Nagcarlan Church

Nagcarlan was first colonized in 1571 by Juan de Salcedo, grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi.[1] It was founded by Franciscan priests Juan de Plasencia and Diego Oropesa in 1578.[2] The church of Nagcarlan was first built from light materials such as nipa and wood[1] in 1583 under the chaplaincy of its first priest, Tomas de Miranda who also pioneered the cultivation of wheat in the country. The church was dedicated to Saint Bartholomew.[3][4] During Cristobal Torres' term, a second church made of stone and bricks was built in 1752.[4][5] The multicolored stones and bricks of the church were offered by the people during its construction.[1] The church was partially destroyed by fire in 1781. Immediate repair and reconstruction was done under the term of Anatacio de Argobejo and later by Fernando de la Puebla, who built the four-storey stone and brick bell tower.[5] Further reconstruction using adobe and renovation (including elaborately designed tiles) in 1845 and addition of the choir loft on three strong arches was done under the supervision of Vicente Velloc.[5] The Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery was built also in 1845 and the church rectory in 1850 under Velloc.[5][6] In the 1990s, Monsignor Jose Barrion led a huge restoration project for the church.[1]

The tiered-wall Nagcarlan church generally falls under the Baroque style. The design of the facade has a semicircular arched main entrance along with semicircular windows and tall pedestals and columns which are also present in the church's side entrance.[7] The four-storey stone and brick bell tower has bells with the Franciscan coat of arms (crossed arms of Christ and St. Francis of Assisi)[1] and Muslim inspired crenelations.[7]

The church was featured in the 1974 movie "Kampanerang Kuba" starring Vilma Santos and its teleserye remake, an ABS-CBN television series starring Anne Curtis in 2005.[8]

• Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery

Media related to Nagcarlan Church at Wikimedia Commons