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Trip to the Bolinao Town Center
The Bolinao Church is certainly worth a visit if you like seeing old churches or if you simply want to hear mass when visiting Patar.
The town itself is a great place to shop around for fresh fish, fresh fruits, delicasies and local products. Try visiting the Bolinao Wet Market when you take a trip down there. The Chruch and Town Center is around 20 minutes from Patar Beach and can be reached easily by private car or public transportation.
The Bolinao Church
The beautiful Bolinao Church is formally called St james thew Great parish is located in the center of Bolinao Town in Concordia Poblacion Road. It is one of the oldest churches in the country. It was built by the Agustinian Friars in 1609. Originally the Church tower, which was 75 Feet Tall and was the tallest in the entire province of Pangasinan. However, in 1788, the tower was destroyed by and earthquake. In 1819, the church convent accidentally burned down. In recent times, typhoon Emong heavily damaged the church structure and it is still continuously being reconstructed until today. It is actively used today holding Sunday as well as daily masses.
St James the Great Parish or Bolinao Church is challenging Philippine historians by claiming that the first mass in the Philippines was held by the parish instead of Limasawa, believed to be the birth of Catholicism in the country. Whether true or not, this establishes the parish firmly as one of the pillars of Catholicism in the Philippines
As with other ancient Churches in the Philippines, the Bolinao Church is made of stone reinforced with hardwood making it a site to behold. It has high ceilings and marble floors with historical memorabilia scattered around the church.
The Bolinao Church is certainly worth a visit if you like seeing old churches or if you simply want to hear mass when visiting Patar.
The town itself is a great place to shop around for fresh fish and local products. Try visiting the Bolinao Wet Market when you take a trip down there. The Chruch and Town Center is around 20 minutes from Patar Beach and can be reached easily by private car or public transportation.