Santa Catalina Parish Church

The Santa Catalina de Alejandria Church, also referred to as the Arayat Church, is Renaissance-style church located at Arayat, Pampanga, Philippines. Since its initial construction during the late 1700s, it has been subjected to major alterations and changes such as addition of decorative ornaments and reliefs and re-painting works.HistoryOn August 29, 1590, Bishop Domingo Salazar approved the request of Augustinians to establish its first mission at the town of Arayat. In 1600, Fray Contreras established the parish church of Arayat. The church was dedicated to Santa Catalina de Alejandria, a 4th-century martyr. She was considered as one of the most important saints of the Medieval Period. Her feast day is celebrated every 25 November.Architectural historySanta Catalina Church was built in 1753, based on the canonical books stating that baptismal activities have been conducted by Fray Villalobos since 1758. At present, it belongs to the parish of the Vicariate of Mary, Help of Christians, in the Archdiocese of San Fernando.Fr. Jose Torres In 1858, he made restorations on the church.Fr. Juan Tarrero He continued the restoration work initiated by Fr. Jose Torres. However, he was not able to finish it due to the Philippine Revolution.Fr. Urbano Bedoya In 1892, he finished the restoration work began by his predecessors.Architectural featuresSanta Catalina Church measures 70 meters long and 16 meters wide. It is 12 meters in height.The Renaissance-style facade is characterized with its frontal arcade on the second level and Celtic-like cross windows on the sides. Another feature is the pediment with its axial feature of a blind pointed archway framing a small semi-circular arched window placed underneath a superimposed gabled plane. An image of Santa Catalina is located at the portico of the church while a separate antique image is located at the main altar. The bell tower at the left has chamfered corners and was covered by a domical roof. At present, it has been replaced by intersecting gable roofs.