The Cross of Sitio Torril is probably the oldest religious

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

in the town of Meycauayan,

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is crafted in the late

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style and is dated by Philippine church history expert Regalado Trota Jose at around the late 17th century. Although it may be the oldest church relic found in Meycauayan, it is doubtful that it came from the parish founders Diego de Oropesa and Juan Plasencia. The

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

was erected by

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

s. It was re-discovered by three members of the St. Francis parish's Committee on Church Cultural Heritage in the year 2001. The cross was in the custody of the late Fidel Amparo of Barangay Bahay Pari, whose house is near the site of what is believed to be the original site of the first parish church and/or the first town center.N. S. P. SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS: Kasaysayan ng Buhay Pananampalataya ng Meycauayan by Ronaldo Dionisio, Guiguinto Printing Press, Guiguinto, Bulacan, (2008) Upon his death, the cross has been turned over to the barrio chapel. The cross is loaned every year to the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of St. Francis of Assisi on its feast day of October 4. The cross is on Bahay Pari Chapel (Sitio Toril) and loaned every 3rd week of September to Meycauayan Church sign that the feast is near called (LAKBAYAN).

References

Meycauayan Catholic Church in the Philippines Religion in Bulacan {{RC-stub