4TH DISTRICT OF ILOILO AUGUSTINIAN CHURCHES1. Saint Anthony of Padua Church (Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo)

TheSaint Anthony of Padua Church, also called asBarotac Nuevo Churchis located in the municipality ofBarotac Nuevo, Iloilo, Philippines under theArchdiocese of Jaro. It was declared as a National Historic Landmark in 1998 under the leadership of Monsignor Jesus Enojo assisted by Congressman Narciso Montfort. The present church was completed in 1910 under the guidance of Father Mariano Conjugacion and played a significant role during the Spanish and Japanese occupations.HistoryBarotac Nuevo, which was then called Ginhawa-an, was civilized when the Spanish discovered and occupied it during the late 16th century. The Spanishconquistadorsbuilt abambooandnipachapel to initiate the evangelization of the locals in 1573. Trade within adjacent neighbours started after these developments and the economy started to flourish. When the soldiers fled from Ginhawa-an, the church was burned by the locals and they also killed the resident friar. This resulted the Spanish government to send an army to pacify them by burning their settlements and killing some of the natives including their leader Sugaob for revenge.Military reinforcements arrived in 1581 and with them was the parish priest ofDumangas, Father Juan de Peanosa which aimed to forcefully Christianize the natives, even to the point of murdering the people to participate within the program. A pathway connecting Dumangas and Ginhawa-an, which was built between 1589 and 1595 under Father Bartolome de Castillo was one of the developments of Ginhawa-an that made it a sitio of the recently proclaimedpueblo(or town) of Dumangas. The settlement changed its name to Barotac, during the time when volcanic residues covered almost the entire area and destroyed the agriculture. The name Barotac is from theSpanish word baro, which means mud, as well as the last syllables of tac and lutac. Nuevo was added to distinguish its name to the other Barotac within the island.Barotac was officially declared as parish in 1710 under the soon-to-be parish priest, Father Luis Gomez de Padilla.The 40-year reconstruction was finished in 1750 in theRomanesque style but it was short-lived because of the destruction brought about by the 1758 earthquake. A new church of coral stone and bricks and a convent were immediately constructed following the devastation and were both completed in 1802. In 1907, another fire destroyed the church which was led to believe that it was caused by arson.In 1910, a new church under the leadership of Father Mariano Conjugacion was built and it will survive until the present day. During theWorld War II, Colonel Macario Peralta Jr. ordered that the whole church and convent be burnt in order to render it useless as a Japanesegarrison. The fire did destroy the convent only which was then later occupied by the Japanese soldiers to be used as their stronghold for the remainder of the war. This lasted from 1942 to 1944. On June 13, 1944, during the first ever fiesta of the barrio, Juan Maquiling, a spy from the Filipino troops penetrated and annihilated all of the Japanese soldiers inside the church. Eventually the war ended, and the church was re-used not until 1947. A modern steel bell tower was added in 1966. Church Post-War Reconstructions and AdditionsThe Barotac Nuevo Church, also called St. Anthony of Padua Church was declared a National Historic Landmark through Msgr. Jesus Enojo and Congressman Narciso Montfort. It was through the declaration that the church received funds for a major reconstruction. The plan included the removal of the columns in the mainaisleof the church; installation of side posts to reinforce the supports of the main roof trusses; and installation of a new ceiling throughout and granite floor tiles. In 2002, a Church Building Commission under Monsignor Ramon Pet was organized and was tasked to construct a: new altar and a dome, newconvent, adoration chapel, new parish hall, quarters for the altar boys, boutique and main parking area, cemetery chapel and memorial park.The PlazaThe heritage church is beside afootballfield that is currently used as playground and practice grounds for children, adults and professionals. The town of Barotac Nuevo is called the "Football Capital of the Philippines." It used to be a Spanish plaza which is common in building Spanish church typology.

