The Famous Las Piñas Bamboo Organ Church
“Do you have certain reason why you do visit churches?” That’s a very good question. Well, I visit different churches not because I wanted to be cleanse or be holy. Of course that’s a plus point but there’s really something about them that attracts me. I find the history behind them truly fascinating and the the differences when it comes to their architectures old or new are truly engaging. Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite churches. It has been on my bucket list for so long and I’m so glad that I finally able to visit the parish. It is the well known Saint Joseph Parish in Las Piñas which is more commonly known as the Las Piñas Church or the Bamboo Organ Church. 
The Bamboo Organ Church is probably one of the famous tourist destination in Las Piñas. I still remember those history text books when I was in elementary. It has always been a part of our lectures when it comes to those notable historical places in the country. The church is renowned as the house of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ, a pipe organ made mostly with bamboo pipes. The church was established on November 5, 1795 under the Augustinian Recollects priests headed by Fray Diego Cera de la Virgen del Carmen 
The church was merely made from adobe (volcanic) stones in the Earthquake Baroque architectural style similar to the Paoay Church of Ilocos. 
The church’s nave and altar. You can see bamboos almost everywhere from the pews to the chandeliers. Even the ceiling
A chandelier made from bamboo sticks and Capiz shells 
A closer view of the two-layer alter with images of Jesus Christ on the cross on the lower layer and the image of Saint Joseph on top. 
Priest’s chair
On the right side of the altar (I believe they’re calling it as the East Transept) lies another altar with the image of the Divine Mercy 
In front of it is an old-looking baptismal font.
Of course, visiting this church will not be completed without looking at their famous Bamboo organ. It was completed in 1824 by Father Diego Cera, the builder of the town’s stone church and its first resident Catholic parish priest. After age and numerous disasters had rendered the musical instrument unplayable for a long time, in 1972, the national government and the local community joined together to have the organ shipped to Germany for restoration. The organ came back 3 years after. Since then, the annual International Bamboo Organ Festival, a music festival of classical music was started to celebrate the music of the reborn instrument and its unique sound.
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I remember that I studied this at school but I never even thought of visiting it now that I’m Manila based. i should add this in my list of places to visit. It’s so near.
Yes. me too… the place reminds me of those elementary text books… it’s just nice to see the church and the organ for real..
thanks Franc
wow, this church is beautiful..you should visit Ilocos for their old churches and Iloilo City 🙂
I really love too.. hopefully i can travel that far next year
this is one very amazing church.. established since 1795, wow, that is such an ancient year ago!! so old that i even need a calculator to help me calculate it’s 220 years of age, haha!! so well maintained and the interior looks so grand and yet solemn, i especially like those stained glass, they are really beautiful.. and yeah, after so many posts about your pilgrimage trip, we finally can see a photo of the handsome you now, haha.. and also your beautiful mom and aunt, nice photos~~ 🙂
LOL…haha yes that’s my first time to post a picture of me and hopefully more to follow haha
I visited this church for many times already and it’s really beautiful inside. The bamboo organ, I heard was renovated for how many times? But I’m not about this rumor.
yes, Kuya James mentioned that the bamboo organ was renovated several times but they no longer need to ship the instrument outside the country because they already have specialized people to fix it
WHOOOAAAA I was only able to encounter that in my Sibika at Kultura days. Might as well visit this in LP and play Canon in D.
thanks Renz.. yes, this place bring so much nostalgia reading those elem text books
I’m hoping I could visit this, too. Jusko it’s just in NCR so I really should. ANyway, I agree with you that churches has its power to make us feel the existence of the old age. 🙂
thanks Janine
I believe I should take my daughters to see the Bamboo Organ Church..
It must be fun for the kids to witness the actual bamboo organ and even to hear it playing
I haven’t visited this place yet. Too bad.Based on your pictures, this is a place we Filipinos should visit. Thank you for sharing!
Thank for the extensive image tour, I usually don’t go up to see the organ so this close up made me realize what people are actually talking about!
Do I have a reason for checking out a church? Well, I’m not exactly a history buff but I do love checking out the church’s design especially if it’s really old. Speaking of which St. Joseph Parish looks beautiful indeed. I haven’t been there yet and I’d love to check it out and see that bamboo organ too.
I also love visiting churches. I just love the architecture and the fine details mixed with history behind every church. I have never seen the famous bamboo organ in Las Pinas before, but I would definitely love to visit it one day 🙂
I love certain architectures of catholic churches. Especially when they so vintage and that old world charm, it’s quite lovely to me.
been wanting to see the masterpiece for so long. hope to visit the church one day with the whole family, it’s one of the country’s pride…
The church is my sanctuary. A place that gives me peace. I mainly visit to Thank for all the blessings me and my family received, to ask for forgiveness and for something personal that I wish especially for my family. I love Bamboo Organ Church by the way. It’s just 1 jeep away from our place.
It was a interesting article. To be honest the way you worded some of the sentences made it a bit tricky to follow, but that could be my american culture sticking out. Additionally I think you could do to place some of the images into a gallery or something, so that you had more room to write the article and comment on the location.
Flashback to my Hekasi days (I suddenly feel so old haha). I was able to visit this before since a college friend lives in LP and it was indeed a sight to see.
I’ve got the chance to visit LP Bamboo Organ when I was in HS on a field trip. The bamboo organ itself is amazing! It’s huge! However I never heard how it sounds. 🙁
I love the design of this church plus the fact that it has bamboo organ pipes. It will be worth the visit.
The Bamboo Church Organ is simply amazing. It’s one of the most creative ways to utilize bamboo. Every single kid who goes to school would have heard about this in their Civics subject and I bet that a huge fraction of them would love to see this with their own two eyes.
have heard about This a long time ago.. Hehe as in way back when i was in college, but haven’t gotten a chance to see it in person. Great photos! Maybe one of these says ill get lucky and see it
Wow! I havent been to a church for the longest time! I remember only hearing about the bamboo organ when I was still in a Catholic school
It’s so beautiful. The last time I saw this (and not in person haha) was in a local educational show on TV, I think. I would love to see and touch it soon.