The Santa Catalina de Siena Parish Church, commonly referred to as Bambang Church, is an 18th-century,

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 ...

church located at Brgy. Buag,

Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya Bambang, officially the Municipality of Bambang ( gad, Ili na Bambang; ilo, Ili ti Bambang; tl, Bayan ng Bambang), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 5 ...

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 ...

. The parish church, dedicated to

Saint Catherine of Siena Catherine of Siena (Italian: ''Caterina da Siena''; 25 March 1347 – 29 April 1380), a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, was a mystic, activist, and author who had a great influence on Italian literature and on the Catholic Church. ...

, is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayombong.

Parish history

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

had its origins in Bambang when the Dominicans, led by Father Tomas Gutierrez, established the mission called Ytuy in 1609 to convert and serve the local tribe called Isinay. The present-day towns of Bambang,

Bayombong Bayombong, officially the Municipality of Bayombong ( gad, Ili na Bayombong; ilo, Ili ti Bayombong; tl, Bayan ng Bayombong), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...

Aritao Aritao, officially the Municipality of Aritao ( gad, Ili na Aritao; ilo, Ili ti Aritao; tl, Bayan ng Aritao), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,197 ...

, and

Kayapa Kayapa, officially the Municipality of Kayapa ( gad, Ili na Kayapa; ilo, Ili ti Kayapa; tl, Bayan ng Kayapa), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,469 ...

comprised the said mission. Bambang, then called San Bernardo, was officially created as a town on July 5, 1747. The Dominicans established their convent in Bambang in 1751 with Father Cristobal Rodriguez as its first vicar. Years later, the construction of the present church started. In 1772, the construction of the church commenced under Father Domingo Caro, OP. The church was completed before the turn of the century, in 1791. The remains of a certain Rosa de Santa Maria is recorded to have been interred in the church, under one of the side altarpieces dedicated to Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. Rosa de Santa Maria, an Igorot woman, is one of the two native Filipina "flowers of sanctity".

Architecture

The church façade has been described as "nearly identical" to the façade of the Dupax del Sur Church, save for a few differences with regards to its details such as the absence of the blind windows on the first level, a slightly steeper pediment, and the presence of clay insets adorning oculus on the third level. A concrete canopy covering the main portal is a later addition into the structure. The four level bell tower is also very similar to that of the Dupax del Sur Church except for the plainer, plastered look and more pronounced cornices marking the boundaries of each level. Clay insets bearing the years 1775 and 1779 suggests the dates when the belfry level was completed.

References

External links

{{commons category-inline , Saint Catherine of Sienna Parish Church of Bambang Roman Catholic churches in Nueva Vizcaya Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines Baroque architecture in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches completed in 1791 Dominican churches in the Philippines 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Philippines