2. Saint John the Baptist Parish Church in Dingle

HistoryDingle started as a pre-colonial settlement of Sumandig, which was under the jurisdiction of Simsiman, a pueblo of Laglag.The settlement was also known as Sibucao, Ba-ong and Orvat. TheAugustinianpriest, Fr.Francisco Manuel Blanco, first founded Dingle as avisitaof Pototan in 1593. Dingle became independent on April 23, 1611. In 1629 however, it was annexed toDumangas, Iloiloand toDueas, Iloiloin 1641 (until 1825). On August 16, 1850, by order ofGovernor General of the Philippines Antonio de Urbiztondo, Dingle again became independent and was officially named the town of Dingle. The first town head was Julio Dator (1823-1827). In 1865, Fr. Fernando Llorente ordered the construction of the Dingle Catholic Church which was completed in 1886.TheParish Church of Saint John the Baptist(Filipino:Simbahang Parokyal ni San Juan Bautista), commonly known as theDingle Church, is aRoman Catholicparish churchlocated at the municipality ofDingle, Iloiloin thePhilippines. Finished in 1886, the church stands as one of the fine examples ofBaroquearchitecture exuding the style of Neoclassical extravagance.Construction

Aisle of the Dingle church.An Augustinian priest named Fr. Francisco Manuel Blanco founded Dingle, which was pre-colonial settlement in Simsiman, as a visita of Pototan in 1593. By August 16, 1850, Dingle has regained its long-term independence and was officially named a town by the order of Governor General Antonio de Urbiztondo. To solidify its ecclesiastical prominence, Fr. Fernando Llorente ordered the construction of the Church which began at 1865 and was completed a year later.Like churches in Eastern Iloilo, the Church is built out of limestone quarried from nearby mountains. In the case of the Dingle Church, the stones that set its foundation came from the mountains ofBulabog Putian National Park, a network of caves and tunnels which eventually historically served as a hide-out of Visayan revolutionaries of theKatipunan.The Dingle Church is a classic example of Baroque architecture, characterized by its broad facade, simplistic niche and its sturdy, triangular-shaped pediment. Though it lacks the opulent lavishness of most churches, it is infused with the Neoclassical elaborate style of voluteshaping the upper facade. Unlike the baroque churches of Ilocos, the pediment of Dingle Church is attached to the church itself but is heavily fortified by pilasters and multi-faceted columns.Baked bricks in the colour of cream lined up its interiors. Supporting the ornately carved ceiling is a line of slender Ionic columns standing across the room. The altar where the statue of St. John the Baptist stands is supported by stonework of columns rose in a marble dais.

3. St. William The Hermit Parish Church Convent

The town of Passi was established in 1584, and it is now Iloilos sugar and pineapple capital. Two of the provinces largest pineapple and sugar plantations as well as sugar refining plants are located here.The present Church of St. William was built by Friar Apolinario Villaneuva, the towns then parish priest between 1821 and 1837.This is considered a militaristic church in that it was planned as a fortress church and the proof of this can be seen in the massive buttresses which support the front and back walls of the church. The church was built to replace churches that had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1612 and subsequent churches that had been destroyed by fires.The photo below shows the buttresses on the east side of the St William church in the Garden of the Saints.

In 1856 Friar Pedro Ceberio restored St William Church after it hadfallen into disrepair and what we see today is the result of his work.As is usual withchurches of this vintage we can immediately discern that it was built, once again, by the Augustinians since their seal appears in the archway over one of the side entrances. It is said that the historical record is vague on the topic of entrances that indicates that historians are not certain as to where the actual main entrance was placed by the original builders. It appears that it may well have been this doorway on the southeast corner of the church at the entrance of the Garden of Saints.

All was well with the church through the Revolution and the Philippines American War but in 1932 the roof was blown away by a typhoon.St WilliamChurch is surrounded by a Garden of the Saints which contains 25 to 30 statues of Saints that have been placed in the garden by parishioners over the years. Some examples of the Saintly Statues are shown below.

