Lazi Convent is located just across the Church of Saint Isidore the Farmer. It was built in 1887 and was blessed in 1891. At 42 x 38 meters, it is one of the biggest convents in the Philippines. Both the church and the convent are National Historical Shrines as decreed in 1973.
Despite it being old, the convent is still being used by the townsfolk. The ground floor is a preschool while the second floor houses a museum.
When we went there, the place was ongoing renovation.
From the picture below, it's obvious that Lazi Convent had undergone quite some renovation for sometime as compared to the original purely wood and capiz structure, the stairs are made of cement though the handrails remained to be made of wood.
On the right side of the stairs is a museum but it was closed when we arrive. According to Noel, the entrance fee is at Php20.00. Inside, one can see relics and other old paraphernalia from way back the church and the convent was built. As is the case in most museums, once inside, taking of pictures and video is not allowed.
The second floor to the left of the stairs gave me these views that reminded me of how old the convent really is.
Farther down is the kitchen area, which to this day is still being used. I find the colored windows interesting as it seemed to be an early example of how stained glass was during those times. Unlike today's stained glass, it was plain and thinner.
As part of the second floor of the convent is still sometimes being used as a classroom, desks, tables, a blackboard and chairs are present.
Even these old armchairs are still being used by their students.
On one of the walls, I found a picture of Fray Toribio Sanchez who was responsible for the building of the church and the convent.
Before boarding our tricycle, I hurriedly snapped one last photo of the convent and below is the result.
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