St. Lawrence the Martyr Church, also called Balangiga Church and San Lorenzo de Martir Church, is a Roman Catholic and heritage church located in Poblacion 2, Balangiga, Eastern Samar, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
The Jesuits erected the church in Balangiga and they enshrined St. Lawrence the Martyr as its patron. After they left the colony upon their expulsion in 1768, they were replaced by the Augustinian friars in administering the spiritual care of the settlement. It was during the time of the Augustinians that the church became a visita of Guiuan Parish in 1773. Beginning in 1804, they handed over its spiritual administration to the Franciscans.
It became a parish and town was officially established on April 3, 1854. Interestingly, the social media page of the church indicated that the parish was founded on September 27, 1859.
A stone church was built by the Jesuits in the 17th century within a complex defended by four watch towers. It was rebuilt under the leadership of Fr. Cristobal Miralles in 1653 and repaired by Fr. Manuel Valverde in 1850. It was repaired in 1927 and improvements were carried out between 1962 and 1993.
The first of the church’s historic Spanish-era bells were cast in 1853. The other colonial-period bells were cast in 1889 and 1895. Collectively, these bells are called Balangiga Bells and played a role in the Philippine-American War.
On September 28, 1901, Filipino revolutionaries attacked at the sound of the tolling of the church bells with the use of firearms and bladed weapon called bolo against the Company C of the US Ninth Infantry. About 48 Americans died and 18 were wounded.
The survivors escaped to Basey where Company G was stationed, and the American colonizers retaliated by burning the town and killing hundreds of townsfolk. In the succeeding months, the Americans implemented a “scorched earth” campaign in Samar by putting the towns to the torch and killing thousands of Filipinos.
The American colonizers stole the church bells and sent them to the USA as war trophies. For over a century, they were located at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. In the succeeding decades, the Philippine government filed repeated petitions to repatriate them back to the country and finally the bells were returned in December 2018. They were rung for the first time in 117 years on December 16, 2018 to mark of the first day of Misa de gallo.
The National Historical Institute declared Balangia Parish Church as a heritage church and installed a Level II historical marker in 1993.
Architecture
The facade rises to three levels and is embellished with large pilasters and eight smaller pilasters with Ionic capitals and cartouche. The stout pillars are decorated at their peaks with a lantern and kneeling angels. It is flanked by two towers, the structure in the gospel side is higher and larger than the other.
The massive entrance door has a beautifully decorated lunette and is flanked with the niches of St. Peter and St. Paul. Above is a white coat-of-arms in high relief with the year 1927; it is flanked by twin arch windows with purely decorative balustrade.
The pediment is pierced with twin oculi and contains the niche of the patron. Its tapering slopes are ornamented with volutes.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Lawrence the Martyr is August 10.
Services
The parish office is open between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM daily except Monday. On Sunday, it is open 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Lawrence the Martyr Church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar 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 Balangiga.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Saturday
- No mass schedule found.
Sunday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Lawrence the Martyr Church in Balangiga, Eastern Samar |
| Address | San Lorenzo St., Poblacion 2, Balangiga, Eastern Samar 6812 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 0967 432 7620 |
| balangigaparishoffice@gmail.com | |
| web.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | September 27, 1859 |
| Age | 165 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Borongan |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of the Holy Spirit |
| Patron | St. Lawrence the Martyr |
| Feast day | August 10 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage church (1993) |
| Tower | 2 |
Nearby Churches
- Divine Child Church in Lawaan, Eastern Samar
- Mary Queen of Angels Church in Can-Avid, Eastern Samar
- Our Lady of Remedies Church in Giporlos, Eastern Samar
- St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Sulat, Eastern Samar
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Maslog, Eastern Samar
- St. James the Greater Church in Taft, Eastern Samar
- St. Joachim Church in Dolores, Eastern Samar
- St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in Quinapondan, Eastern Samar
References
- Simbahan ng Balangiga. National Registry of Historic Sites and Structures. August 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2024
- Parishes. Diocese of Borongan. Retrieved May 19, 2024
- Antonio Maria Rosales, OFM. Balangiga: a history of the town. Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 29, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2024
- Alvita Akiboh. The “Massacre” and the Aftermath: Remembering Balangiga and the War in the Philippines. US History Scene. Retrieved May 19, 2024