THREE Spanish-era churches in the province of Rizal are set to be included in the list of “National Cultural Treasures” as declared by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
In separate announcements, the Sta. Ursula Parish Church in Binangonan, the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Joseph in Baras, and St. Jerome Parish Church in Morong all disclosed their inclusion in the list.
“Let us all witness the historic declaration and designation by the NCCA of our church in Binangonan as a National Cultural Treasure on March 2,” said the Binangonan Church.
“This coming March 9, let us all celebrate the recognition of our church as a National Cultural Treasure, which is clear proof of our rich history, culture, and faith,” said the Baras Church.
“Our church is set to be declared as a National Cultural Treasure, even as the official declaration will still be announced in the coming weeks,” said the Morong Church.
According to the National Museum of the Philippines, a “National Cultural Treasure” is a highly-valued cultural property considered indispensable in the understanding of the history and culture of the Philippines.
Qualifications include being historically significant due to association with prehistoric events and past industries that are the foundation of the Filipino culture; being aesthetically significant for their craftsmanship, mode, technical excellence, exquisiteness, expression of skill, and quality of design and execution; having research significance and outstanding scientific value as they are provenanced and recovered from a documented context; or is representing aspects of 50,000 years of Philippine pre-history and early history.
Those declared as “National Cultural Treasures” are to be preserved and protected by the state through the National Museum of the Philippines.
According to CBCP News, the Binangonan Church’s original structure was built in the 18th century, with renovations made in 1853.
Founded as a parish by the Franciscans in 1621, its administration was transferred to the Jesuits in 1679, and to the Augustinians in 1697, but the Franciscans resumed pastoral care of the parish in 1737.
The Baras Church, meanwhile, is the oldest Josephian parish in the southern Tagalog mainland.
Originally built in 1595 by Franciscan missionaries, the town and church were relocated to Ibayo in 1636 but returned to their current site in 1682. The present church structure was completed in 1686.
The Morong Church was constructed in 1615, shortly after a fire destroyed the first wooden church, and was completed in 1620.
It remained largely unchanged until the early 1850s when Franciscan Fr. Maximo Rico commissioned native Paete craftsman Bartolome Palatino to renovate the facade and build a bell tower.
With the declaration of the three churches, the Diocese of Antipolo now has four churches designated as “National Cultural Treasure,” with the other being the San Ildefonso de Toledo Church in Tanay.
