St.Joseph Church

St.Joseph Church(Dingras,Ilocos Norte)

There are conflicting accounts of the history of Dingras Church. One of the earliest records mentioning it states that it was damaged in the earthquake of 1620; thus it had been built prior to that year. In 1710, according to the report of Capitan Don Lucas Mariano de Ochoa, the church was originally constructed by Fray Alonso Cortes, OSA, 30 years before, or between 1678 and 1680. Only the brick walls of the church remained by the time of Ochoa's account. Regalado Trota-José, a noted church historian on the other hand wrote that a brick church was erected in the late 1670s but was damaged in 1707 by an earthquake. From both accounts, this building was the second church of Dingras. The church was again rebuilt, only to be destroyed by fire along with the town.

According to Fr. Pedro Galende, OSA, the present church was built by Fray Damask Vietez, OSA, in 1879. Trota-Jose pointed out that Vieytez died in 1854, thus the church would have been built during his priorship from 1846 to that year.

From 1879 to 1893 and from 1894 to 1898, under the priorship of Fray Ricardo Diaz and Fray Saturnino Franco both from the Order of Saint Augustine, the church underwent renovations such as fixing and replacing the roof with metal sheets.

In 1914, the church was once again destroyed by fire and in 1931, it was damaged by another earthquake which made the church unsafe so that it was later abandoned. A smaller concrete structure was constructed across the street to serve as the church.

In 2009, the Dingras church was set for demolition which was opposed by several organizations including the International Council for Monuments and Sites (Icomos) Philippines and the Heritage Conservation Society (HCS). The original facade was to be demolished rather than conserved and a new church would replace the old structure.

According to architect Manuel Maximo Lopez del Castillo-Noche, a faculty member of the College of Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas, HCS director, and member of Icomos Philippines, the demolition of Dingras church is a threat to other historic buildings in the Philippines.

The La Virgen Milagrosa Church

The La Virgen Milagrosa Church,Badoc houses the Sanctuary of the Miraculous Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the La Virgen Milagrosa. History traces the life-sized statue to Nagasaki, Japan. It was sent floating in the sea by missionaries operating in secret in Japan (for fear of persecution during the Tokugawa Regime), along with the Miraculous Statue of the Black Nazarene (Sinait's Santo Cristo Milagroso). It was first found by local fishermen in the shores of Barangay Dadalaquiten, on the boundary between Sinait and Badoc, in the year 1620. Only fishermen from Sinait were able to move the Statue of the Black Nazarene. The fishermen from Badoc, unable to move the Black Nazarene, were able to move the La Virgen Milagrosa that came with it--which was, in turn, unable to be moved by the fishermen from Sinait. They took the statues to their respective towns, hence becoming their patron saints. Today The La Virgen Milagrosa is enshrined at the Badoc Church.

St. Andrew Parish

St. Andrew Parish in Bangui, this National Cultural Treasure is located in the 3rd oldest town of the province, Bacarra and is known for its "acrobatic bell tower."

St. Lawrence the Deacon Parish

 St. Lawrence the Deacon Parish, in Bangui Ilocos Norte,the church was built from coralline rocks and lime and was heavily bombarded during the Japanese occupation. To date, half of the church is virtually in ruins with the facade restored using cement and girders.

St. Anne Parish

St. Anne Church is located at Piddig, Ilocos Norte. It was one of the oldest structures to be built in Ilocos Norte.In 1810, the parish was founded by Augustinian friars. Its first parish priest was Fr. Isidro Champaner. During the Philippine-American War, the building was inhabited by a 5-man Filipino guerilla group who repelled early American attacks. On 19 March 1932, an earthquake toppled the top level of the bell tower. The church underwent repairs afterward. During the Japanese occupation, the convent and the sacristy together with its parochial records, furniture and statues were burned. The facade and its interior were restored in 1965. The convent was repaired and converted into a parochial school.St. Anne Church's facade is inspired by the baroque Jesuit church of Il Gesu in Rome that was built in 1568. This likeness is seen in the massive buttresses that serves as columns and the volutes that are bordering the altar-shaped pediment. The capitals of the columns of the first level have cylindrical, inverted crenellation-like carvings that indicate a Muslim influence, while the second level has a round apex.

The original wooden pulpit and five neo classical retablos made from brick and lime are found inside the church. The central retablo contains the image of St. Anne holding Mary on her lap.

Saint Andrew Parish and Torre ti Bacarra

Saint Andrew Parish (Bacarra, Ilocos Norte). The church dates back to the 16th century. Construction was supervised by Fray Felipe Fernandez of the Order of Saint Augustine. When the first building was destroyed, it was rebuilt in 1700 and was finished by 1706 headed by Fray Diego de Mendrosqueta, Fray Miguel Abiol and Fray Antonio de Villanueva. The church was damaged by an earthquake the following year and later by yet another one. The present church was rebuilt by Fray Juan Martin that was dated around the middle of the 19th century.

Indigenous materials were used for the construction. Coral bricks made of sticky clay and molasses mixed with leaves and tree trunks of a tree soaked in water or “sablot” were used instead of cement, granite or adobe stones. The mixture resulted in a sticky fluid which was then combined with lime from ashes of burnt shells. The brickswere pieced together with stucco, the mixture beaten to paste. All the labor was manual.

Torre ti Bacarra .Old Spanish-Baroque churches and bell towers have been among the most visited tourist destinations in the Philippines where majority are Catholics. Undeniably, every proud Catholics in every town take pride in their stunningly beautiful churches and the stories behind it, just like how the Bacarreños are proud of theirs. 

Bacarra treasures the early 19th century Torre Ti Bacarra, or Bacarra Tower that once towered over all the bell towers in the Philippine islands. With the tower’s original design, a 16 x 16 meter base and at 50 meters high, it once reigned as the highest bell tower in the Philippine islands until it was trembled by 2 earthquakes that brought down the top most level.Though not the highest anymore, curious travelers still drop by town to see what’s left of Bacarra Tower that was declared a National Cultural Treasure. Instead of cleaning up the mess left by devastation, debris were left untouched which gave more character to Bacarra’s pride. Rather, walkways, plants, and trees, were added to beautify the the tower and the church across it.

Immaculate Conception Church

Immaculate Conception Church (Batac, Ilocos Norte) In 1587, the Augustinians appointed Fr. Esteban Marin as the first prior of Batac. Another prior, Fr. Pedro de Vivar wrote the “Relacion” retelling Diego Silang's rise against the Spaniards in 1762. In 1620, however, original buildings were destroyed. Fr. Pedro Cariaga began reconstructing the church in 1690 and finished it in 1692.

The present church is the 1692 reconstruction. Its facade has been renovated recently, whitewashed, and plastered with the original palitada. The original features and authentic colors give the church a Romanesque look with an Italian influence exemplified by recessed portals, embellished wheel windows, and inverted moldings. Heavy twin pilasters complement the large rose window and the wide opening of the main portal.