San Joaquin Cemetery

Iloilo is noted for its old churches and houses and a nice place for those who are into photography. But it is in Iloilo that you can also find and shoot old and colonial cemeteries like the San Joaquin cemetery. And if you are a freelance writer  or blogger like me, then this is one interesting place to write about.

The town of San Joaquin is the last town of the province of Iloilo before entering the next province of Antique. This sleepy town also has a nice church ( my next post blog..) but I feel sad that only few have the energy to pursue visiting this town after dropping by in Miag-ao, which has a heritage fortress church.

The cemetery or patyo as the locals call it is just located along the road facing the coast. It is located just before you arrive in the town center of San Joaquin. Hailed as one of the most preserved colonial cemeteries in the province, San Joaquin cemetery is truly a work of art. In fact, its artistic attributes makes it famous and attractive to any artist’s eyes.

The whole cemetery has carved coral stones mostly of oriental designs like flowers and leaves. When entering its carved gate, there is a terraced stone steps (20 of them) leading you to the main attraction of this cemetery – its Capilla. The capilla or mortuary chapel is the place where the dead is blessed before being laid to rest. Known as the Campo Santo, it has a pointed dome and made of coral rocks and baked bricks that give a splash of color to this structure.

I’m not an expert in architecture and designs and as a freelance writer, I lost words to give justice on how I should describe this place. So the next time you visit Iloilo or looking for a nice place to take some photographs or a subject for those freelance writers, travel to southern Iloilo to this town of San Joaquin…