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I am a true-born Southerner.

Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee – where you find a liquor store and church on every corner – I come from a place where going to church isn’t just something you do on Sundays. It’s entire way of being.

Generations of families attend services together every Sunday morning, and then spend Sunday afternoon eating Sunday Supper at Granny’s house, while the little cousins spend the afternoon playing together outside. Sundays in the South are reverent, respectful, and relaxing.  I thought when we left the South for Asia that those days were going to be long behind me.

To my happy surprise, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

To be such a small island (at only 12 miles long by 15 miles wide), Saipan really packs in the churches. Just a casual glance at “Churches in Saipan” lists around two dozen churches. (The majority are unlisted on Google.)

Though the island is mostly Catholic, there is a wide variety of denominations spread around the island. From Seventh Day Adventist to Methodist and Baptist, the island has plenty of churches to choose from.

And what about Granny’s Sunday Supper, you ask? Here it is all about Family Cookout at the Beach.

Families here all get together and find an available pavilion along the beach, where they will spend all Sunday afternoon and evening together. You’ll see the kids swimming, playing horseshoes and corn-hole. The men sitting in the shade playing cards and dominoes. The women all sitting together – just laughing, cutting up, and having a good time. I love to drive down Beach Road and look at all the happy families enjoying their day off together. Makes me homesick for fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, and SEC Football.

MMMMM…. biscuits. Drool.

I’m not often too homesick, but talk of food will get me every time. Dang do I miss southern food.

I digress…

One of the first things I noticed about Saipan is the churches. They are GORGEOUS here. Absolute works of art. So without any further talk of deliciousness that I’m craving, let’s jump into this week’s post, shall we?

Saipan Series: Churches

Before we start talking about specifics, first I want to explain Saipan’s religious roots.

Saipan was settled by the Spanish (led by Ferdinand Magellan) in 1521. Even today, you see a very heavy Spanish influence all around the island, such as the different villages around the island have Spanish names (Puerto Rico, San Jose, San Juan, San Roque).

During the 17th century, the local Chamorros were exiled to Guam by the Spanish settlers. This was to force the local population to be converted to Roman Catholic. Eventually, after the population assimilated, they returned to the island. Therefore, even today, the island is predominately Roman Catholic.

While there are many churches to choose from, I didn’t want this post to be 10,000 words long and have 50 pictures, so I narrowed it down to my favorites. The thing about these churches is that they are all so different from one another. Each church is unique, and the love and care that are put into their upkeep are beautiful to witness.

We made a short movie if you’d like to watch it. There are tons more pictures in the video than in the post. Please feel free to like, comment, and subscribe to my channel! I’m just getting started over there on YouTube, so I appreciate all the love everyone has given me so far! I know my first few movies weren’t the greatest, but I think I’m getting a little better in this one. Let me know what you think in the comments!

And for those of you who prefer pictures:

Kristo Rai Parish

This beautiful church sits in the heart of downtown Garapan, right on Beach Road. Kristo Rai was built by Spanish missionaries in 1876. The building wasn’t finished until the early 1900’s though. Following World War 2 and the Battle of Saipan, the building was torn down due to damage. The only thing that remains today of the original church is the bell tower.

The current church was begun in 1976 and completed two years later. It is an impressive building to see, being constructed with steel beams that are 120 feet long and 96 feet wide.

Across from a large park where the weekly street fair is held on Thursday night, Kristo Rai is the heart of downtown Garapan.

Nuestra Senora Bithen Delos Remedios Parish

When I picture in my mind what an “island church” looks like, I see something almost exactly like Nstra. Sta. Delos Remedios.

Tucked into a neighborhood inside the Village of Tanapag, this church sits unassumingly amongst the neighborhood homes. Men play checkers at tables in front of houses across the street and wave at you as you park. Dogs chase lizards in the street in front of the church. Kids are splashing at the beach behind the houses across the street.

It is just so perfectly charming.

The history of the church is equally as charming. In 1879, a husband and wife from Spain moved to nearby Tinian island. The family made a living by selling beef and pork to Saipan and Guam. They had four workers that came from Saipan and lived with them in Tinian. Two were housekeepers, and two of them were taught how to read and write so the could help with the business.

One day as the story goes, the husband went with a few of his workers from Tinian to Saipan, because he had some work to do on Saipan. The weather was rough that day, but the husband insisted that his boat was fast enough to outrun any storm.

It wasn’t.

The boat was destroyed and all aboard are said to have drowned. Upon learning her husband was dead, the wife moved back to Spain. She left most of her belongings to the island of Tinian, including Nuestra Senora Remedios (Our Lady of Remedy), which is a statue of the Saint.

Her four workers decided to move back to Saipan, where they took the Nuestra Senora Remedios and built a small chapel in her honor in Tanapag. The church was closed during the War, instead used as Japanese ammunition and food storage. Eventually, it was destroyed during the Battle of Saipan.

