Anda, Bohol

Bohol’s tourism boom is founded on its prized attractions -- 1,268 mounds of limestone completely covered in brown earth, resembling hills of cocoa; minute lovable primates known as tarsiers, which would be downright petrifying if they were the size of a man; a two-kilometer stretch of mahogany trees that provides an escape from the cacophony of the city; a pleasant cruise on a lazy river; and spectacular beaches that showcase the coastal paradise. It is green all around, thanks to rice paddies, palm trees and coconut trees. The coastal road that loops around the island is clean and well-paved, a testament to effective infrastructure spending. But I am not in Bohol for those reasons. I came to appreciate art in a sort of visita iglesia.

I am swooning over a jaw-dropping vista under a glorious dome sky, replete with symbolism and symmetry -- a feast of color and form erupting in brilliance. A magnum opus, lush with masterful brushstrokes, graces the ceiling of Anda Church. The Holy Trinity is the centerpiece: the bearded, white-haired Father, the crucified Son and the dove-represented Godly Spirit, aptly framed within the uniform sides of a triangle, advocating identical significance among the three divine entities.

Four quadrants emerge from a clouded realm, each flaunting a scene from Christ’s humanity or angelic encounters with church doctors or biblical characters. This stunning pageantry exists within an octagon, a combination of the perfect circle and the practical square, signifying a fusion of divinity and humanity; thus, one of Catholicism’s fundamental doctrines is expressed in this painted masterpiece.

The commanding sight is more than just art dazzling with visual impressions. The paintings are positioned in a revered setting -- on the ceiling of the church, a proxy for the heavens, stirring emotions and evoking a response.