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The half-buried Church of Bacolor

Posted on December 22, 2007

One of the 2 churches that has been in my Pampanga tour wish list is the Church of Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario or more popularly known as the Bacolor Church. The church of Bacolor and the ones in Betis are two of the oldest churches in the province of Pampanga.

The Bacolor Church just like its counterpart in Betis, was built using the Baroque Architecture. It is said that the Bacolor Church is one of Pampanga’s largest churches. But when Mount Pinatubo erupted in the 1991, the church was half buried in mudflow or lahar.

Right now the doors being used were once windows that adorn the church. And when you enter the church today, the spot right after the doors was the choir loft before. At the sides of the church, you will also get to see some openings that used to hold stained glasses before.

There is also a section inside the church that was converted into a museum. Inside the museum you will get to see old photographs of the Bacolod Church in its glory days. There were also photographs when the mudflow was still rushing like an overflowing river. You will also get to see photos of how people left the place and moved to a safer ground after their church was buried in lahar.

Right in fornt of the Bacolor Church are two houses that has been buried deep by the lahar. A testament as to how powerful Mount Pinatubo is. A proof of how Mother Nature can unleash its fury. Right now, what’s left of these twin houses in front of the Bacolor church are its roof popping up from a mound of earth that was once a volcanic mudflow.