The Saint John of Sahagun Parish Church, locally known as the Candon Church, is a church situated in the city of

Candon Candon, officially the City of Candon ( ilo, Siudad ti Candon; fil, Lungsod ng Candon), is a 4th class component city in the province of Ilocos Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,432 people. Dubbed as the ...

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Constructed with an Earthquake Baroque design, the church is maintained and is still being used up to present. The church's four-storey octagonal

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

has an alternating open and blind

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An opt ...

s, a

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

and is topped by a (bell tower).

History

In 1591, the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

s accepted Candon as a house while Father Pedro Bravo, OSA initiated building one of the early churches in 1695. It was severely damaged in the 1707

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

that struck the country, but was rebuilt under the supervision of Father Jose Carbonel, OSA until 1710, and Father Diego del Castillo, OSA until 1713.

Features

One of the highlights of this church are the two painting on canvas almost long, representing the 20 Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. It is said to be the longest religious painting in the Philippines. Father Vincente Avila, his cousin Mel Andino (an arts teacher), and Andino's student Redentor Castillo were the brains and hands behind the paintings, and was unveiled December 2007.

References

External links

{{Commons category inline, Candon Church Roman Catholic churches in Ilocos Sur Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia