Pio Chapel
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San Vicente Ferrer Chapel, commonly known as Pio Chapel, is a
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...
located at Barangay Pio, in
Porac Porac, officially the Municipality of Porac (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 140,751 people. History Pora ...
,
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
. It is under the jurisdiction of the
Archdiocese of San Fernando In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
. Built in 1861, the chapel is believed to be the first circular chapel of its kind in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. In 2019, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused the two
pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...
s on the chapel's facade to collapse.


History

The 19th-century Pio chapel is located at Barangay Pio, south of the Porac town proper. Originally a privately owned
hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...
chapel, it is now used as a community chapel and masses are consistently held inside the chapel every Saturday at 5:00 PM. It was erected in 1861 by Don Felino Gil, founder of the (now
Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University Don Honorio Ventura State University (DHVSU) is a state university in Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines. It has six satellite campuses in Apalit, Pampanga, Apalit, Candaba, Pampanga, Candaba, Porac, Pampanga, Porac, Mexico, Pampanga, Mexico, Santo ...
), recognized as the oldest
trade school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational ...
in Asia. Don Felino, a prominent Spanish military man responsible for paving the way for the coming of Spanish missionaries in the area, acquired vast tracts of land as a reward for his service. He later converted his land into lucrative sugarcane plantations. Don Felino, along with his other relatives and descendants, are interred inside the said chapel, among hand-painted tiles. The chapel is a rare gem for Philippine church architecture since it is recognized as one of the oldest and best-reserved chapels in the country despite the fact that in Pampanga alone, several Spanish-era chapels still stand to this day. Moreover, the circular form of the chapel is a rarity during the era of its construction, together with the oval-shaped Saint Pancratius chapel of
Paco Park The Paco Park (originally named as Cementerio General de Dilao) is a recreational garden and was once Manila's municipal cemetery built by the Dominicans during the Spanish colonial period. It is located on General Luna Street and at the east ...
. Both structures predate another prominent circular chapel, the
Parish of the Holy Sacrifice The Church of the Holy Sacrifice, also known as the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, is a landmark Roman Catholic Church in the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. It belongs to the Diocese of Cubao and its present parish priest is Rev. ...
in
University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...
, Diliman, by almost a hundred years.


Architecture

The chapel features a two-level
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
, with
Tuscan column The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but wit ...
s flanking a
semicircular arch In architecture, a semicircular arch is an arch with an intrados (inner surface) shaped like a semicircle. This type of arch was adopted and very widely used by the Romans, thus becoming permanently associated with Roman architecture. Termino ...
main
portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...
on the first level and a semicircular arch window on the second level. The façade is topped by a triangular
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
bearing the inscription 1861, the year the chapel was completed. The roofing of the first level moves toward the center of the structure, where a smaller polygonal
dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
caps the entire chapel.


Controversy on the chapel’s preservation

During the early years of the 21st century, news spread out that the chapel has been sold to Architect Gerry Acuzar, president of the New San Jose Builders, Inc. and known for his collection of antique houses which he dismantles and transfer to his estate at
Bagac, Bataan Bagac, officially the Municipality of Bagac (), is a municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 31,365 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province. Geography ...
(now the
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (Spanish for "Acuzar's Philippine Houses") is a beach resort, hotel, convention center and heritage destination in Bagac, Bataan, Philippines. History Jose Acuzar, the owner of New San Jose Builders, Inc., st ...
, an open-air museum and hotel-resort). Sources tell that the chapel was supposed to be transferred to the 50-hectare property of Architect Acuzar to complete the old town setting of the property that he is developing. The news alarmed heritage conservation advocates, stating the heritage structures lose their value when they are removed from the context from which such buildings are originally built on. As of writing, the chapel still remains on its original setting.


2019 Luzon earthquake

On April 22, 2019, a 6.1 magnitude
earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
struck the island of
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, leaving at least 18 dead, three missing and injuring at least 256 others. Despite the
epicenter The epicenter (), epicentre, or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. Determination The primary purpose of a ...
was in
Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales (; ; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is Iba, Zambales, Iba, which is located in t ...
, most of the damage to infrastructure occurred in the neighboring province of
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga (; ; ), is a province in Central Luzon in the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac to the north, Nueva Ecija to the northeast, Bulacan to the east, ...
, which suffered damage to 29 buildings and structures, including chapels and churches. During the 2019 Luzon earthquake, the posts supporting the chapel's facade have crumbled. Debris from other parts of the chapel were also found scattered around its perimeter.


Restoration

After the earthquake, villagers in Barangay Pio started the chapel's repair work. Steel
truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as Beam (structure), beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so ...
es, aluminum roof, metal stairs to the
belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
, and iron bar to hold the bell were installed. For the repair, the villagers raised a total of 2 million pesos from raffle draws, solicitation and donation. Since the chapel is a private property, the villagers did not receive restoration guidance from the
Archdiocese of San Fernando In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
. However, according to a cultural advocate, the chapel's repair work had been found to be inconsistent with heritage conservation protocols.


Gallery

File:Jf3209Pio Chapel Porac Pampangafvf 33.JPG,
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...
File:Jf3265Pio Chapel Landmark Porac Pampangafvf 08.JPG, Gravestones beneath
capiz shell window In Architecture of the Philippines, Philippine architecture, the capiz shell window is a type of window with small Paned window (architecture), panes that use the translucent and durable ''capiz'' shell (windowpane oyster shell) instead of glass ...
s File:Jf3285Pio Chapel Heritage Porac Pampangafvf 43.JPG,
Holy water font A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or other Christian art. It is used in Catholic, as well as many Lutheran and Angli ...
File:Jf3335Pio Chapel Graves Porac Pampangafvf 02.JPG,
Belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
File:Jf3209Pio Chapel Porac Pampangafvf 37.JPG,
Choir loft A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church (building), church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the Sanctuary#Sanctuary as area a ...
and
clerestories A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...


See also

* Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church (Porac)


References


External links

* * {{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando Roman Catholic churches in Pampanga Baroque church buildings in the Philippines 1861 establishments in the Philippines Roman Catholic chapels in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando