Some unofficial church sources place the foundation of Sasmuan in 1590 when it was made a Visita of the Parish of Guagua. Then on the 29th of November 1611, the visita was aggregated to the nearby Parish of Lubao for convenience as it is nearer and more accessible to the townsfolk. In 1615, upon the petition of the natives and the promise of the Cabezas de Barangay to give annual stipend of cash, rice, chicken and wine, the Father Provincial agreed to send a resident religious to attend to the spiritual needs of the natives. Thus, the arrival of Pedro de Zuñiga, first Vicar of Sasmuan, who would be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 1867, inching one more step to becoming a saint. Blessed Pedro de Zuñigas arrival as parish priest resulted to the segregation of Sasmuan from the Parish of Lubao. But sometime in 1642, the Parish of Sasmuan was again aggregated to Lubao due to scarcity of priest in the area. Sasmuan is also the home of one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. The towns first church was built by Augustinian friars in 1659 led by Father Jose Duque. In 1677, a convent was built which was placed under the advocation of Sta. Lucia, a virgin martyr who was the daughter of a religious and humble peasant family from Syracuse, Italy. However, both buildings were swept away by the floods caused by the overflowing of the river. From 1710 to 1722, church authorities relieved Sasmuan from the obligation to pay rent, in order to build the foundation for a new building. Thereafter, all collections to be paid to the San Agustin Monastery were also applied to the rebuilding of the church, as declared on October 31, 1735. After more than a century, Father Luciano Morros reinforced the churchs roof with iron bars to strengthen its resistance against typhoons. In 1884, Father Torribio Fanjul undertook restorations and added several windows of gothic style and painted the exteriors.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 15:21:06 +0000
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