Type: Tangible Immovable (Churches and places of worship)
Location: Poblacion, Baliwag, Bulacan
(c) Google
Brief Description
The Church is one of the oldest churches in the country. It is administered under the Diocese of Malolos and located at the Plaza Naning, the heart of the town of Baliwag.
It is a Roman Catholic Church made mostly of limestone, gravel and sand, steel, and bricks with the massive structure reminiscent of the Baroque style. Its original design resembled that of the St. Augustine Church in Intramuros. However, due to several renovations and reconstructions that weredone by the preceding parish priests, most of the original architectural elements and details were destroyed and replaced with new ones such as the Moses sculpture and the portico.
Significance
The church was first built from circa 1790. The church structure was hailed by Father Joaquin de Zuñiga as the most beautiful church convent in the country at that time when he visited it in 1802. The church is significant as it serves as the main edifice that marked the foundation of Baliwag as an independent town. It also served as fort and barracks of the American troops during the American Occupation and Philippine-American War in circa 1899.
The Galeria San Agustin which serves as the church museum presents the church’s history and important objects from its collection.
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