infront of the church. It used to have a huge bell made of alloy silver and gold. The original bell had a diameter of about a meter and a height of more than four feet, resonating far yonder as the town of Dumangas. For a long time, the bell warned the natives of approaching Moro raids.
The church was enclosed with a massive stone fence designed to make it difficult for the attacking Moros to enter the compound. However, one time when Moros raided Navalas, they managed to enter the compound and stole the bell. On the way, perhaps finding it too massive and heavy to carry, they decided to throw it to the sea, somewhere near the Siete Pecados islands.
In 1970, the church structure was reinforced with concrete, then it underwent renovation in 1979. Today, only the façade remains “untouched”. The church interior including the ceilings were already renovated. The church façade was patterned after the façade of Jaro Cathedral. You can visualize the similarities if you “remove” the terrace of Our Lady of Candelaria and the new belfry. This is why some people refer to Guimaras Church as Junior Jaro Cathedral.
Source: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Philippines/Province_of_Iloilo/Guimaras_Island-1399186/Things_To_Do-Guimaras_Island-TG-C-1.html
