Maragondon Church

Maragondon Church
Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
Façade of Maragondon Church
Maragondon Church Republic of the Philippines
14°16′26″N 120°44′00″E / 14.274°N 120.7334°E / 14.274; 120.7334Coordinates: 14°16′26″N 120°44′00″E / 14.274°N 120.7334°E / 14.274; 120.7334
Location	Maragondon, Cavite
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Consecrated	1581
Architecture
Status	Parish
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	National Cultural Treasure
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Baroque
Completed	1714
Specifications
Materials	Masonry
Administration
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila
Diocese	Roman Catholic Diocese of Imus
Province	Ecclesiastical Province of Manila
Clergy
Archbishop	Most. Rev. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle
Bishop(s)	Most Rev. Reynaldo G. Evangelista

The Our Lady of the Assumption Parish Church (Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción), commonly known as Maragondon Church, is the only heritage structure in the municipality of Maragondon, Cavite, Philippines declared by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure.

Before 1611 Maragondon was established as a separate town from Silang by the Jesuit Angelo Armano. Before this year the Franciscans were already actively evangelizing the area. In 1630 a second church with more elaborate furnishings was completed. During this year hacienda in Looc, straddling the boundaries of Batangas and Cavite, bequeathed to the Jesuits’ Colegio de Manila, was added to Maragondon’s jurisdiction. In 1633 a new and bigger church was built to replace the older and smaller one, the church stone for some time between 1646 and 1649. The government ordered its demolition for fear that the Dutch, who were at war with Spain, would use it and other churches near Manila for fortification. The orders were apparently implemented because on May 16, 1650 a license was given to the Jesuits to build a house and church of wood in Maragondon to replace the one that had been demolished.

Repairs were made on the convent between 1666 and 1672. In 1687 another church was begun although the construction was interrupted; only in 1714 was it completed. The church was repaired a number of times but data on the renovation are sketchy. After 1860 the Recollect added windows with colored glass panes, and set these in a wooded frame decorated with a quail on a plate, the attribute of San Nicolas de Tolentino. ”

The secular priest de los Reyes also did some repairs probably during the convocation of the second Vatican Council which was commemorated in the Philippines with a jubilee year. To commemorate the event, a roof beam was emblazoned with inscriptions. ”

Maragondon is unique among Jesuit churches for its proportion. The façade is narrow but tall, not squatty as in other churches. To the left of the façade is the taller bell tower with no clear divisions between the stories. The bell tower has a quadrilateral shaft that tapers upward with four corners ending with finials.