Saint Gregory the Great Parish Church (Indang)
| Indang Church | |
|---|---|
| St. Gregory the Great Parish Church | |
|
Facade of Indang Church | |
.svg.png)  Indang Church Republic of the Philippines | |
| 14°12′10″N 120°50′25″E / 14.20278°N 120.84028°ECoordinates: 14°12′10″N 120°50′25″E / 14.20278°N 120.84028°E | |
| Location | Indang, Cavite |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founded | 1625 |
| Dedication | St. Gregory the Great |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1672 |
| Completed | 1710 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Manila |
| Diocese | Imus |
| Province | Cavite |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Luis Antonio Tagle |
| Bishop(s) | Reynaldo G. Evangelista |
The St. Gregory the Great Parish Church (Filipino: Simbahan ng Parokya ni San Gregorio Magno) commonly known as Indang Church is a Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Indang, Cavite, Philippines under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Imus.
Church history
Indang, originally Indan,[1] was originally a chapel (or visita) of Silang under the Jesuits.[2] The church's historical marker stated that the church was established as a mission station of Father Angelo Armano in 1611 and a separate parish in 1625 under the advocacy of St. Gregory the Great.[3] Even before it became a full pledged parish, the parish has established devotion to St. Francis Xavier.[3] A huge part of the stone church was built during the term of Father Luis Morales from 1672 to 1676 and was finished on 1710.[4] Diocesan priests served the parish starting 1768 and was later transferred to the Dominicans in 1891.[3] The church was burned during the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards.[3] It was restored under the auspices of Msgr. Mauro de Leon in 1953 and Father Cornelio Matanguihan in 1987.[3]
Features
Upon entering the church, elegantly carved doors will be seen first together with the impressive carvings on the choir loft balcony. Built during the 18th century, it has an impressive rose-colored trompe l'oil paintings on its ceiling.[5] Several commemorative gravestones can also be seen in the walls and pillars of the church.[6] The retablo has three levels of niches for images of saints.[6] Unlike the elegant rose colored ceiling, restoration works on the retablo was repainted more for red with gold on the altars.[6] At the central niche is the image of the town's patron, St. Gregory the Great. Located at the right side of the altar is a painting of St. Michael and the Archangels.[4] The pulpit of the church carries the Jesuit monogram surmounted by the image of the child Christ as a sign of being a parish under the Jesuits before the suppression of 1768.[7]
The church of Indang was one of the first churches in Cavite to use galvanized iron as its roofing in 1869.[2] The adjacent old convento has wide windows and wrought iron work along the sides.[6]
Devotions
Indang was dedicated under the chaplaincy of Pope St. Gregory the Great (also San Gregorio Magno). In one incident, the local parish priest found a big rolled picture at the back of the church together with burnt trash. It was found out to be a painting of the seven archangels. Since then, the devotion to the archangels also grew in the town together with the intercession of St. Gregory the Great making the parish of Indang with eight patrons.[8] The icon of the archangels is currently found at the right side of the altar. Since then, several miracles are attributed to St. Gregory and the seven archangels including the peaceful stay of the Japanese soldiers during the war and a failed attempt to raid the town from bandits.[8]
References
- ↑ "History of Indang". December 5, 2009. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- 1 2 Jose, Regalado Trota , Jr. (1986). "Church Expenses in Nineteenth Century Cavite". Philippine Studies 34 (3): 360–373. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Palatandaang Pangkasaysayan ng Simbahan ng Indang". September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
- 1 2 "Indang, Haven of Cold Springs". June 22, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ↑ "St. Gregory the Great Church". Indang Cavite | Historic & Beautiful. October 15, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 "Especially Indang". Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ↑ Javellana, SJ, Fr. Rene. "Restored". Philippine Jesuits. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- 1 2 Gonzales, Dick (July 10, 2009). "The Miraculous Patrons of Indang, Cavite". Retrieved September 4, 2014.
External links
Media related to Saint Gregory the Great Parish Church of Indang at Wikimedia Commons
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