*92: Pampanga's Churches: SAN LUIS GONZAGA, SAN LUIS

PISAMBAN SAN LUIS. The age-old stone church dedicated to the town patron San Aloysius Gonzaga is one of the few churches in Pampanga that has retained its air of antiquity through the years. Picture shows a Holy Communion group picture, ca. 1918.

San Luis town was originally called Cabagsa or Cabagsac, a contraction of “cabag” (fruit bats) and “bagsac”, hence a place where fruit bats come to roost. To honor the memory of one of its cura, Fray Nicolas de Orduno, it was later known as San Nicolas de Cabagsa. The eventual name—San Luis—is attributed to Dna. Luisa, wife of a lawyer who acted as a counsel in claiming a parcel of land disputed by neighboring Santa Ana (then Pinpin) town. The town was named after San Luis Gonzaga (St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 1568-1591), the blue-blooded Jesuit saint who died young at age 23. The town fiesta is celebrated on June 19.

The first recorded missionary to serve the town was Fr. Jose Echevarria, who was assigned as a prior in 1742. No information exists as to when the church was built, but it must have been completed in the late 18th century. In 1883, the church was restored by Fr. Isidro Bernardo, which then had the following dimensions: 56 meters long, 13 meters wide and 11 meters high. The church convent was expanded by Fr. Francisco Diaz in 1877. Today, San Luis Church is one of the few churches in the province that retains its old-world authenticity, even after assiduous restorations, one as recent as 1984 done on the retablo mayor, undertaken by Fr. Jacobo David.

The façade is heavily stone-laden, with spiraling stone buttresses and symmetrical twin belfries with marked Baroque influences. The historian Mariano A. Henson recorded the existence of 4 bells, inscribed with the names of Nstra. Snra, de la Correa (dated 1859), San Juan Evangelista (dated 1789) and San Jose (dated 1843). The fourth bell dates from June 1939.

The main portal is carved and recessed. Sandwiching the papal insignia are two niches with small statues. The heaviness of the carving continues on the stone balusters that decorate the central window, the arched niches on each side of the bell towers. The pediment is encompassed by scroll-like designs on both sides, while the arched window panels served to decorate the façade.

Behind the church, remnants of tombs can still be found, some still with marble lapidas. Then, as now, the ancient, massive presence of San Luis Church continues to hold sway, even if the trappings of modernity are just a few steps away from its door.

(*NOTE: Feature titles with asterisks represent other writings of the author that appeared in other publications and are not included in the original book, "Views from the Pampang & Other Scenes")