Our Lady of Peace Church is a heritage, colonial-era Marian church in in La Carlota, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It is also called Simbahan ng La Carlota, Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de La Paz, or La Carlota Church.
Table of Contents
History
The city of La Carlota was called Simancas in prehistoric times, named so after a legendary inhabitant beloved by his people and who passed down his name to his children that the place where he lived soon was called after him. It was inhabited by native aboriginal people who moved to the hinterlands at the beginning of the Spanish conquest.
Its present-day name is said to have come either from Carlota, a spouse of certain Spanish Don Enrique known for her charitable works and generosity, or it was christened by colonizers who professed loyalty to the Spanish monarchy.
Formerly, it belonged to the municipality of Valladolid but it ceded together with Pontevedra and San Enrique to form the town of San Enrique on July 23, 1864. Its population grew from the influx of Spanish, Chinese, and Filipino migrants attracted to its landlocked, fecund lands at the foot of the Mt. Kanlaon. Sugar was cultivated as cash crop since the time of the colonial period. Thus, it became a town on October 15, 1869 and renamed La Carlota by virtue of a royal decree issued by King Carlos in 1871.
Its church already existed that was made of humble building materials in 1870, and Augustinian Recollect Fr. Eustaquio Cazcarro was assigned as its resident priest three years later. Formerly, it was a visita of Valladolid and then of San Enrique until another royal decree was passed that transformed the church into a full-fledged parish on December 4, 1876 and it was placed under the advocation of Nuestra Señora de la Paz (Our Lady of Peace).
When Fr. Andres Torres was assigned to La Carlota parish in 1877, he started the building of the stone church made of cut coral blocks quarried from the island of Guimaras and red bricks sourced from Silay. Fr. Torres would stay and carry out its construction for two decades from 1877 to 1888 and then from 1891 to 1898. His work was disrupted when the Philippine Revolution began, and the church stood incomplete for years.
The Recollects returned to the parish after the revolution only to discover that its ownership was assumed by the Philippine Independent Church, more commonly known as Aglipayan Church. They were successful in their bid to unseat the Aglipayan religious authorities and took control again. Construction resumed and were undertaken by Fr. Leandro Nieto and later by Fr. Santiago Vilda.
The colonial-era church was at last completed and blessed on January 23, 1936.
Heritage
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) declared Our Lady of Peace Parish Church in La Carlota City a heritage church and bestowed a Level II historical marker on December 12, 2001.
Architecture
La Carlota Church is built in Romanesque architectural style with thick walls, arch motifs found in its fenestration and entryway, and massive towers. The facade features attached columns of indeterminate capitals and is bounded by bell towers.
Its entrance, an arch portal, is embellished with a frontispiece of a decorative gable and flanked by columns. Its windows contain slits and whose semicircular sections have triangular emblem pierced with three round openings.
The niche of the patron is found in the second tier encased in glass windows. Meanwhile, the NHCP historical marker is installed in one of the eye-level panels in the gospel side of the facade.
The pediment meanwhile is recessed by masonry and contains blind rose window. The bell towers have octagonal steeples with balustrade and arches. They are capped red dome roofs and cross.
Moving into the interiors, one can appreciate the beautiful, clean surface of its barrel vault ceiling. It is interspersed with curved sky windows that let the light into the sanctuary and decorative cartouches. It has three naves, the outermost two with much lower ceiling height, and divided by columns whose shape mimic what can be seen in the facade. Another unique feature is the groin vault (made from the intersection of the barrel vaults from the main nave, transepts, and apse) over its crossing.
Celebration
The feast of Our Lady of Peace falls on January 24.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Our Lady of Peace Church in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental 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 La Carlota City.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Novena Mass)
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM (Hiligaynon)
- 7:30-8:30 AM (Hiligaynon)
- 9:00-10:00 AM (English)
- 4:00-5:00 PM (Hiligaynon)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Hiligaynon)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Our Lady of Peace Church in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental |
| Other Names | Simbahan ng La Carlota, La Carlota Church. |
| Address | La Paz Street, City of La Carlota, La Paz St., Negros Occidental 6130 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 460-2365 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Founder | Augustinian Recollects |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | December 4, 1876 |
| Age as parish | 148 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bacolod |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Our Lady of Peace |
| Patron | Nuestra Señora de la Paz |
| Feast day | January 24 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | January 23, 1936 |
| Age since completed | 88 years |
| Builder | Fr. Andres Torres, Fr. Leandro Nieto, Fr. Santiago Vilda |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Belfry | 2 |
| Tower | 2 |
Nearby Churches
- Immaculate Conception Chaplaincy in Jorge Araneta, Bago City, Negros Occidental
- Our Lady of Candles in San Enrique, Negros Occidental
- Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Ma-ao, Bago City, Negros Occidental
- St. Vincent Ferrer Church in La Granja, La Carlota City, Negros Occidental
References
- Ang Simbahan ng La Carlota. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved January 18, 2023
- Diocese of Bacolod. Claretian Publication. Retrieved January 18, 2023
- La Carlota City. Provincial Government of Negros Occidental. Retrieved January 19, 2023
- City of La Carlota. City Government of La Carlota. Retrieved January 19, 2023
- Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. (December 31, 2020). Augustinian Recollect Legacy to the Church in Negros Island. Philippine Social Science Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2023