Foundation

June 12, 1829 - Naga was made an independent parish under the advocation of San Francisco de Asis.

Construction of the Church

Fr. Simon Aguirre constructed the church in 1839, following the plans of an expert church-builder, the Augustinian Bishop Santos Gomez Marañon ( the priest who built the belfry of Argao). Fr. Enrique Magaz started the construction of the convent in 1864, continued by Fr. Gregorio Ros in 1882 and finished by Fr. Roman Gonzalez in 1887.

Style of the Church

The façade of this church, a stone’s throw from the main road crossing the Island from north to south, attracts the attention of even the most absent-minded traveler because of its style and “quaintness.”

The whole upper rectangular panel looks like a Muslim mosque that it would seem as though the cross would be out of place here.

The design of the façade is suggestive of Mexican art that is skillfully integrated into the local Filipino religious architecture. It is divided into lower and upper rectangular sections. The bareness of the lower panel with six columns flanking the main entrance is balanced by the overcrowded decoration of the upper level. The law of contrasts is applied here literally.

A miniature retablo flanked by two sets of tiny columns in the center represents the expansion of the Christian faith symbolized by a cross with outgoing rays. A similar alcove flanked by identical columns is found at the center of the pediment with the Biblical saying Predicate Evangelium omni creaturae. Winged cherubs carrying musical instruments, rosettes and other embellishments decorate the rest of the pediment. A number of symbols (the Cross, the Lamb of Sacrifice and the Eucharistic monstrance) are supported by ornamented columns resting on Atlantes.