religion travel

Nuestra Señora De La Natividad Parish – Pangil, Laguna / Pangil Church

March 5, 2020August 4, 2021 adminbdmc churches, churches in laguna, laguna, laguna pilgrimage, nuestra señora de la o, nuestra señora de la o laguna, nuestra señora de la o pangil, nuestra señora dela natividad, nuestra señora dela natividad pangil, nuestra señora dela natividad parish, nuestra señora dela natividad parish laguna, pangil church, pangil laguna, pilgrimage, religion, travel

Finally, we’re down to our last destination in Laguna as part of our last year’s pilgrimage. After visiting Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Parish in Mabitac, we headed next to Pangil, Laguna. Located at the heart of Pangil is a church dedicated under the patronage of Nuestra Señora dela Natividad (Our Lady’s Nativity) which is also known to many as Nuestra Señora dela O.
The church is located next to the Municipal Hall facing the town plaza. Like most of the old churches in Laguna, Pangil Church was built and administered by Franciscan friars. The first church was actually dedicated under the patronage of the Birth of Blessed Virgin Mary ( Natividad de la Nuestra Señora) and was initially built out of cane. The first stone church and the convent, on the other hand, were built in 1611. Like most of the old churches we have visited in Laguna, Pangil Church was also utterly damaged in numerous occasions. It was heavily destroyed by the 1880 Earthquake as well as the Second World War.

It seems like the church has undergone massive renovation and as you can see, the facade is no longer as old-looking as it should be compared to other 4-century old churches. Pangil Church comes with a very simple and somehow minimalistic facade. It has an enormous doorway with a couple of simple glass window niche.

At the center of its facade, you’ll find a colorful bas relief depicting the Nativity of Mary
The church has a very spacious interior that equates with the exterior’s minimalistic scheme.

The main altar features a Crucified Christ on the center niche just above the tabernacle. On both sides, you’ll find the statue image of Nuestra Señor dela O (right) and the same bas relief image that you can find on its facade (left). The altar drastically changes during the feast day of Virgen dela O every December as it will be adorned with flamboyant decoration.

We were really grateful that their parishioners unveiled the miraculous image of Virgen dela O for us. The statue of the pregnant Virgin Mary is said to be a gift from King Carlos III of Spain.The original image of Nuestra Señora de la O, however was destroyed during the Second World War but the Santo Niño dela O was saved.
You’ll also find the enshrined image of Santo Niño dela O on the right side portion of the church.

Near the entrance, you’ll find two huge paintings of Christ. They both share lots of similarities with the painting we saw in Mabitac Church but we’re not sure if all of them were affiliated or commissioned under the same artist.

Another painting of Christ

A replica image of Santo Niño dela O outside the church.