St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish Church or more popularly known as Pagbilao Church is located in Pagbilao, Quezon Province just 4-6 hours away from Manila.
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| Facade of Pagbilao Church |
The church was established by the
Franciscan Parish of Pagbilao in 1685 and the first
chapel made of bamboo and cogon was erected in 1688 under the
administration of Fr. Cristobal Mortanchez.
The church was transferred to its present location in 1730 with Sta. Catalina de Alexandria as its
Patron Saint and Fr. Francisco Xavier de
Toledo was named as the Parish Priest. The construction of the stone church began in 1845
under the administration of Fr. Victorino Peralija and it was completed in
1877 together with the two-story convent and belfry.
In the liberation of 1945, the church and
convent were destroyed leaving the facade heavily damaged. American warplanes bombed the complex on the report
that the Japanese were hiding inside the church. Only the
belfry has survived and the church was reconstructed under the supervision of Fr.
Vicente Urlanda in 1954 and stood still until now.
- Ride a bus bound to Lucena in Buendia or Cubao terminal.
- Get off Lucena Grand Terminal and ride a jeep going to Pagbilao.
- Ask the driver to drop you off the Pagbilao Church.
