Abucay Church

Abucay Church
Saint Dominic de Guzman Parish Church
Parokya ng Santo Domingo de Guzman de Abucay (Filipino)
Church facade in 2021
Abucay Church is located in Luzon
Abucay Church
Abucay Church
Location in Luzon
Abucay Church is located in Philippines
Abucay Church
Abucay Church
Location in the Philippines
14°43′18″N 120°32′06″E / 14.7215583°N 120.5349541°E / 14.7215583; 120.5349541
LocationBataan
CountryPhilippines
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteOfficial Website of the Diocese of Balanga
History
StatusParish church
Founder(s)Father Geronimo de Belen, OP
DedicationSaint Dominic of Guzman
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch building
StyleBaroque, Renaissance
Specifications
MaterialsBrick, Sand, Stone, Gravel, Cement, Steel, Concrete
Administration
DivisionVicariate of St. Dominic De Guzman
ProvinceSan Fernando
MetropolisSan Fernando
ArchdioceseSan Fernando
DioceseBalanga
ParishSaint Dominic of Guzman
Clergy
ArchbishopFlorentino G. Lavarias
Bishop(s)Sede Vacante
Priest(s)Fr. Milver R. Cruz

Saint Dominic de Guzman Parish Church, commonly known as Abucay Church, is a 17th-century Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. Laon, Abucay, Bataan, Philippines. The parish church, established in 1587 and administered by the Dominican Missionary Friars in 1588, is dedicated to Saint Dominic of Guzman.[1] The parish is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga.[2] Since June 5, 2023, its parish priest is Fr. Milver R. Cruz.

The church housed one of the earliest printing presses in the Philippines, established in 1608 by Father Francisco Blancas de San Jose, O.P. and Tomas Pinpin who used the facility to print books in Spanish and Tagalog.[3][4] The church was also a witness to the massacre of hundreds of Filipinos and Spaniards by the Dutch Invaders on June 23, 1647.[5] These pieces of the church's history were inscribed on a historical marker installed by the National Historical Committee (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) in 1939.[6]

  1. ^ "1st Abucay Catholic Church". Provincial Government of Bataan. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Vicariate of Saint Dominic of Guzman". Diocese of Balanga. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  3. ^ Woods, Damon (2006). The Philippines: A Global Studies Handbook. California, US: ABC-CLIO, Inc. pp. 29–31. ISBN 1851096809.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bataan Centuries was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Municipality of Abucay". Official Website of the Province of Bataan. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  6. ^ Historical Markers: Regions I–IV and CAR. National Historical Institute. 1993. p. 30. ISBN 9715380611.