San Vicente Ferrer Church (Leganes, Iloilo)

Leganes Church
San Vicente Ferrer Parish Church
Church facade in 2014
Leganes Church Location in the Visayas Show map of Visayas Leganes Church Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines
10°47′11″N122°35′25″E / 10.786283°N 122.590217°E / 10.786283; 122.590217
Location	Leganes, Iloilo
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Parish Church and Archdiocesan Shrine
Founded	1869
Founder(s)	Friar Andres Naves
Dedication	St. Vincent Ferrer
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Neoclassical
Completed	1889
Specifications
Materials	Reinforced Concrete
Bells	1
Administration
Province	Jaro
Archdiocese	Jaro
Clergy
Archbishop	Archbishop Midyphil Billones
Priest(s)	Elmer T. Tababa

The Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Vincent Ferrer, commonly known as Leganes Church, is a neoclassical church dedicated to Saint Vincent Ferrer in Leganes, Iloilo, Philippines under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro. Its current structure is a result of the numerous restoration efforts which was a necessity because of man-made and natural disasters. ^[1]

History

The current San Vicente Ferrer Church was a product of repairs and reconstructions. The first was completed in 1889 under the patronage of Father Eladio Zamora using the materials of tabigue, bamboo and brickwork. It replaced the old chapel which was constructed out of local indigenous materials. The adjoining convent was made out of local wood while the adjacent cemetery was bordered by a bamboo fence.

Strong winds and rain damaged the church and rendered the convent useless during the typhoon that happened on May 10, 1896. Repairs were initiated by Father Fulgencio Rodriguez on the church. Two years after the tragic event, Augustinians handed the church over to the secular priests who have given assistance to the natives since the evangelization started. ^[1]

On January 25, 1948, the church was severely damaged when the Lady Caycay earthquake with a magnitude of 8.2 struck the whole of Panay Island. ^[2] The shocks lasted for 70 seconds which devastated almost all the heritage churches within the island. ^[1] Also recovering from World War II, the church reconstruction only went underway during the 1950s with an addition of a separate bell tower and other supplementary buildings.

Architecture

Church interior in 2014

The facade is neoclassical expressed through the columns and the pediments at the center with fenestration of arched doorways and windows. The interior is filled with colorful stained glass windows. One of which is an oculus located at the sanctuary wall that lights up the sculpture of St. Vincent Ferrer. Life of the saint is depicted through these stained windows which include his birth, his baptism, the apparition of the Virgin Mary to him, and his death. ^[1]

It has a central nave and two aisles with lower ceilings flanking it. In front of the right aisle is a simple altar of Jesus and Mary while the baptistery ends the left aisle.

References

1. Ducharme, Fergus. "San Vicente Ferrer Church, Leganes, Iloilo, A Jaro Diocesan Shrine". Historic Old Philippines. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
2. Burgos Jr., Nestor (October 27, 2013). "Quake impact review for megadam urged". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Retrieved October 25, 2014.

External links

• Media related to San Vicente Ferrer Church (Leganes, Iloilo) at Wikimedia Commons
• San Vicente Ferrer Church on Facebook