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| Magalang Church | |
|---|---|
| San Bartolome Parish Church | |
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.jpg) Churchfaçade in 2019 | |
.svg)  Magalang Church Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines | |
| 15°12′52″N120°39′36″E / 15.2144447°N 120.6600308°E /15.2144447; 120.6600308 | |
| Location | Brgy. San Nicolas I,Magalang,Pampanga |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | April 30, 1605 |
| Founder | Fr. Gonzalo de SalazarO.S.A. |
| Dedication | Saint Bartholomew |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Fr. Ramon M. Sarrionandia,O.S.A. |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Baroque |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 55 metres (180 ft) |
| Width | 24 metres (79 ft) |
| Height | 7 metres (23 ft) |
| Materials | Stone, mortar, sand, brick, wood |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | San Fernando |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Most. Rev. Florentino G. Lavarias, D.D. |
| Priest | Rev. Fr. Juan Danilo L. Dizon |
San Bartolome Parish Church, commonly known asMagalang Church, is a 19th-centuryBaroqueRoman Catholic church located atBarangay San Nicolas I,Magalang,Pampanga,Philippines. The parish church, dedicated toSaint Bartholomew the Apostle, is under theArchdiocese of San Fernando.
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The town ofMagalang was started as a sub-parish (visita) of the neighboring town ofArayat on December 19, 1598, with Fr. Andres Hernandez as its vicar. On April 30, 1605, Magalang was officially separated from the mother town ofArayat, and Fr. Gonzalo de Salazar, OSA was appointed its first pastor. After Fr. Salazar's transfer, its parish was reverted to Arayat. In 1686,Augustinian documents mentioned that Magalang together with Tarlac, was under the pastorship of Fr. Pedro de Flores, OSA. The town was initially located in Macapsa; and may have been relocated a few more times due to frequent flooding of the Chico River and subsequent revolts. In 1734, it was transferred to San Bartolome.
In 1858, Magalang experienced devastating flood due to overflow of Parua River. Two years later, a Royal Decree was issued, creating the new town of Concepcion, composed of barrios of Magalang located on the northern bank of Parua River. In 1863, the town was eventually relocated to the present site. The northern part of Magalang was separated and formally created the town of Concepcion. However, the new town is still spiritually dependent on Magalang, until theArchdiocese of Manila issued a decree, establishing the latter's parish in 1866.
The exact date of the construction of the present church remains unclear although, it is suggested in the records that the construction of a structure may have started at around 1725, when the convent of Magalang was relieved from paying its dues to the Augustinian province. The current church, was built by Fr. Ramon Sarrionandia, OSA in 1866. In 1875, Fr. Baltasar Gamarra, OSA finished thefacade and the two storeybell tower. In 1887, Fr. Fernando Vasquez, OSA continued the finishing touches and installed two large bells in 1889 and 1890 respectively; and its tones is regarded as one of the best inPampanga. Fr. Toribio Fanjul, OSA renovated the church flooring andsacristy in 1891. During thePhilippine Revolution, the church convent was occupied by the revolutionaries, and it was converted into a prison for Spanish captives. On November 5, 1899, the Americans captured the convent from the revolutionaries, and they reconstituted as their military headquarters in Magalang until 1901. During theJapanese occupation, Japanese soldiers used the belfry as an observatory post.
In early 1950s, a major renovation of the church was done during the early administration of Rev. Fr. Pedro N. Magtoto. The old retablo was demolished, to give way the second altar, composed of large crucifix at the center of the altar. The wooden flooring are removed, and thechoir loft was demolished. In 1978, the old convent was renovated and converted into parish hall during the administration of Rev. Fr. Odon T. Santos. During his administration also, the concreteStations of the Cross were installed and the altar was further renovated. In 2002, Rev. Fr. Raul C. de los Santos renovated the altar and repaired the convent. In 2015, Rev. Fr. Mario Sol M. Gabriel initiated the revival of the originalretablo. He also mechanized the existing old church bells, constructed the steel fence and installed a modern ventilation system inside the church.
In December 23, 2015, theNational Museum of the Philippines recognized the church as one of theImportant Cultural Properties of the Philippines.[1][2]
One of the church's parish priests during the Spanish era wasJuan Severino Mallari, who killed at least 57 of his parishioners during his tenure from 1813 to 1825 and as part of a perceived cure to his mother's hexing. He was subsequently discovered, imprisoned for 14 years and executed in 1840, for which he became known as the first Filipino serial killer.[3][4][5]
Media related toSaint Bartholomew Parish Church (Magalang, Pampanga) at Wikimedia CommonsArchidioecesis Sancti Ferdinandi | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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For the complete list of Roman Catholic churches in Pampanga, see theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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