San Andres Apostol Church (Candaba)

Candaba Church
San Andres Apostol Parish Church
Facade of the Saint Andrew, the Apostle Parish Church in Candaba, Pampanga
Candaba Church Location in the Philippines
15°05′31″N 120°49′40″E / 15.091809°N 120.827664°E / 15.091809; 120.827664Coordinates: 15°05′31″N 120°49′40″E / 15.091809°N 120.827664°E / 15.091809; 120.827664
Location	Pescadores, Candaba, Pampanga
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	1575
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Fr. Jose dela Cruz
Architectural type	Church
Style	Baroque, Barn-style Baroque
Completed	1669
Specifications
Length	60 metres (200 ft)
Width	13 metres (43 ft)
Height	13 metres (43 ft)
Materials	Stone, Sand, Gravel, Cement, Steel and Bricks
Administration
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando
Province	Ecclesiastical Province of San Fernando

The San Andres Apostol Parish Church, commonly referred to as Candaba Church, is a 17th-century, Baroque church located at Barangay Pescadores, Candaba, Pampanga, Philippines. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando.

The convent of Candaba was established in May 3, 1575 and was annexed to the convent of Calumpit with Father Francisco de Ortega as priest. Candaba became the missionary center of the Augustinian Friars in preaching the Catholic faith to the rancherias of Arayat and Santa Ana with the permission Bishop Domingo de Salazar of Manila. Its convent once housed the school Estudio de Gramatica before a decision was made to transfer it to the convent of Lubao. The convent also became the refuge of philosophy students from the San Agustin Monastery in Manila during the British Occupation of 1762.

It is believed that by 1591, Candaba already has parochial structures built of light materials. Father Jose dela Cruz, described as a dynamic church builder, is believed to have commissioned the construction of a stone church from 1665 to 1669. Records do not tell of any significant damage to the stone church, leading to the conclusion that much of the structure has survive up until present times. Some account also show that a certain Father Felipe Guevara built a gripola and a belfy as early as 1875. Father Esteban Ibeas in year 1878 made several renovations into the church including the massive dome. Father Antonio Bravo erected the tower in 1881, with four Hilario Sunico bells installed from 1881 to 1890. The convent was enlarged by Father Vicente Ferrer in 1854 and was consequently renovated by Father Ibeas in 1878 and Father Isidro Bernardo in 1892.

The church measures 60 meters high, 13 meters wide and 13 meters high. The facade and bell tower is dominated by series of vertical lines and recesses. Devoid of other detailed ornamentation, only the column capitals, finial caps, cornices and a saint’s niche located at the center of the protruding pediment break the simplicity of the façade’s layout. A concrete porte-cochere mars the view of the entire front. To the left of the church rises the three-storey bell tower topped by a silver cross. To the opposite direction is the arcaded convent with predominant semicircular arches on the first level and geometric patterns of the second level. It is reminiscent of the Art Deco style. The massive dome attributed to Father Ibeas no longer exists.