Saint Christopher Parish Church, commonly known as Bangar Church, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

located in Bangar, La Union, Philippines, under the jurisdiction of the

Diocese of San Fernando de La Union The Diocese of San Fernando de La Union ( la, Dioecesis Ferdinandopolitana ab Unione) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. The diocese was established in 1970 from the Archdiocese of Nue ...

. The church is placed under the advocacy of

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher ( el, Ἅγιος Χριστόφορος, ''Ágios Christóphoros'') is veneration, venerated by several Christianity, Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Deciu ...

History

Bangar was formerly a '' visita'' of

Tagudin Tagudin, officially the Municipality of Tagudin ( ilo, Ili ti Tagudin; tgl, Bayan ng Tagudin), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,538 people. Etymology ...

. The first church was built by Father Francisco Albear when Bangar was still a ''visita'' of Tagudin. A church made of stone and molave on a floor made of

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

and pebbles, and roof of split

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

was completed by Father Albear in 1689. Bangar became an independent parish on 1700 with

as its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

. The first parish priest of Bangar, Father Agustin Ancheta was assigned to the parish in 1708. Father Evaristo Guadalupe built a new convent in 1866 and completed in 1878.

Architecture

The church is a mix of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

with Neoclassical features. Its facade has a mixture of Baroque,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

embellishments. The Gothic features are present on the lancet-arched doorway and the choir loft windows;

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

features on the

scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...

s framing the

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

; and Moorish features on the twin

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

s on the facade and another

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

on top of the pediment. It is the only church in Northern Luzon and possibly on the entire Philippines to have three bell towers. In 2003, the ceiling was renovated and mural paintings were painted on the ceilings.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* * {{Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando de La Union Roman Catholic churches in La Union Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Fernando de La Union