Pagsanjan

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Parish

What was a settlement of Chinese and Japanese traders engaged in cultivating areca nut was formalized into a town in 1668 and in 1687 as a parish, whose first pastor was Fr. Agustin de Magdalena. In 1668, Pagsanjan became the capital of Laguna and in 1697, a settlement of Tagalogs was attached to it with its own gobernadorcillo, Don Francisco Umale. The first church of bamboo and nipa was constructed in 1688 and two years later a church of brick was built under the direction of a Chinese Christian named Miguel Guan-Co and Alguacil Mayor Alonso Garcia. The church was improved in 1853 and renovated in 1872 with the addition of transepts, under the direction of Frs. Serafin Linares and Cipriano Bac. The church suffered damaged during World War II.

Heritage Features: Although the Pagsanjan church is something of a disappointment because whatever remains of the old church has been incorporated into a newer structure, the town itself is charming for the many turn of the century bahay na bato. These attest to the wealth and prestige of this town. The entrance to the town is through a gate (constructed 1878-80), composed of three arches, the central being wider than the rest. The Municipal Building of Pagsanjan was once the site of the Tribunal del Gremio de Naturales (Tribunal for the Native Guild). It was occupied by Filipino Revolutionary forces in 1898, by the Americans 1899-1903; became the first public high school in Laguna, 1903-07; housed the municipal elementary school until 1911 when it became the seat of government. The building was destroyed on 20 March 1945 and reconstructed 1951-55.