When one enters St William Church you are struck by how simple and bright it is as shown in the photos below looking towards the sanctuary at the front of the church or towards the rear of the church. The effect is due to the brilliance of the pure white marble floor blending in with the pure white ceiling and walls

Every one of the side windows, twelve in all, is filled with stained glass renderings of each of the twelve apostlesexamples are show below.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the entire church is the sanctuary, which when is light up is both dramatically breathtaking and simply beautiful, note the before and after pictures below

Church of St William the Hermit, Passi CitySt. William the Hermit, who was never personally associated with the Augustinians, and who died, in fact, 100 years before the Grand Union, was born in France.He became a penitent pilgrim to many shrines of Christianity, and eventually became a hermit in the region of Tuscany, in a place called Malavalle (Grosseto), where he spent the remainder of his life in prayer, silence, fasting and penance until his death in 1157.He did not found a religious community, nor did he write a Rule. But in the last months of his life a disciple who cared for him, wrote The Rule of Saint William, after the saints death.Williams burial site was soon being visited by many pilgrims, some of whom remained in Malavalle to imitate Williams hermitical and penitential life and considered William their holy patron. Pope Innocent III confirmed his cult in 1202. With his canonization, devotion to William continued to spread as did the number of disciples who founded new houses in various places throughout central and northern Italy, as well as in what are now Belgium, Germany, Bohemia and Hungary.In 1244 they became the Order of Saint William. In 1256 this Order was called by the Holy See to become part of the expanding Order of Saint Augustine.

4. St. Agustin Church (Dumangas, Iloilo)

The town was formerly called Araut. Dumangas was made parish in 1569 and in 1572 under the leadership of Fr. Juan de Alva, the construction for their church started. Until the end of the Spanish rule, their Church gained a wide popularity as a vital center of religious activities in Iloilo.Fr. Juan Medina in 1617 built a wooden church in the new town. However, this church was burnt with the convent in 1528 during the time of Fr. Tomas Morales, another church and convent was built thereafter. On the other hand, on a Saturday, March 15, 1687 the almost 60-year old convent was turned into ashes taking along 2,000 canvass of rice stored in the camarin.It was Fr. Juan Aguado in 1759 who proclaimed St. Agustin as the patron saint of Dumangas. He defended the town in a very famous legend. In 1777, Fr. Agustin Casan reconstructed the old citadel bounded by stone walls and high watch towers. It was destroyed by a strong density earthquake in 1787. Over 1,000 years later, in 1887, Fr. Fernando Llorente (famous Augustinian Friar for his engineering skills) began the construction of the present church. It was through force labor with the bricks locally manufactured and white coral stones were taken from nearby seashores to as far as Antique.

It was finished during the incumbency of Fr. Rafael Murillo in 1895, burnt down during the Fil-Am war in the 1900s and once again in 1946, Fr. Ramon Pampona started another set of reconstructions. Serious restoration works started in 1983 under Fr. Santiago and on the same year, a national landmark was given by the National Historic Institute through the efforts of Congressman Narciso Monfort. This Gothic Byzantine Church is said to be the first stone church of Panay.The predominant design is gothic with flame-like arches of the main entrance and windows. The rectangular opening of the pediment distracts from the main motif. The windows are flanked by slender Corinthian columns.5. St Jerome Church in DuenasThe original church built of stone was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1787 in an area called Laglag. In 1845 the village was relocated from Laglag about 4 kilometres east to what is now called Dueas. The new village was named Dueas in memory of the home town of the then Parish Priest Friar Florencio Martin, who later worked on the church in Alimodian.