In 1944, the first wooden church was built to house the Nuestra Senora Remedios. It was completed and dedicated in 1949. Several years later, one citizen named Jose Rebuenog Lifoifoi took on building a more complete church building to house the Nuestra Senora Remedios. Through fundraising and donations of time and materials, the building was finally completed in 1958.

Today, it stands with four palms out front to greet you. Wooden panels with intricately carved pictures are on either side of the front door.

Like I said – totally island charming.

Christo Salvatori Church

I wasn’t able to get the history of this church, and the internet returned me exactly nothing. This was just a church we spied while driving down the road one day. It’s in San Antonio Village, and again, smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood.

This church is very sweet, with its beautifully carved statues all around the facade. It isn’t a very large church at all, I’m guessing it can maybe only hold 100-200 people at a time. But, this is one of my most favorite churches on the island.

I’m a statues girl. But, hang on, we’ll get to that.

But first, how beautiful is that statue? Those colors! So much love is put into its care.

Christo Salvatori  |  SaipanI just love little churches with so much character!

Christo Salvatori  |  Saipan

Saipan Church Of Christ

This is one of the most striking churches on the island. Standing with a soaring blue steeple against the gorgeous Saipan sky, the Saipan Church of Christ is one of the most popular photo ops for tourists. Tourists that prefer candy-colored sports cars especially like to use the church as a backdrop for Instagram worthy photos.

Unfortunately, I could find nothing about the church online. But, this is one church the really exemplifies what living in Saipan is like. You are free to be who you want to be here. People don’t care- they just love you anyway.

And, I just love this church. It is swoon-worthy. Picture me making those heart eyes like the emoji every time I see it. The inside is currently under renovation and closed for tours.

Mount Carmel Parish

I might be wrong, and internet I know you will let me know if I am, but I am pretty sure this next church is the largest church on the island. Located in the village of Chalan Konoa, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral is a beautifully made cathedral.

The original church stood in Garapan from 1907 until it was destroyed during the War. (Sense a theme here?) Some of the original building was able to be saved and reused in the current building. The church was moved to Chalan Konoa and was built from 1947 until completion in 1949.

When the church was nearly completed, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was placed at the top of the new front tower. Originally placed on the highest mountain on the island as a gesture of gratitude to God for keeping the island safe through the war, and ensuring freedom after the war, the statue since its placement on the top of the tower has withstood storms, and even typhoons Jean (1968), Kim (1986), and Sodelour (2015).

Our Lady Of The Most Holy Rosary

This is my personal favorite of this group. We were driving one day and saw a sign with balloons on it, so we turned to see where it went.

What we found was one of the neatest churches I have ever seen.

Our Lady Of The Most Holy Rosary  |  SaipanOur Lady of the Most Holy Rosary is a very, very small church. It probably only holds 50-75 people total. But, the treasure you come for is in the courtyard all around the church.

There is an entire garden with the 12 Stations of the Cross.

Our Lady Of The Most Holy Rosary |  Saipan

Our Lady Of The Most Holy Rosary  |  SaipanThere are saints, and angels everywhere you look.

Our Lady Of The Most Holy Rosary  |  SaipanAnd this scene…

Our Lady Of The Most Holy Rosary / Saipan

It is glorious.

I absolutely love to visit this church and just walk around and appreciate how much work it must have taken to create all of this. This is a true act of love and it shows.

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine

I saved what most would say is the best for last. Technically- this isn’t a “church”. It’s more like a shrine. However, it does have an area where church services can be performed so we will just lump it in with the others, mkay?

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine is located in As Teo, just off a dusty, winding road. There is a little gift shop and snack stand when you first park.

Once you enter the courtyard, the mood becomes noticeably more reverent. There is a small chapel just before the Shrine, where you can light candles for a few quarters. The Shrine itself is carved into the side of a mountain.

Long tree roots drip down from trees above the shrine, on the mountain.

Our Lady of Lourdes  |  SaipanYou can sit and pray while enjoying a warm sea breeze and listening to the birds sing in the nature preserve next door.

Our Lady of Lourdes  |  SaipanIt is divine.

For such a small island, Saipan is surprisingly packed full of beautiful churches. I didn’t even scratch the surface – there are so many unique churches that you will find nowhere else. If you like this post, let me know and maybe I’ll do a follow-up post on a few more churches in the future.

When you travel, do you like to go see the local churches? Are you as fascinated with the architecture as I am? And how about those colors? How much fun are all the colors they chose?

Thank you so much for stopping by and showing my blog some love! I’d love it if you would share me with your friends. I would also appreciate it so much if you’d Pin me! Maybe these could help?

You can find out even more about Saipan, by checking out my Saipan Series.