In the last quarter of the 19th century, Father Manuel Camañes dug an artesian well on the north side of the church, giving a source of potable water to the people of Betis and nearby towns.
Not to be missed are his original painting of the Holy Family, the artesian well (dug in the 1800s) in the patio – the first well in the country to be so situated, and the rare betis tree nearby donated by sociologist Randy David, a native of the town.
The religious frescoes in the ceiling and murals on the wall with its intricate sculpture and paintings in gold dust are reminiscent of the Renaissance age of European Art.
[7] Standing at the nave of the church, one can see the ceilings, walls and the retablo styled with paintings and murals of the Holy Family, selected scenes from the bible, Catholic saints and cherubs.
Victor Ramos y Gozum (1922–1986) repainted almost 80% of the ceiling and mural paintings in the interior of the Betis church which most contemporary writers mistook for Simon Flores originals.
Ramos and Daning Henson from San Fernando Pampanga and a certain Mr. Pangilinan reworked the ceiling paintings in the early 1980's, commissioned by the Betis Fiesta Committee under Tatang Emias Roque.
Based on Macario Ligón-originals (Ligón was an uncle and teacher of Ramos in painting), repainting was done due to the decaying panels infested by termites and to avoid a more devastating effect on other parts of the church's ceiling.
Photographs served as guides for the painters in the restoration process which simulated the original ones especially the trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) effect of the vaults, frames and arches.
He entered the School of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Diliman, and after a year, made his way to work with Maximo Vicente, a well-known sculptor, in the post-war period.
He became an encarnador, one who paints the skin of rebultos, and had several side jobs along Mabini and Hidalgo Streets in Quiapo before he came back to Betis and married his longtime sweetheart Ester.
One of the small bells bears the inscription of Fray Manuel Camañes, 1891 and Fundicion de Hilario Sunico (who had a famous foundry in San Nicolas, Manila).
But in the 1880s the shack was torn down to give way to a foundry that cast those huge church bells that hangs today in old Spanish churches—some of them declared as heritage sites.
[11][12] In the last quarter of the 19th century, 1886-1894, Father Manuel Camañes dug an artesian well on the north-side of the church which served as a source of potable water not only for the Betis townsfolk, but to the other nearby towns as well (Jorge, Catalogo, P. 530-531).
[13] The idea of renovating and restoring the ground floor of the church's refectory to convert it into a historical mini-museum was one of the major projects of the Betis Town Fiesta Committee 2007.
The Committee which was spearheaded by comité de festejo president Florentino Torres who saw the need of a specific place which would serve as an exhibition room where the collections of Betis Church's artifacts, important historical data, old photographs and memorabilia, antique valuable pieces of the old families of the town and other significant documents pertaining to the celebration of its annual fiestas and traditions in the past and of the present will be showcased.
The whole refectory which housed several precious art pieces of the church remained undeveloped for several years since its renovation in the early 20th century; after it was accidentally burned down in 1908.
Instead of buying new materials, the committee made use of this debris; some were restored and some were converted into brackets for the wall lamps on every post, the base of the chandeliers, the doors of the façade of the museum's entrance, the architrave of the arched windows and even a couple of utilitarian tables which are now located at the secretary's office.
Assistant to Prof. Burgos in the research and documentation process was Prof. Ruston Banal Jr, an alumnus of the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Fine Arts and a native of Betis.