Home of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
As unique as its Bamboo Organ, the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph in Las Piñas City exemplifies the historic fabric of Filipino architecture, best described as arquitectura mestiza. This architecture developed in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period due to the interaction between native and foreign cultures. As durable as bamboo, the institution and built heritage of the church complex endures for us today.
Las Piñas was founded by the Augustinian Friars in 1762 as a visita of Parañaque. It was later ceded to the Augustinian Recollects. It became a parish in 1775 under the patronage of San Jose Patriarca and its first cura parocco, Fr. Diego Cera del Carmen, ORSA. In 1795, Las Piñas was separated from Parañaque and a chapel of bamboo and nipa was built the following year. Despite having a modest structure, Las Piñas had established a chorus and a small orchestra of string instruments playing during spiritual services.
In 1972, this newly-restored church was inaugurated featuring Capiz chandeliers, aged bricks, old statues, an architectural contrived bamboo ceiling, a choir loft with antique balustrades of carved wood, and potted native palms. The warm, cozy, and rusticated-look architecture compliments the unique and excellent music of the famous Bamboo Organ of Las Piñas.
Learn more about the architectural history of the famous home of the Las Piñas Bamboo Organ by visiting our Facebook post here: https://bit.ly/LPBambooOrgan