St. Augustine of Hippo Church, also known as Bacong Church, is a 19th-century Roman Catholic church and a National Cultural Treasure located in Bacong, Negros Oriental, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
The town of Bacong was organized in 1837. Its church was a visita of Dumaguete, and it gained parochial status during the time of Augustinian Recollect priest Fr. Joaquin Soriano who served between 1849 and 1858. He built a temporary house of worship and a convent during his term.
The present-day church was built when Fr. Leandro Arrue was parish priest and church-building began in 1866. When he again served as head of the parish, he finished the church’s exterior in 1882 but his work was disrupted by the time he was elevated to the see as Bishop in Jaro, Iloilo between 1885 and 1897.
The Recollects left during the Philippine Revolution. They resumed their pastoral care of the parish in 1907, and they eventually handed it over to the secular clergy in 1965.
Bacong Church is known as one of the best well-preserved colonial-era edifices in Negros island. It was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on July 31, 2001.
Architecture
The church and convent are made primarily of bricks, a building material not generally used in other structures built around the same time.
The five-bodied bell tower, built during the term of Fr. Laureano Navarro, is erected in the gospel side and made of cut coral stones. The facade meanwhile is rendered in red from the brick exterior. It has a high arch entrance that is raised slightly from the rest of the front wall, and it is decorated by rhomboids. The niche of the patron is found right above, flanked by twin arch windows. The pediment is without any adornment and topped with a cross.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Augustine is August 28.
Services
The parish office is open from 8:00 in the morning to 12:00 noon, and from 2:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon daily.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Augustine of Hippo Church in Bacong, Negros Oriental from May 12, 2025 to May 18, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Bacong.
Monday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
Tuesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
Wednesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
Thursday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
Friday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
Saturday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
- 6:00-7:00 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
- 3:00-4:00 PM (English)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Cebuano)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Augustine of Hippo Church in Bacong, Negros Oriental |
| Other Names | Bacong Church |
| Address | Poblacion, Bacong, Negros Oriental 6216 |
| Country | Philippines |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1849 |
| Age as parish | 176 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Dumaguete |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. John |
| Patron | St. Augustine |
| Feast day | August 28 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | National Cultural Treasure |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in Valencia, Negros Oriental
- San Nicholas de Tolentino Church in Dauin, Negros Oriental
- San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Magsaysay, Dauin, Negros Oriental
- St. Ezekiel Moreno Quasi-Parish Church in Caidiocan, Valencia, Negros Oriental
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental
- St. Vincent Ferrer Quasi Parish Church in Apo Island, Dauin, Negros Oriental
References
- K. Sepidoza-Daysa. Parish Church of San Agustin Bacong, Negros Oriental. National Museum of the Philippines. Retrieved December 1, 2023
- Edgar Allan M. Sembrano. Bacong, Negros Oriental– exemplary heritage town. Philippine Daily Inquirer. April 3, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2023
- Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. (December 31, 2020). Augustinian Recollect Legacy to the Church in Negros Island. Philippine Social Science Journal. Retrieved December 1, 2023