8-SFA CN: Group 2

AP and Religion Mega Project

History of San Antonio de Padua Parish Church (Pila)
The first missionaries in Pila were Augustinians who administered their missions from Bay. The
Franciscans then started to evangelize the townsmen of Pila through Fray Juán Portocarrero de
Plasencia and Fray Diego de Oropesa de San José (known as the Apostles of Laguna and Tayabas)
in 1578. They started to established "Villa de Pila" and soon built a church out of cane, dedicated
to St. Anthony of Padua.From being a reducción, Pila was elevated to a parish on the feast of its
titular on June 13, 1581, with Fray Oropesa as its pastor (parish priest) until 1583. With its
establishment, Pila became the first church dedicated to St. Anthony in the country. The Spanish
colonial authorities gave the Pila the title, La Noble Villa de Pila. In 1599 permission was given by
the Superior Gobiernoto build a stone church. In 1617 the stone church and rectory was finished
in Pagalangan (place of reverence). Printing press The Franciscans established the second printing
press in the Philippines in 1606. The first Tagalog dictionary Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala by
local pastor Fray Pedro de San Buenaventura was printed here in 1613 by Tomás Pinpín and
Domingo Loag. The dictionary was used to facilitate the evangelization of the Tagalog region.
Infirmary at Pila An infirmary run by male Franciscan religious from Lumban was transferred to
Pila in 1618, and in 1673 transferred to the town of Santa Cruz. About 75 Franciscan missionaries
retired and died at Pila's infirmary, and were buried at the local cemetery. These included Fray
Miguel de Talavera (died 1622), a prolific writer in Tagalog, and Fray Blás de la Madre de Diós
(died 1626), ex-provincial and author of the earliest Flora de Filipinas, Manila Archbishop
Fernando Montero de Espinosa, newly arrived from Madrid, also died here in 1644 on his way to
take possession of his see. Ancient bell The oldest surviving church bell of Pila was cast on the
centenary of the parish in 1681 with the Franciscan emblem and the inscription “San Antonio de
Pila.” It survived British invaders in 1762 when the people of Pila submerged it in Laguna de Bay
facing the church. It is now the third-oldest church bell in the Philippines. When a new stone
belfry was built in 1890, the parish recast an undated old bell in honor of St. Anthony in 1893.
Today, the oldest bell of Pila is at the church convent. Transfer Due to flooding in Pagalangan
(today's Victoria), the church and rectory were demolished and transferred to their current site
in Sta. Clara in 1800. The land where the Pila Church and Municipal Hall of Pila stands was
donated by Felizardo Rivera, the recognized founder of Pila. The buildings were constructed
under the direction of Fray Antonio de Argobejo and Fray Domingo de Valencia, the town
contributing for it. Due to controversies surrounding the transfer of the church, the relocation
took almost two decades to complete. Secular priests From 1812 to 1835 Filipino secular priests
served as acting pastors of Pila due to a shortage of Franciscan priests. These include Fray Lorenzo
Samaniego (1812–1816); Pedro de los Santos (1816–1819); Pedro Alcántara (1819–1826); and
Rudecindo Aquino (1826–1835). The present church and convent was built in 1849 by Fathers
Antonio Argobejo and Domingo de Valencia. Both structure were badly damaged during the 1880
earthquake, in which the bell tower toppled. The bell tower was reconstructed by Father Damaso
Bolanos and finished by Father Francisco de Santa Olalia, and again rebuilt by Father Lope Toledo.
The present rectory or convent (casa parroquial) is made of stone, constructed under the
direction of Father Benito del Quintanar in the 1840s. Fray Benito also started theArchicofradía
del Nuestro Señor Padre San Franciscowhich was next in rank to the Venerable Orden
Tercera(VOT) of the Franciscan Order. The religious festival of Flores de Mayo, for which Pila is
now well known, was introduced in 1888 by Fray Benito de los Infantes. In 1855, plans for a
concrete belfry were drawn by the local architect and builder, Maestro Sebastián Bade and was
built after the 1863 earthquake. The 1896 Revolution and US occupation
From being a calm town, Pila including the parish was rent asunder from 1896 during the Spanish
revolution until the American occupation in 1902, where attempts of take over and
reorganization of the government happened. American soldiers used the belfry and convent of
Pila church for more than a year. At this time, church properties were destroyed and looted.
Twentieth century During the second World War the town was not bombed, unlike neighboring
towns Santa Cruz and Pagsanjan. The parish was transferred from the Archdiocese of Manila to
the Diocese of Lipá when the latter was erected in 1910, and finally, to the newly established
Diocese of San Pablo in 1966. The Diocese of San Pablo dedicated the Parish church of Pila as the
Diocesan Shrine of San Antonio de Padua on July 9, 2002. It was led by Francisco San Diego, DD,
former Bishop of San Pablo in the presence of Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. Many devotees came from
nearby places. Architectural features The church has a three-level facade with classical Doric
columns. At the pediment is a niche reserved for St. Anthony. Windows of the choir loft can be
seen at the second level while niches for the statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary are found at the lowest level. The semicircular arched doorway has
the Franciscan seal on top. On the right side of the church is the convent, now used as a school
building for Liceo de Pila, while a square based octagonal bell tower is on the left side. Pila
historical town Municipal Center of Pila, Laguna Municipal Center of Pila, Laguna The church
complex of San Antonio de Padua is part of the Pila Historic Town Center together with the town
center of Pila, and 35 old houses and buildings which were proclaimed as a National Historical
Landmark by the National Historical Institute (NHI)) on May 17, 2000, by NHI Resolution no. 2,
series of 2000.