Guagua Church

Guagua Church
Guagua Church
Immaculate Conception Parish Church
	Guagua Church in 2014
	Guagua Church Location within the Philippines
	14°57′52″N 120°38′2″E / 14.96444°N 120.63389°E
Location	Plaza Burgos, Guagua, Pampanga
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Dedication	Immaculate Conception
Consecrated	1661
Architecture
Heritage designation	With marker from the National Historical Committee
Architect(s)	Fr. Jose Duque
Architectural type	Church
Style	Baroque, Barn-style Baroque
Specifications
Length	60 metres (200 ft)
Width	16 metres (52 ft)
Height	12 metres (39 ft)
Materials	Sand, gravel, cement, mortar, steel and bricks
Administration
Province	Ecclesiastical Province of San Fernando
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando
Clergy
Archbishop	Most. Rev. Florentino G. Lavarias
Priest(s)	Rev. Fr. Adrian P. Paule

The Immaculate Conception Parish Church, also known as the Guagua Church, is a 17th-century Baroque church located at Brgy. Plaza Burgos, Guagua, Pampanga, Philippines. In 1982, a historical marker bearing the brief history of the church was installed on the facade by the church by the National Historical Committee, precursor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Today, the church is under the care of the Immaculate Conception parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando.

History

Historical records indicate that by May 17, 1590, the convent of Guagua has been established by the Augustinian Friars, with Father Bernardino de Quevedo and Father Juan de Zabala as resident priests. Its first titular patron is the Nativity of Our Lady. The construction of the present-day church structures would have been started in 1641, when the convent of Guagua was relieved of paying its rent to San Agustin Monastery in Manila. Such exemption from dues has been attributed to the monetary need of the parochial leaders in supervising the building of a parochial building. Father Jose Duque, a prolific church builder, was assigned parish priest of Guagua in 1661. The present church is attributed to him. Father Duque is said to have been influential in the pacification of Kapampangan rebels in 1660. Another notable figure in the history of the church of Guagua is Father Manuel Carrillo. Father Carrillo, during his term as parish priest around 1762, signed a loan covering some of the properties of the local convent for the renovations of the church. The current stone convent is attributed as one of his works. Several significant improvements in the church structure followed. In 1862, Father Antonio Bravo has the church interiors painted while in 1886, Father Paulino Fernandez installed the church dome. It was also during the late 19th century that Doña Carmen Macau had an organ installed in the church, an organ that was once dubbed as the best in Pampanga. In the 1990s, the stone convent was razed by fire.^[1]

Architecture

The present brick and stone church is Barn-style Baroque architecture, typically seen in many Spanish-era churches in the Philippines. The facade has two levels topped with a pediment bearing volutes that contrast with the slender columns.^[1] Specially notable about the embellishments on the facade are embossed shells found at the base of the pediment and plant motifs found in the retablo on the pediment. Attached to the right of the church is a 5-level octagonal bell tower. The church measures 60 meters long, 16 meters wide and 12 meters high and is built in a cruciform manner.^[1]

Image Gallery

Plant embellishments found on the pediment
Details of the window and columns
Back view of the belfry
Wall composed of stone and bricks in alternating layers
Main door with prominent shell motifs
Panoramic view of the church interior
Marian emblem atop the main doorway
Niches found at the side wall
Holy water font
Side view of the belfry
Details of the window border
Finials capping the slender columns of the facade
Steel dome
Main bell or Campana Mayor

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Galende, OSA, Pedro (1996). Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines (2nd ed.). Manila, Philippines: San Agustin Museum.

[Angels_in_Stone_2nd-1] Galende, OSA, Pedro (1996). Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines (2nd ed.). Manila, Philippines: San Agustin Museum.

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