Mabitac

Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Parish

Mountains separate Mabitac from Pililla but a winding mountain road connects the two towns. Between the years 1599-1600, an image of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria was given by Alferez Cristóbal Mercado as a gift to the Franciscan church of Dilao (Paco). The image was subsequently transferred to the Franciscan infirmary in Los Baños. To unite the different native settlements, in 1615 the parish priest of Siniloan, Fr. Miguel de Talavera, asked for the image and placed in a small chapel on a hill located between two settlements, Inaguasan and Galay, both belonging to the jurisdiction of Siniloan. The church of Mabitac traces to this chapel, where the Franciscan provincial Fr. Blas Madre de Dios spent his last days in prayerful retirement, thus making the chapel a pilgrimage site. For a brief period, 1615-18, the image was transferred to Siniloan but returned to Mabitac when the town was constituted in 1618. The church’s date of construction is unrecorded, though it is known that Fr. Antonio de la Fuente repaired the church after it was damaged by earthquake in 1880. The church was repaired after it was damaged by the earthquake of 1937.

Heritage Features: Mabitac church’s main feature is its dramatic location, on top of a hill, 100 feet above the level of Laguna. Ninety-six steps lead up to the church and convento from the lake side. The church has lost much of its details because of frequent renovations, even the stone steps leading to the church have been repaired with cement. A beautiful frieze from Mabitac, depicting Saint Augustin and the Fathers of the Church, is now in a private collection in Manila.