As the community quarantine continues to be enforced across the country, Google Philippines announced that Filipino Catholics may proceed with their yearly tradition of Visita Iglesia through Google Maps. “This Holy Week, people can virtually visit historical churches from the safety of their own homes through Google Maps. It has a useful feature called Street View that provides a 360-degree view of destinations so users can explore churches as if they are there,” Google Philippines stated. To use Street View on desktop/laptop, open Google Maps and input a destination then drag the Pegman (the yellow person icon) located at the bottom right of the screen to the chosen destination. For those using mobile phones, input the destination and tap on the place marker. Drag the Pegman (the yellow person icon) to access the 3D view and placed it on the desired destination. /Google Maps Note: This feature looks better on desktops/laptops.  

Visita Iglesia, or visiting seven different churches on Holy Thursday and Good Friday, is one of the most popular Holy Week panatas, or sacred vows, that Filipino Catholics make. The tradition apparently derives back from a 16th-century Roman Tradition led by St. Philip Neri. There is no fixed set of prayers for this devotion. Some devotees pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament or say the Rosary, while others offer personal prayers and meditation on the Passion, or pray in front of successive Stations of the Cross in each church. Planning what churches to include or the route to take is important, considering the traffic because Visita Iglesia has to be completed before midnight. (Catholics & Culture)

  Check out the following churches you can virtually visit below:  

1 | SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH, INTRAMUROS, MANILA

 

2 | OUR LADY OF THE ABANDONED PARISH, STA. ANA, MANILA

 

3 | ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE PARISH, PAMPANGA

 

4 | DARAGA CHURCH, ALBAY

 

5 | BASÍLICA MENOR DEL SANTO NIÑO, CEBU

 

6 | ARCHDIOCESAN SHRINE OF THE DIVINE MERCY, EL SALVADOR

 

7 | SAN PERDO CATHEDRAL, DAVAO

  Not all churches in the Philippines have a 3D view, but you can try and look for your preferred church. Click here   —(Source: Business World)