BALANGA CITY — Seven old churches in Bataan declared as pilgrim churches are again the focus of pilgrimages from various places as sites of Visita Iglesia, Lakbay Dasal, and Stations of the Cross this Lenten Season.
These Catholic churches are easy to locate being adjacent to the MacArthur Highway and have one thing in common – walls made from the sturdy bricks known as “batong silyar”.
The first pilgrim church after the Layac Junction in Dinalupihan is the 266-year-old Saint Peter de Varona Church in the town of Hermosa. Like most old Catholic churches, it is near the town plaza and the municipal hall.
Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish Church in Orani is next. It is 312 years old and was declared as a minor basilica.
The 426-year-old Saint Catherine of Siena Church in Samal town follows. It is the second oldest church in Bataan. It is presently undergoing minor renovation to expose the original color of the bricks its walls are made of.
The oldest church in Bataan, the 434-year-old Sto. Domingo Church in Abucay town, comes next. It houses the first printing press used by first Filipino printer Tomas Pinpin.
After Abucay, Balanga City is next where the beautiful Cathedral Shrine Parish of Saint Joseph can be found. The 308-year-old church is seat of the Diocese of Balanga headed by Bishop Ruperto C. Santos.
Coming in next to complete the seven pilgrim churches in Bataan are the 222-year-old Virgen Milagrosa del Pilar Church in the town of Pilar and the 355-year-old Saint Michael Archangel Church in Orion town.
