Discover Baler Church, a 1600s Baroque landmark and site of the historic Siege of Baler, now a National Historical Landmark.
The Baler Church, also known as the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Parish Church, was built by the Franciscan friars in the 1600s. It featured a simple Philippine Baroque architectural style, with its walls thick and reinforced to withstand natural calamities.
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| The Baler Church facade |
Baler Church
The Baler Church was the site of the historic Siege of Baler, in which Spanish soldiers sought refuge and used the church as a fortress, resisting surrender for almost a year because they were not aware that the Philippine Revolution had ended.
The Baler Church is designated as a National Historical Landmark. In fact, the historical marker outside the church fully documents the events that transpired during the Siege of the Church of Baler:
A Spanish garrison of four officers and fifty men was besieged in this Church by Filipino insurgents from June 2-7, 1898, to June 2, 1899. Offers of peace and demands for surrender were refused on five occasions. From newspapers dropped into the court by an emissary of General Ríos on May 29. The garrison learned for the first time that the Philippines had been lost to Spain and that for many months there had been no Spanish flag in Luzon, except the one waving over Baler Church. Broken by starvation and tropical diseases, the depleted command arranged a truce with the insurgents and marched out of this Church across the mountains to Manila on June 2, 1899. Of the original garrison two officers, the priest, and twelve men had died from disease; two men had been killed by insurgent bullets; two men had been killed by insurgent bullets; two men had been executed; two officers and fourteen men had been wounded; six men had deserted. The fortitude of the garrison was praised by General Aguinaldo in a public document issued at Tarlac on June 20, 1899. Upon their return to Spain, the survivors were rewarded by the Queen Regent in the name of Alfonso XIII and the Spanish nation.
1939
More photos of Baler Church:
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| View of the aisle and the Baler Church interiors |
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| View of the side wall |
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| The altar |
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| A statue of the Virgin Mary |
We visited the church of Baler in 2015, which was more than a decade ago, and we were enamored by the rich history of the town, including the many historic sites that are worth visiting. If you ask me if Baler is worth visiting, my answer is yes. There is so much to learn in Baler in terms of culture, history, and even food.
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