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Saint Augustine Church in Dumangas, Iloilo

Saint Augustine Catholic Parish is the first and oldest Roman Catholic church in Western Visayas and located in Dumangas, Iloilo, Philippines. Under the advocation of St. Augustine of Hippo, it is also called Dumangas Church and considered the most artful church in Panay.

History

Malay settlers lived in Dumangas centuries before the colonial period, clearing the areas along the Talaguis River and called it Araut or Jalaud. Spanish colonialists led by Mateo del Saz arrived in Araut in June 1565. He was given the task by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi to gather provision to bring back to the Spanish settlement in Cebu, and he successfully secured food and reported his findings to his superiors.

In 1566, Legazpi sent Luis de Hoaya to Panay and with him was Augustinian friar Martin de Rada who started the mission of evangelizing to the natives.

By 1569, the church in Dumangas was established, becoming the first and thus the oldest church in the entire island of Panay and Western Visayas. Fr. Juan de Alva was appointed its head. Sources said that it was the same year that the parish was also founded, however Filipinas Heritage Library mentioned it was in 1578. The third synod of Diocese of Jaro likewise stated that Dumangas was a visita of Oton when the latter became a parish in 1572.

The church then was no more than a humble place of worship made of wood and nipa roof. In 1605, the town was no longer known as Araut and people began to call it Dumangas. The first stone church and convent were built by Augustinian priest Martin de Rada in 1572. Its ruin can be found in Barangay Ermita, once the site of the town center, and it is covered in concrete for its preservation. What remains are the foundation stones, the floor, and altar. In the same year, the town was founded. However, its location was on top of a hill so in 1606, the town was transferred along Dumangas River.

The church (it is not clear whether this refers to the first church in Ermita or the church that was built in the new poblacion) caught fire in 1628 and again in 1687. Rebuilding of the structure took place but it was leveled to the ground by an earthquake in 1787. The present-day stone church of Dumangas was built by Fr. Fernando Llorente in 1887. Construction works were completed in 1896 within the tenure of Fr. Rafael Murillo.

Amidst the hostilities sparked by the outbreak of Philippine revolution it was struck with fire when Filipinos retreated, and it also became the military headquarters when the American forces reached Dumangas. Moreover, it was bombed during the Second World War.

Heritage

National Historical Institute declared Dumangas Church as a National Historical Landmark on May 1983 and installed a marker of the declaration on August 28, 1989. The declaration was made possible virtue of Presidential Decree No. 260 (August 1, 1973), 375 (January 14, 1974), and 1505 (June 11, 1978).

The ruins of the church in barangay Ermita is also recognized as a National Historical Landmark with the marker installed on August 26, 1989.

Architecture

Dumangas Church is described as Gothic Byzantine made of a mix of bricks and coral stones. Entrance to the church is marked with lovely, well-tended gardens on either sides, and it leads to a spacious vestibule. Its facade is characterized with tasteful color scheme of white and red. In its lower half, in the entryway, compound pillars support three pointed arches decorated above with four blind rose windows. In either side are church walls with brick exterior pierced with splayed lanchet windows with high relief decors, and flanking it are twin slender Corinthian pilasters.

In the upper half the pediment is unadorned, on its highest point a loud speaker is installed. Three stained glass windows have white trims, and they are enclosed with splayed white rectangular border that contrasts beautifully with the dark red background. And following the template found in the ground level, it is flanked by church walls in brick with pointed arched windows of stained glass panels.

Celebration

The feast of St. Augustine is held every August 28 that used to coincide with Haw-as Festival before its schedule was moved to October.

Services

Novena prayers to Our Mother of Perpetual Help are said at 4:15 in the afternoon followed by a Holy Mass every Wednesday.

Baptism is every 11:00 AM on Wednesday and 11:30 AM on Sunday.

Mass schedule

Below is the weekly mass schedule of Saint Augustine Church in Dumangas, Iloilo 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 Dumangas.

Monday

  • 6:00-7:00 AM

Tuesday

  • 6:00-7:00 AM

Wednesday

  • 6:00 AM
  • 4:30-5:30 PM

Thursday

  • 6:00-7:00 AM

Friday

  • 6:00-7:00 AM

Saturday

  • 6:00-7:00 AM

Sunday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM
  • 8:00-9:00 AM
  • 4:30-5:30 PM

Church information

Details
NameSaint Augustine Church in Dumangas, Iloilo
Other NamesDumangas Church
AddressDumangas, Iloilo 5006
CountryPhilippines
Contact361-2431
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Religion
DenominationRoman Catholic
Established1569
Age455 years
StatusParish
ArchdioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro
VicariateVicariate of St. Jude Thaddeus
PatronSt. Augustine of Hippo
Feast dayAugust 28
Architecture
HeritageNational Historical Landmark
Completed1896
Age since completed128 years
StyleGothic Byzantine

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