Bacarra Church

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Bacarra Church
  • San Andres Apostol Parish Church
  • Iglesia Parroquial de San Andrés Apóstol (Spanish)
Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish Bacarra (Rizal Boulevard, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte; 11-17-2022).jpg
Church facade in 2022
Philippines location map (Luzon).svg
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Bacarra Church
Philippines location map (square).svg
Red pog.svg
Bacarra Church
18°15′02″N120°36′42″E / 18.250495°N 120.611788°E / 18.250495; 120.611788
LocationM. Castro Street, Brgy. Sta. Rita, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte
CountryPhilippines
Denomination Roman Catholic
History
Status Parish church
Dedication Saint Andrew the Apostle
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designation National Cultural Treasure
Designated1973
Style Church building
Completed1593 [1]
Administration
Province Nueva Segovia
Archdiocese Nueva Segovia
Diocese Laoag
Clergy
Archbishop Marlo Mendoza Peralta
Bishop(s) Renato P. Mayugba

St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, commonly known as Bacarra Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the municipality of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Laoag.

Contents

Founded in 1593 by Augustinian friars, the church was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. Its key feature is its domeless, leaning bell tower located just meters from the church. [2]

History

Church interior in 2022 Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish Bacarra inside (Rizal Boulevard, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte; 11-17-2022).jpg
Church interior in 2022

The Augustinians founded the town of Bacarra on September 18, 1590, and began their missionary activity on land owned by a chieftain the Spaniards named Castillo and a certain Andres Hermosa. [3] [4] Baccara was established as a mission center for the Apayaos. [3] The Augustinian mission was run by two priests serving a population of 4,000. [4] The church and an adjoining convent were established in 1593 [1] on the site where an Igorot named Bacsalandoc, first settler of the town and chieftain, had erected his hut. [4] The church site is now located in the center of town. [5]

The town became a visita of Laoag in 1603 and an independent parish in 1614. [4] In 1782 a new church on the site was inaugurated by the Augustinians. [1] [5]

In 1973 President Ferdinand Marcos declared the church a National Cultural Treasure through Presidential Decree No. 260. [6]

Features

Bell tower

The Domeless bell tower of Bacarra Bacarra Church Bell Tower.jpg
The Domeless bell tower of Bacarra

The Bacarra church is famous for its centuries-old, domeless or "beheaded" belfry known as Torre ti Bacarra. [4] [7] The structure stands three stories and 50 metres (160 ft) high. [8] The original bell tower, which is detached from the main church building and made of coral bricks, was erected in 1828. [9] [10] However, periodic earthquakes from 1931 to 1971 caused the dome to start leaning. [9] [10] The entire dome was toppled by the 1983 Luzon earthquake. [1] Restoration of the church was completed in 1984 at a cost of ₱3 million. [1]

The tower is also known as the "Acrobatic Bell Tower of Bacarra". [11]

Restoration works by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on the tower were announced in 2018, and the restored tower was turned over to the Diocese of Laoag in November 2020. [12]

Church museum

The church museum, known as Museo de Bacarra, is housed in the former church convent. The two-story restored convent, which dates to the Spanish colonial era, features religious artifacts from archival photos and documents and church relics and cultural artifacts mostly contributed by the people of Bacarra. [9] A mysterious underground staircase leading to three tunnels – believed to be connected to the Bacarra river, the church tower, and the altar – was uncovered at the back of the old convent. [9]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tourist Attractions in Bacarra". bacarra.gov.ph. 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "NHCP to restore historic Paoay Church, Bacarra Tower in Ilocos". PTV News. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 4 Jan 2023.
  3. 1 2 Galende 2007 , p. 30
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bacarra". Official Website of Ilocos Norte. Local Government Unit of Ilocos Norte. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Bacarra Church and Convent". Municipality of Bacarra. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Presidential Decree No. No. 260, s. 1973 (1 August 1973), Declaring the Sta. Ana Site Museum in Manila, the Roman Catholic Churches of Paoay and Bacarra in Ilocos Norte, the San Agustin Church and Liturgical Objects Therein in Intramuros, Manila, Fort Pilar in Zamboanga City, the Petroglyphs of the Rock-Shelter in Angono, Rizal, the Petroglyphs of Alab, Bontoc, the Stone Agricultural Calendars of Dap-Ay Guiday in Besao, Bontoc, the Mummy Caves of Kabayan, Benguet and of Sagada and Alab, Bontoc, the Ifugao Rice Terraces of Banaue as National Cultural Treasures; and the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, Tirad Pass in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, the Miagao Church in Miagao, Iloilo, the Site of the Battle of Mactan on Mactan Island, Cebu, the San Sebastian Church in Quiapo, Manila, and the Church and Convent of Santo NiñO in Cebu City as National Shrines, Monuments, and/ or Landmarks, Defining the Implementing Agencies and Providing Funds Therefor. , retrieved October 24, 2023– via Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines
  7. ↑ Arzadon, Christina (November 20, 2012). "Bacarra Museum: New Oasis of Religious, Cultural Artifacts, Mysterious Underground Garden Near 'Beheaded' Belfry Ruins". Ilocos Sentinel. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ Coseteng 1972, p. 73.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Arzadon, Christina (November 21, 2012). "Museum hopes to put Ilocos town on tourism map". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved September 11, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Legarda, Benita (1960). "Colonial Churches of Ilocos". Philippine Studies. Ateneo de Manila University. 8 (1): 121–158.
  11. ↑ Esguerra 2012 , p. 228
  12. ↑ Tabios, Hanah (November 19, 2020). "NHCP Delivers Restored Heritage Icons to Ilocos Norte". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 6, 2022.

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