The Santa Maria Magdalena Parish Church (also ''Saint Mary Magdalene Parish 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 in
Magdalena,
Laguna
Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to:
People
* Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay
* Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist
* Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
, Philippines under the
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo
The Diocese of San Pablo (Latin: ''Dioecesis Sancti Pauli in Insulis Philippinis'', Filipino: Diyosesis ng San Pablo, Spanish: ''Diócesis de San Pablo'') is a Roman Catholic diocese which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. Its patron s ...
.
History
Magdalena was formerly known as ''Ambling'', a
barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city, usually delimited by functional (e.g. residenti ...
of
Majayjay until it was elevated as a town in 1821.
The first church, made of
cogon and
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
was constructed in 1820 and was dedicated to
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...
. Antonio Moreno was appointed at its first parish priest in 1821.
A permission to build a stone church was ordered by Captain Pablo de la Concepción in 1829.
To obtain funds for the church, the people were forced to pay taxes and quarry sand and stones from the river. The construction of the church building was halted in 1839, continued in 1849 and finished in 1855 under the direction of Maximo Rico, Jose Cuesta, Joaquin de Coria and Francisco de Paula Gonzalez.
Construction of the belltower was finished in 1861.
In its
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
, Filipino revolutionary leader General
Emilio Jacinto
Emilio Jacinto y Dizon (; December 15, 1875 – April 16, 1899) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Philippine Revolution and was one of the highest-ranking officers of the ...
sought refuge and his blood stains could be found.
Architecture
The
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 is elevated by a flight of steps facing a
plaza.
It is mainly made out of sandstone.
To its left is a four story octagonal
belltower with a square base.
Notes and references
Further reading
*
External links
Saint Mary Magdalene Parish(Official Facebook page)
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo, state=autocollapse
Roman Catholic churches in Laguna (province)
Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines
Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo