Denomination Roman Catholic Founder(s) Fr. Martin de Rada Phone +63 49 536 0275 | Country Philippines Founded 1571 Architectural style Baroque architecture | |
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Similar Saint John the Baptist Parish Ch, Saints Peter and Paul Pari, Saint Paul the First Hermit C, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Ch, Saint Therese of the Child | ||
St. Augustine Parish Church (Filipino: Simbahan ng Parokya ni San Agustin) is the only Roman Catholic church in Bay, Laguna, in the Philippines. The church was first administered by Augustinian priests and later transferred to the Franciscans. The current parish priest is Reverend Father John F. Tabot.
History
The first church of Bay was constructed from cane and nipa by the Augustinians. It was built along the shore of Laguna Lake (now Brgy. Aplaya) under the supervision of Augustinian friar Martin de Rada under the patronage of St. Augustine in 1571. It became a parish on April 30, 1578. The administration of Bay was transferred to the Franciscans, with Father Domingo Martorel as its first parish priest, on November 23, 1737. From a site along the lake, the church was transferred to its present site in poblacion, or town proper, and a stone structure was built under the supervision of Father Geronimo Hervas in 1804; construction continued until Father Pedro Moya's term in 1864.
One of the largest earthquakes in the Philippines, the Luzon earthquake, occurred in 1880. The earthquake caused a number of fatalities and destroyed or damaged many churches and other structures. The quake destroyed the roofing of the Bay church.
The church and convent were also heavily damaged during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1944 to 1945. In 1953, the church was rebuilt by Father Alejandro Vermorel. The church was transferred to the newly created Diocese of San Pablo in Laguna from the Archdiocese of Lipa as of April 16, 1967.