Heritage site: Siquijor's St. Francis of Assisi Church

After seeing Lazi's San Isidro Labrador church, it was time to see the church of St. Francis of Assisi right smack in the town of Siquijor near the pier.

The church's facade.

Another colonial-era structure, the church was built beginning 1793 and was completed only in 1831. And as with most structures of that era, the St. Francis of Assisi church was made up mostly of coral stone.

The church is one of Siquijor's well-known landmarks.

Inside, the church had the typical gilded altar, tiled flooring but with a more "new" feel to it than the one in Lazi. Without question, the church had already undergone several rounds of extensive restoration and repair jobs through the years to ensure its preservation. Unfortunately, in my opinion at least, the church's old-world charm has been compromised by these activities. For one, the main altar looks fairly new. Just look at the white tiles.

While the church definitely looks old outside, it doesn't feel too old indoors. Oh, someone's waiting to get married.

The main altar. The replacement of the old flooring with white tiles, however, was an unfortunate mistake.

I don't know if it's just me but this church somehow lacks the old-world glory of the one in Lazi.

A few meters from the church stands Siquijor's old bell tower. Built in 1891, it was believed to also serve as a watchtower to warn residents of approaching danger. I wasn't able to scale its steps, though; the door was padlocked.

The old bell tower; reportedly scheduled next for restoration and repair.

One thing that left me curious, though: I noticed that all the church's side doors had these rope curtains hanging, something that the San Isidro Labrador church in Lazi also sported:

Can anyone tell me what's with these rope curtains? They're in at least two old churches in Siquijor.
(They're used to block birds from entering the church, according to an Anon commenter. - Thanks!)

I think I'm now starting to have a thing for heritage sights.