Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary - Quezon

Located in the town of Agdangan in Quezon province, the Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary is a Catholic tower and sanctuary built beside the town's parish church.

Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary

Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary History

Standing 120 feet tall, the Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary is the brainchild of Fr. Raul "Puti" Enriquez. The inspiration to build a sanctuary in Agdangan came to him sometime in 2003 during the time when jueteng (a local type of gambling) and excessive drinking plagued the small coastal town. 

Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary - Agdangan, Quezon

The sanctuary is just beside St. Isidore Parish Church

Reminds me of Seattle Space Needle

Collective visions and dreams of several people about the sanctuary brought together important people who played a big role in the movement to build the sanctuary in 2004. Construction took a few years and was finished in 2007. According to our guide Ms. Yam Maglaqui, the sanctuary was built through the Bayanihan Spirit of the collective effort of the locals who brought their own tools and helped with the construction of the sanctuary. The best part of it was those who were most active in the constructions were those who were addicted to gambling and alcohol. They sacrificed a lot of their time, effort, and even money to build the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is just a few meters away from the church.

Listen carefully to the guide

The Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary was designed to look like a monstrance complete with the Holy Eucharist in its center. Again, the sanctuary stands 120 feet tall or 12 stories high. Each floor shows life-size statues portraying different scenes in the bible complete with hand-painted backgrounds. The top floor (dome) gives out a portrayal of what heaven might look like. From there, visitors would also be able to see the panoramic view of Tayabas Bay, Mt. Banahaw, and the town of Agdangan. The sanctuary is best seen during the night when it is illuminated by beams of light from the spotlights at its foot.

The view of Agdangan from the top of the sanctuary

I would like to thoroughly describe to you what you'd see on each floor but then again there are things that I should skip so that my readers would be intrigued to see and experience them for themselves. I'll just give you some tips and things to do when visiting the sanctuary.

1. Entrance is free but you have to sign up in their visitor's logbook. (You may give monetary donations if you  are willing though.)
2. You should remove your footwear when entering the sanctuary.
3. Flash photography is prohibited inside the sanctuary because it damages the paintings in it.
4. Refrain from bringing food or beverages inside the sanctuary.
5. Listen to the guide and remember, respect begets respect. 

A little peek at what you can see at the top of the sanctuary

I got to visit the San Isidro Labrador Parish of Agdangan and the Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary during our Batangas-Quezon 2017 Visita Iglesia. The place was worth visiting. The sanctuary guide, Ms. Yam, was admirably very good in explaining the history of the sanctuary plus she also gives moving testimonies and personal stories connected to the miracles attributed to the sanctuary. 

Check out those cross-styled windows.

Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary and St. Isidore Parish Church

Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary Admission Fee:

The entrance to the Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary is FREE but you have to sign up in their visitor's logbook. (You may give monetary donations if you  are willing though.)

Why visit the Luminous Cross of Grade Sanctuary?

Overall, Agdangan should be included in your pilgrimage sites to visit in Quezon on your next Visita Iglesia. It might be a town which is rarely visited by tourists and pilgrims but it is surely worth it.

Getting to Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary:

From Pasay City, ride a bus going to Lucena Grand Terminal.

Bus Fare: 300 -400 pesos

From there ride a bus going to Agdangan. 

Bus Fare is usually around 60 -100 pesos. 

Ratings:

Pilgrims

Cleanliness

Overall rating