The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of San Miguel Arcangel, is a 19th-century,

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located along De Leon St., Brgy. Poblacion,

San Miguel San Miguel, Spanish for Saint Michael, may refer to: Places Argentina *San Miguel Partido *San Miguel, Buenos Aires * San Miguel, Catamarca * San Miguel, Corrientes * San Miguel, La Rioja *San Miguel Arcángel, a Volga German colony in Adolfo Al ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The parish church, with Saint Michael, the Archangel as patron saint, is under the jurisdiction of the

Diocese of Malolos The Diocese of Malolos (Latin language, Latin: ''Dioecesis Malolosinae''; Tagalog language, Tagalog: ''Diyosesis ng Malolos''; Spanish: ''Diócesis de Malolos'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church i ...

History

2018-NHC-Simbahan ng San Miguel de Mayumo

Parish history

It is believed that the town of San Miguel was initially established as a town under the province of

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...

. The parish of San Miguel de Mayumo was founded years before 1607 as a ''visita'' of

Candaba Candaba, officially the Municipality of Candaba (Kapampangan: ''Balen ning Candaba''; ; formerly Candawe), is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 119,497 people. History ...

and was said to be declared an independent parish in 1725. However, some records tell that the parish of San Miguel was later annexed to

Gapan Gapan , officially the City of Gapan (, Ilocano: ''Siudad ti Gapan'', Kapampangan: ''Ciudad/Lakanbalen ning Gapan''), is a component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1 ...

in 1726 as a ''visita''. It was also recorded that San Miguel de Mayumo was once annexed to

Macabebe Macabebe, officially the Municipality of Macabebe (; ), is a municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,151 people. Etymology The town was named Macabebe because it is locat ...

, also as a ''visita''. On May 8, 2018, 3 days before his death, The late Bishop Jose F. Oliveros of the Diocese of Malolos celebrated his final mass in the parish

Architectural history

There are no records as to who built the first parochial structures in San Miguel. Sources are also not clear as to whether Father Juan Tombo built or simply rebuilt the current church and

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. Father Francisco Arriola continued with the construction until it was complete in 1869. The Catholic

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

is attributed to Father Arriola while the convent was constructed under Fathers Arriola, Tombo and Ortiz during their respective periods as minister of San Miguel. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1941, the roof of the church

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

collapsed.

Architecture

The church of San Miguel is the only Spanish-era church in Bulacan with the

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

attached atop the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The church, with its predominantly

features, has a two-level façade and a curved pediment surmounted by the rectangular belfry with a bulbous

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. The façade is primarily adorned by the paired

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s and multi-edged

cornices In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

dividing the front into several sections. The base of the façade has two saint’s

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

s and a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

porte-cochere that was a late addition into the structure and has replaced a previous one with

Corinthian columns The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

. The second level is pierced with an oculus flanked by two semicircular windows. A tableau depicting Saint Michael slaying the dragon adorns the central portion of the pediment.

Gallery

File:ParokyaSanMiguelArkanghelBulacan_Aug1997_Exterior.jpg, Church exterior, c. 1997 File:Exterior,_park_and_fences_Shrine_of_Saint_Michael_the_Archangel_02.jpg, Church exterior, c. 2021 File:01410jfSaint Michael the Archangel Parish Church in San Miguel Bulacanfvf 10.jpg, Exterior wall featuring buttresses File:ParokyaSanMiguelArkanghelBulacan_Aug1997_Interior.jpg, Church interior, c. 1997 File:01460jfSaint_Michael_the_Archangel_Parish_Church_in_San_Miguel_Bulacanfvf_21.jpg, Church interior, c. 2016 File:09721jfSaint_Michael_Archangel_Parish_Churchfvf_26.JPG, Church interior from the choir loft

References

External links

* * {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos Roman Catholic churches in Bulacan San Miguel, Bulacan Baroque church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malolos Jubilee churches in the Philippines