Half-buried Bacolor Church or the San Guillermo Parish Church
One of the many places that was greatly affected by the lahar flow from Mt. Pinatubo's 1991 eruption. The visible part of the church is half of the original length. What used to be windows are now used as the main entrances of this place.
Rex Regum Et Dominus Dominantium, a Latin inscription, which translates to "king of kings and lord of lords." The church was built in 1576 by the Augustinian friars.
It was named after San Guillermo, their patron saint in Bacolor, Pampanga.
It was named after San Guillermo, their patron saint in Bacolor, Pampanga.
This is the original picture of the altar before it was buried by the lahar. Although the altar was buried, the people in Bacolor successfully retrieved the altar.
This altar represented the culture and heritage of the people in Bacolor.
This is the entrance leading to the parish archives and museum.
The old convent is now converted and is used as an art gallery where different sculptures of Saints are displayed. These statues welcome the visitors as they go inside the church.
This is the entrance leading to the parish museum. You have to watch out for the low level ceiling.
Besides from the statues and relics in the hallway of the church, numerous art installations are also exhibited inside the halls.
A statue of Jesus can be seen in the same room. It's like He is telling you to take a look at all the paintings inside. When the lahar settled down, the townspeople excavated these historical items.
The following hall shows paintings and pictures of the town and the original church, and the different events that took place inside before it sunk.
The model of the church is displayed in a glass container. The Bacolor church was damaged by two earthquakes and a fire before being rebuilt. Although Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the mudflow reached the church four years after.
Old bells that hung from the belfry are placed in a locked room to avoid being stolen. These bells have a long history. It was either burned or destroyed during the Philippine Revolution in 1898.
The Bacolor church is built in the Baroque-style of architecture. It was made of concrete, bricks and some stone works.
The altar area is off-limits to the public that is why there is a fence in front of it. That altar was excavated and retrieved in the lahar. The townsmen were very eager to retrieve it because it was considered as a historical holy item.
The retablo is a raised shelf above an altar for the altar cross, lights, and flowers. In this picture, the retablo contains the statue of the saints.
In this trip, I learned a lot from the history of the Bacolor church, the people, culture and heritage. I learned more about my hometown, and the artworks that can be seen here.
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