Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Anthony of Padua, Parroquia y Santuario Archidiocesano de San Antonio de Padua and Iriga Church, in Iriga City is a 19th-century Roman Catholic church located in Iriga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines.
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History
The name of Iriga comes from ‘i raga‘, which means there is land. The word was purportedly coined during the Spanish period when Franciscan parish priest Fr. Felix de Huertas urged the natives from Nabua to transfer upland to avoid the recurring flood whenever Bikol River swelled. They moved to the foot of Sumagang Mountain, also called Mount Iriga, that had vast swathe of land for agriculture and habitat.
The Franciscans headed by Fray Pablo de Jesus and Fray Bartolome Ruiz founded a church as a visita of Nabua of Ambos Camarines in 1578. Afterwards in 1583, it became a doctrina where a priest was permanently assigned so that the natives could receive the sacraments and catechism on a regular basis.
Iraga was renamed Iriga upon its conversion into a pueblo separate from Nabua in 1683. Its church was placed under the advocation of St. Anthony of Padua.
Pertaining to the history of the church as edifice, the growing population in Mt. Iriga in the early years of conquista saw the displacement of and conflict with the aboriginal folks called Agtas. In 1585, the Agtas put the church to the torch that a new place of worship was built. Yet it later succumbed to the ravages of typhoon and fire.
An 18th-century house of worship completed in 1727 was also damaged from a fire in 1841. Shortly thereafter church-building began that was spearheaded by Fray Tomas de Alfafara that gave way to the place of worship as seen today, a stone church equipped with twin belfries. Repairs were done in 1866 and 1892.
The church is a Level II heritage church as declared by the Philippines Historical Committee. The government agency also installed a historical marker in 1939.
Architecture
There is little of the colonial-era church remained visible in the present. The portico spans the whole dimension of the facade, is interspersed with barrel vault ceiling and is supported by columns embellished with Corinthian capital. The image of the patroness is found above the main entryway nestled within an arch aperture and bounded by a slightly raised wall section that is pierced with a small oculus. It is flanked by narrow arch windows. The twin bell towers have quadrangular bases with arch hollows, giving way octagonal belfries that are capped with a dome roof and a cross.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Anthony of Padua is June 13.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Anthony of Padua in Iriga City, Camarines Sur from November 18, 2024 to November 24, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Iriga City.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 10:30-11:30 AM
- 4:00-5:00 PM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
- 6:00-7:00 PM
- 7:00-8:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Anthony of Padua in Iriga City, Camarines Sur |
| Address | San Francisco, Iriga City, Camarines Sur 4431 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (054) 299 2390 |
| web.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1578 |
| Age | 446 years |
| Status | Archdiocesan Shrine, Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1683 |
| Age as parish | 341 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Caceres |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Anthony of Padua |
| Patron | St. Anthony of Padua |
| Feast day | June 13 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage church |
Nearby Churches
- Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in San Isidro, Iriga City, Camarines Sur
- Our Lady of Salvation Church in Salvacion, Iriga City, Camarines Sur
- Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Santo Domingo, Iriga City, Camarines Sur
- St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Santa Teresita, Iriga City, Camarines Sur
References
- Parishes. Archdiocese of Caceres. Retrieved June 12, 2024
- Church of Iriga. National Registry of Historic Sites and Structures in the Philippines. August 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2024
- HISTORY OF IRIGA. City Government of Iriga. Retrieved June 12, 2024
- Francisco V. Peñones, Jr. HISTORICAL EVENTS. City Government of Iriga. Retrieved June 12, 2024