Fact #1: Pulpit
We always see this figure whenever we go and attend the mass here in this church. Our team does not know what this structure is called and its purpose so we asked someone in the church who knows something about it. His name is Kuya Jay Eric Abar.
He said that it is called a “pulpit” or “pulpito” in Filipino. According to him, it is used by the mass celebrants or the priest whenever he is reading the gospel and delivering the sermon to people. It is because before, microphones and speakers are not yet invented. The arc above the pulpit is the one which amplifies the sound to the people in the church.
It is also said that the pulpit is a holy place, a person inside that should behave accordingly if he/she is there.
Fact # 2: A Century Old Clock
This is the clock of Minor Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel.
Did you know? It is the oldest and largest functioning Spanish clock in Asia. The clock weighs 170 kilograms and it is a mechanical clock which functions without the use of electricity. Our team was amazed because the residents in Tayabas City still use this clock as the basis of time in their daily lives.
Fact # 3: Living Vine Supports the Large Bell
It is merely unbelievable that the bell in Minor Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel is only supported by a living vine. The bell does not use any type of cords and wires, only the living vine, and it is said to be growing much larger as time goes by.
As we visited the church, we also discovered that the bell’s church was very large in the time of Spanish colonization. It is large because the size of bell of the church is said to be the size of the area of the town. The sound produced by the bell was really loud. But the residents here said that the bell was replaced with a smaller one because many pregnant women experienced miscarriage. The other suspicion is that the bell fell deep into the ground because it is large and heavy.
Dora's Diary 