The Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint James the Greater ( fil, Parokya at Pang-Arsidiyosesis na Dambana ng Santiago Apostol), also known as Ibaan Church ( fil, Simbahan ng Ibaan), 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 ...

archdiocesan

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

and

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, ...

in the municipality of

Ibaan, Batangas Ibaan, officially the Municipality of Ibaan ( tgl, Bayan ng Ibaan), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 58,507 people. Ibaan is located south of Manila. It ...

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 ...

. Known for its

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

traditions of ''Bati'' and ''Dagit'', the church was founded in 1817 while the current structure was built from 1853 to 1869. The church is under the

Oblates of Saint Joseph , abbreviation = OSJ , founded = , founder = Bishop Joseph Marello , founding_location = Asti, Italy , headquarters = Rome, Italy , type = Clerical Religious Congregation , num_members ...

and under the jurisdiction of the

Archdiocese of Lipa In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

History

In 1784, a chapel was built in the present-day Barangay Matala, away from the present-day

poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...

. It was destroyed in 1800, based on stories from the folklore, due to the combined strength of

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

and fire from the sky. The first church and convent of Ibaan was built in May 1817 by Fr. Barcelona, with Don Eustacio Macatangay provided the finishing touches on the church. The town was placed under the patronage of Saint James the Apostle. In 1827, a temporary chapel was built at the present site of the church but was destroyed in 1832. The founding stones of the present church which included its altar and patio were laid down in 1853 by Fr. Manuel Gonzalez, O.S.A.. It was completed by Fr. Bruno Laredo in 1869. Architect Luciano Oliver drew a cruciform layout for the church, as well as the first lines of the current church. The church was damaged by the

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

of May 29, 1880, and Fr. Francisco Alvarez repaired the damage from 1891 to 1896. With the erection of the Diocese of Lipa in 1910 (later elevated to an archdiocese in 1972), Ibaan Church was included. The

Oblates of St. Joseph , abbreviation = OSJ , founded = , founder = Bishop Joseph Marello , founding_location = Asti, Italy , headquarters = Rome, Italy , type = Clerical Religious Congregation , num_member ...

then sent priests to the Philippines, providing continuity to the church. In 2017, in line with the church's bicentennial, the church underwent a major restoration. The altar was renovated, while the ceiling was painted. The church was declared an archdiocesan

on June 16, 2022.

Architecture

The church sports a neo-classical style with two belfries and a triangular

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 ...

on the main façade. A

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

was added in the design of the present church, located near the retablo (

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

). The façade has since been covered by

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

to make up for the deterioration of the stones. It was however ill-advised, as modern cement would hasten the deterioration of the church instead of the traditional

lime mortar Lime mortar or torching is composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. The ancient Egyptians were the first to use lime mortars, which they used to plaster their temples. In addition, the Egyptians also incorporated various ...

. Modern cement traps moisture inside, hastening the deterioration of the structure.

Gallery

File:Facade of Ibaan Church in Batangas.jpg, Main façade File:Ibaan Church at night 2023-03-19.jpg, Façade at night File:Ibaan Church interior (facing altar) 2023-03-19.jpg, Interior facing the sanctuary File:Ibaan Church interior (facing rear) 2023-03-19.jpg, Rear view of the interior File:Ibaan Church interior (side view) 2023-03-19.jpg, Side view of the interior File:Ibaan Church reredos 2023-03-19.jpg,

Reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

File:Ibaan Church - Lumen Christi Chapel.jpg, Lumen Christi Chapel File:IbaanChurchjf9860 16.JPG, One of the church's belfries

References

External links

* {{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipa Roman Catholic churches in Batangas Roman Catholic churches completed in 1869 Roman Catholic shrines in the Philippines 1817 establishments in the Spanish Empire 1817 establishments in the Philippines Marked Historical Structures of the Philippines Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Philippines Neoclassical church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipa

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links