ST. AUGUSTINE PARISH CHURCH (Est. 1572)
Dumangas, Iloilo
by Edgar H. Siscar
St. AUGUSTINE PARISH CHURCH (Est. 1572; Rebuilt 1887; Restored 2018)
Dumangas, Iloilo as of July 9, 2018
Dumangas, officially the Municipality of Dumangas, is a First Class municipality in the province of Iloilo in the Philippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 69,108 people as of 2003.
Dumangas is located in Panay Island, north-east of Iloilo City, east of the province of Iloilo. Surrounded by the towns of Barotac Nuevo in the north, Pototan in the west, Zarraga in the south and the waters and islands of Guimaras and Negros Occidental in the east.
Dumangas was originally a settlement named Araut in 1212 AD when the Malays of the Shrivishayan Empire of Sumatra and Borneo migrated to the Philippines. One tribe settled along the banks of Talaugis River in the present-day Bantud Fabrica in Dumangas.
Araut is derived from the word 'raut' which means 'sea'. 'Paraut' then meant 'to the sea' or seaward. 'Araut' is the corruption of the word 'paraut'.
Several versions explain how Araut became Dumangas. One story tells of a Spaniard who asked a native of the name of the place. The native, thinking that he was asked about the name of the mango trees under which he was resting replied, "Dos Manggas". Another version came from a Visayan word "duro" meaning "many" and the Spanish word "Manggas" meaning sleeves. A historical records show that Dumangas got its name from the oral report of the Legaspi's French officer who mentioned the phrase "Sitio du Manggas" to refer to the place of Araut where he got replenishments. The Chronicler noted the name "Sitio du Manggas". In time, it was shortened to Dumangas.
"The royal treasurer in the Philippines, Guido de Lavezaris, writes (June 5, 1569) to King Philip II of Spain (Felipe II), describing the Portuguese attack on Cebú in the preceding autumn, and briefly mentioning some other matters. A letter from another official, Andrés de Mirandaola (dated three days later), informs the king of the wreck of a vessel despatched to Spain with a rich cargo of spices; and he too describes briefly the encounter with the Portuguese. The danger of another attack leads the Spaniards to remove their camp to Panay, as being safer than Cebú. It was for this reason that the Spaniards who made their first settlement in Cebu opted to transfer to a second Spanish settlement in Panay Island." (The Spanish Period by Karl Quirino)
Like most parts in the Philippines, Dumangas is a rural town where agriculture and livestock are predominant. It is home to the Haw-as Festival.
Dumangas has at least eight of tributaries which are the rivers of Barasan, Agdarupan, Paloc, Talusan, Dumangas, Sulangan, Talauguis and Jalaur. Natural features found in Dumangas includes the mountains and hills of Ermita, Binaobao and Rosario.
Sulangan has its own mini version of the "tinagong dagat" where a spring can be found and Binaobao has the Matagsing and Lacaran has the Elehan Caves.
Known tourist spots in the town includes the Lacaran Beach, Bacay Beach, Nalooyan Beach, Tinagong Dagat, fishponds in many barangays, the Aglipayan Church, the Ermita Shrine, the San Agustin Catholic Church, the RoRo Port, the coastal road and seafood restaurants found in the Monfort Coastal Road.
Although it is only about an hour's drive from the urban centers of Iloilo City, Dumangas remains provincial and rural despite having produced many professionals in the field of medicine, law, engineering, navigation and education, among others.
The town is one of the seven first class municipalities in Iloilo and the richest and the most populated municipality in the fourth district of the province. It is a very progressive municipality and expects to become a component city in the near future.
The Parish of St. Augustine is located along De la Rama Street in Dumangas, Iloilo.
Under the patronage of Saint Augustine, the first church and convent of Dumangas in Iloilo was built by Father Martin de Rada, OSA, in 1572. The Apostle of Panay, Father Rada was the first Catholic missionary to arrive in Panay Island having been in the island six years prior to the church construction.
The church was destroyed in 1628 and a new church was built which was also destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1787. Father Fernando Llorente had the church rebuilt in Gothic Byzantine style in 1887. It was completed by Father Rafael Murillo in 1896.
In 1988, the National Historical Institute declared the Dumangas Church as a national historical landmark pursuant to the provisions of Presidential Decree Nos. 260, 375 and 1505.
As of date, the Church of St. Augustine has just been restored through the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Historical Institute, under the program of national heritage preservation under Republic Act No. 10066, otherwise known as the National Cultural Heritage Act.
The Parish of St. Augustine is located along De la Rama Street in Dumangas, Iloilo.
Under the patronage of Saint Augustine, the first church and convent of Dumangas in Iloilo was built by Father Martin de Rada, OSA, in 1572. The Apostle of Panay, Father Rada was the first Catholic missionary to arrive in Panay Island having been in the island six years prior to the church construction.
Church marker on the entrance wall of the church |
In 1988, the National Historical Institute declared the Dumangas Church as a national historical landmark pursuant to the provisions of Presidential Decree Nos. 260, 375 and 1505.
Central nave, windows, columns and altar of the church display Gothic and Byzantine influences |
As of date, the Church of St. Augustine has just been restored through the auspices of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the National Historical Institute, under the program of national heritage preservation under Republic Act No. 10066, otherwise known as the National Cultural Heritage Act.
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