In 1878, construction was started under the supervision of Fr. Nicholas Gallo. The interior follows the Tuscan school and the exterior the Doric school. It has one nave and two spacious transepts. It measures 65 meters long and 16 meters wide.The heavy Doric columns are mounted on a rectangular section divided into three equal segments. Semi-circular arched blind fenestrations flanked both sides of the semi-circular arched entrance. Each one crowned with rose windows that indicates the second story and choir loft. The roundness of the front columns contrasts with the flat rectangular pilasters on the side wall.Massive Doric Columns at the main entranceFlanking the massive main doors are niches with statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the Augustinian Seal appears just above each niche. In a central position above the main door is a further niche with the Statue of Saint Jerome. Above St. Jeromes niche is the marker stone noting the year in which construction of the church was undertaken: 1878.In addition, on what would be the second floor level we find five oculi, with the central on being on the balcony above the main entry.Each of these oculi has a simple stained glass window in it depicting a plain flower.

Saint Peter, Augustinian Seal & Oculi St. Paul, Augustinian Seal & OculiSt. Jeromes which is hardly ever mentioned, is one of Iloilos finest examples of Baroque Architecture. Its imposing facade, the overpowering proportion of its octagonal belfries give the church an extraordinary beauty that is quite unique when compared with the other historical churches in the region.

St Jerome and the Date Stone above the main entranceUpon entering the church itself we are struck by its majesty a view up the nave towards the chancel show the Tuscan influence in the design, especially the dome and the arches supporting it.The Chancel & SanctuaryThe chancel is particularly bright because of the clerestory which allows in the brilliant sunshine.The base of the eastern belfry is occupied by a small chapel in which we find a most attractive statue of the Pieta.Similarly the base of the western belfry is occupied by the Church Baptistery. Containing what appears to be a pure marble baptismal font and overseen by a carved wooden statue of St. Jon the Baptist. The stairway in the background, obviously leads to the actual bell tower which for security reasons is closed to the public.

As you can see from the above photo there is a small statue of Sto Nino, awaiting its turn to be placed in his new location in the church after the refurbishment currently underway. In addition, there is in the baptistery a statue of the Archangel Gabriel fighting the devil

As we move forward through the church, we find, under the dome gilt statues of the 4 evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

While the altar and chapel on the west side is dedicated to: The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The stone work and detail in both of these chapels is something to behold when you consider that they were built in the late 1870s those people were extremely talented individuals.There are two other small prayer areas available to the faithful on in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the other to The Black Madonna.

The sanctuary is breathtaking in its simplicity and beauty!

From the marble altar rail of old we ascend four marble steps to the altar and three more to the chancel. The pilasters are surmounted with urns and remind of more of theIonicSchoolin which the columns feature flutes, lines carved into the shaft from top to bottom, and scroll capitals.A statue of St. Jerome takes up the central location behind the tabernacle and above him is a statue of Nuestra Seora de la O.Close up view of the SanctuaryOn our way out we make a further discovery. The Adoration Chapel which itself is very beautiful.

We then explore the gardens surrounding the church and discover a statuary throughout the property featuring: Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, St. Joseph, St. Martin de Porres with St. Francis of Assisi, St. Frances of Cabrini the patron saint of migrant workers and then St. Lorenzo Ruiz, our very own Filipino Martyr and Saint.

All in all this is a very memorable and interesting church. Unfortunately, it was heavily damaged during World War 2 when it was burned and the Dome and western bell towers were badly damaged by the Lady CayCay Earthquake of 1948.

Restoration work has been on-going over the years since then until just recently when work was being doing to restore the faade and other exterior areas. One should always keep in mind that with treasures such as this one that restoration work is never ending and the church depends greatly on the support of parishioners and friends of the parish both at home and abroad.Finally, the convento, church offices and activity centres are on either side of the main walkway leading to the church entrance. They form a sort of plaza, which itself faces to town plaza, just outside the gate.

Who then was Saint Jerome?He was a Croatian by birth and lived from 347 to 420. He became one of the Churchs best known historian and translators. His greatest work is the Vulgate a translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew into Latin. He was fluent in most of the languages of the time: Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic and others. He travelled extensively throughout the then known world and was a prolific writer of commentaries and translations. He lived a monastic life and spent his last 35 years in the environs of Bethlehem working on his bible translations.