The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Batangan ( es, Basílica Menor de la Inmaculada Concepción), also known as the Batangas City Basilica, is a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Batangas City Batangas City, officially the City of Batangas ( fil, Lungsod ng Batangas), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people. Batangas City i ...

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 was made an independent parish in 1614 under the advocation of the Immaculate Conception. It is one of the oldest churches in Batangas.

History

Earlier churches

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

Father Diego de Mojica was said to have constructed the first temporary church made of light materials in 1578. The church was put under the title of the Immaculate Conception. The church was burned down by the fire that gutted the whole town in 1615. In 1686, Father Jose Rodriguez began laying the new foundation of a new church made of stone. The main nave was finished in the same year with the help of Father Manuel del Buensuceso and the townspeople. Fr. Jose de San Bartolome completed the transept made of reef stone on 1706, and it was blessed in 1721. The church was gutted by fire again after a lightning bolt in 1747 and was repaired in 1756 during the time of Don Ramon Orendain.

Present church

The former Father Provincial, Fr. Pedro Cuesta, demolished the old church which he found too small for the increasing population of the town and started the construction of the new one on the same site in 1851. He also built the strong fence of the atrium to enclose the church and convent. The church was damaged by earthquake in 1863 and repaired and reinforced with walls and buttresses. After the roof fell in 1880, it was repaired in 1884 by Fr. Bruno Laredo. The convent built in 1693, of reef stone and huge molave post withstood all the earthquakes until Fr. Melchor Fernández constructed a new one in 1792. It was later used as a school building by the Saint Bridget College. Later on, the second floor of the convent was demolished and was converted into a parish pastoral hall. The church has undergone several restorations. The second and third stories of the belfry was completed in 1934. In 1936, the old windows were changed and 23 chandeliers were added. The façade collapsed during the April 8, 1942 earthquake and was repaired between 1945 and 1946. In 1954, the exterior was painted with general repairs in 1957. The exterior was beautified and the

frescoes Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

were retouched on the occasion of the centennial celebration. On February 13, 1948, the church was declared a

of the Immaculate Conception. The declaration was made upon the request of Lipa's bishop,

Alfredo Verzosa Alfredo Verzosa y Florentín (9 December 1877 - 27 June 1954) was the fourth native Filipino to be elevated as bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and the first from Northern Luzon – the first Ilocano. Together with Laura Latorre Mendoza, a ...

. The church temporarily closed to the public on April 8, 2017, after a series of earthquakes caused minor damage to the basilica, including the

Taal Basilica The Taal Basilica, canonically known as the Minor Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours ( Filipino: ''Basilika ni San Martin ng Tours''; Spanish: ''Basílica Menor de San Martín de Tours''), is a minor basilica in the town of Taal, Batangas, withi ...

. It reopened on December 2 after eight months of repairs. On January 16, 2022, the basilica was also declared as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Santo Niño de Batangan. The venerated Marian image enshrined was granted a decree of

canonical coronation A canonical coronation ( la, Coronatio Canonica) is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a bull, in which the pope bestows the right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureole to an image of Christ, Mary or Josep ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

in April 2022. The image was crowned later by the Apostolic Nuncio to the country, Archbishop

Charles John Brown Charles John Brown (born 13 October 1959) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as an apostolic nuncio since 2012. He is currently the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. Before entering the diplomatic se ...

, on December 8 of the same year (coinciding with the

Feast of the Immaculate Conception The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, also called Immaculate Conception Day, celebrates the sinless lifespan and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 December, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, celebrate ...

Gallery

File:Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception8.JPG, Interior File:Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception2.JPG, Dome File:BatangasCathedral,Capitoljf8769 01.JPG, Main altar during a

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

File:Inmaculada de Batangan.jpg, The ivory statue of the Immaculate Conception venerated inside the basilica.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Immaculate Conception Minor Basilica Roman Catholic churches in Batangas Basilica churches in the Philippines Marked Historical Structures of the Philippines Historic sites in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Batangas City Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857 Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lipa 19th-century religious buildings and structures in the Philippines