Friday, October 12, 2007 Christ the King cathedral in Tagum By Jojie Alcantara Witerary
IN YOUR next visit to the young city of Tagum, Davao del Norte, a must-see in your itinerary is Christ the King Cathedral, a huge place of worship located in a two-hectare lot donated by the heirs of the late Dr. and Mrs. Juan Gonzales.
The castle-like splendor of this modern architecture took several years to build, its construction in 1993 started by Engineer Arturo and completed by his project engineer, Arlene Adlawan. The project cost more than P28 million pesos, and was built in commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Diocese of City of Tagum in 2005.
Fascinating structures were built right from the entrance to the cathedral. The huge fountain statues of young boys and the fishes were elaborately created by our famous sculptor and my good friend Kublai Millan (his recognizable sculptures are sprouting everywhere).
Aiming to be the known as the biggest cathedral in Mindanao, Tagumenos are also hoping to make it to the Guinness World Records under the world's largest rosary. Weighing 2,815 kilos and located at the back of the cathedral, this rosary measures a length of 85.5 meters and is made of magcono (iron wood).
Two towers stand on both sides of the cathedral at a height of 18 meters. They serve as meeting places for small groups or as view deck. On the left side of the Cathedral are 14 Stations of the Cross, a mini Calvary (calvarium), and the monument of the Risen Christ. A fascinating tour around the place will rejuvenate you and somehow keep you in touch with your spiritual energies.
On a funny note, to give you an idea of how big the interiors of the cathedral is, dream weddings have been conducted where music runs out because of the long trip down the center of the aisle. In fact, a choir singer almost sang her lungs out waiting for the bride to reach the altar. The peak of the ceiling is 30 meters from the floor of the Church.
Many thanks to Mayor Rey Uy and LGU of Tagum led by Hazel and staff, and culinary consultant Marissa Te Eng Fo who helped organized this familiarization tour (we were fetched from Davao and driven around by the air-conditioned city bus in style).
My Davao media colleagues and I stayed overnight in Magnaga Resort and were treated to a day of food, food, food and an overwhelming tour around one of the most remarkably progressive cities in the island. Visit their official website at http://www.tagumcity.gov.ph.
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