Check out "before and after" photos of the Cathedral at "Cathedral of Santiago Señor" photo album.
The construction of the big church in Bangued began in 1722 and was completed in 1807. It was about 73 meters long. Very likely, Don Manuel Vidal de la Cruz, a parish priest for more than 30 years (1647-1879)
was very much involved in its rehabilitation, if not rebuilding. It was further worked on by Don Quintin Paredes, parish priest in 1884 (he was already parish co-adjutor in 1875), and Don Segundo Teano (parish priest in 1883-1891).
The years 1623-1823 were a time of stagnation. The resistance of the pagan chiefs blocked the expansion of the church. During the 18th century, new efforts were made in Abra, but the results were rather meager.
Bishop Francisco Alban, OP, approached the Augustinians and found them ready to open a mission in Abra. Bangued was returned to the Augustinians in 1892 after 270 years of secular administration. The Augustinian parish priest Fray Angel Perez Colvillo (1893-1897) built the convento, with further improvements by Fray Innocencio Vega (1898). The convento was later occupied by American troops from 11 December 1899 to the end of April 1901. It later became the Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy, now the Holy Spirit Academy. Fr. Innocencio Vega was the last Spanish missionary to work in Bangued. He stayed until the revolution ended in 1898.
The whole Diocese of Nueva Segovia was without a bishop from 1900 to 1903 including Bangued. The end of the Spanish Patronato and the coming of the American government brought many changes to the church in the Philippines.
There was no priest in Abra for about two years. Only in 1901 was Bangued taken care of by Fr. Bartolome Espiritu until the coming of the SVD missionaries in August of 1909.
In 1904 Archbishop Harty invited the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) to Manila for negotiations in taking over the province of Abra in the year 1907. However, the arrival of the SVD Fathers was delayed for two years. When they came in August 1909, they began their work in a poor place in the interior part of the province. Only in May of 1920 was the parish of Bangued turned over to them.
Fr. Teodoro Buttenbruch, SVD was appointed acting parish priest of Bangued. He began his work with the roofs of the church and the convent which were both badly leaking. The lower floor of the convent had served partly as a storage area for tobacco leaves, and partly as a horse stable and a place for pigs and sheep. These quarters were cleaned up and prepared for school rooms, because Apo Doro (Teodoro) wanted to give Bangued, the provincial capital, a Catholic school.
Later, Fr. Buttenbruch erected a new rectory to the left of the church for himself and his assistant priests and visitors who would come for the monthly conferences. It was a two-storey building of concrete designed by a Spanish architect, Mr. de la Rosa, professor of Architecture at the Dominican University of Santo Tomas (UST), in Manila. It survived the bombing by the Americans during World War II in 1945.
In 1926, a generous lady, Mrs. Consuelo Valera of Bangued donated a new high altar for Bangued Church. Wholly clad with colored marble, the table altar was one solid piece as prescribed by Canon Law for the purpose of Consecration. Then in 1927 Bishop Santiago Sancho, DD of Nueva Segovia in Vigan, solemnly consecrated the marble top and blessed the remainder of the altar.
This event was a great feast for the Catholic community of Bangued. A group of major seminarians from Vigan (led by Fathers Ederle and Bette) took care of the liturgical singing and serving as acolytes, whilst the Fathers assisted the Bishop during the consecration and Holy Mass which followed immediately.
After the blessing of the new altar, new benches were placed in the church. Father Buttenbruch had its facade decorated. On a niche at the high altar was a life-size statue of Santiago (St. James the Elder), the patron saint of Bangued. Brother Arnulf Rademaker, the mission carpenter, also put up new confessionals. He had added a fourth storey to the bell tower, put a steel cross on top of it and adorned with electric lights for illumination at night on high feast days. In this tower were several Spanish bells. On the largest bell was engraved the name of the patron of the church "Santiago." This was the only bell on good condition, all the others were cracked.
In 1927 Father Buttenbruch, through the help of Father Buecking of St. Wendel's Mission House in St. Wendel, Saarland, Germany secured a set of five harmoniously tuned bells. Brother Arnulf supervised the lifting of the bells into the tower through openings cut into the floors. Bishop Sancho, DD of Vigan gladly came to Bangued and blessed the new bells.
In 1929, Fr. Lawrence Leisring, SVD arrived from the United States and was appointed parish priest of Bangued. Father Buttenbruch had him to start a separate Boys' High School and to open classes for Grades VI and VII provisionally in the building intended as a carpentry shop of Brother Arnulf. Father Leisring then started soliciting funds for the new wooden school building to contain twelve (12) classrooms. It was erected at the southern portion of the church and opened for enrollment in 1931. Later, Father Leisring was called to Vigan and was replaced by Fr. Henry Stukenburg, SVD.
World War II broke out and Bangued was bombed on March 10, 1945 because the adjoining convento was used as a military hospital by Japanese forces. Only the walls of the church, convent and tower remained standing. Among the countless victims of the bombing were Frs. Winter, Willert and Batoon and Sr. Caritas.
In 1947, Fr. Aurelio Galvan, SVD became the parish priest of Bangued. He started the reconstruction of the roof and altar of the church. He also installed an electric organ.
On June 12, 1955, Abra was declared a Prelature Nullius. In the same year on July 25, the church of Bangued was proclaimed a Cathedral by Bishop Santiago Sancho of Nueva Segovia. The following year, August 22, 1956, Msgr. Odilo Estpueler was installed Prelate Nullius of Bangued. At that time, the parish priest was Fr. Jose Heuwagen, SVD.
Fr. Juan Byroslawski, SVD became the parish priest of Bangued in 1957. He improved the ventilation and the lighting of the cathedral. Repairs on the ceilings and doors were also made. Fr. Byros likewise built many chapels and reconstructed the tower of the cathedral.
On March 20, 1963 Fr. Antonio Buenafe was ordained priest in the cathedral. Fr. Manuel Lahoz was ordained next in 1967, while Fr. Antonio Astudillo and Fr. Manuel Bersamin were ordained on April 8, 1973 and March 31, 1974 respectively.
Fr. Dominador Flores, SVD took over the parish in 1968 since Fr. Byroslawski, SVD needed to go for vacation. The following year, Fr. Antonio Cabantac, SVD became the parish priest. Seeing the need for another cemetery, he took the initiative to establish another one in Barbaracbac.
Fr. Byroslawski returned in 1970 to continue serving Bangued until he was transferred to Peñarrubia in 1971. Fr. Bonifacio Nuval, SVD then took charge of Bangued until 1976, when Fr. Nilo Peig was ordained priest on March 15 and Msgr Antonio Buenafe was ordained bishop on March 30.
On that year 1976, the administration of the parish of Bangued was handed over to the Diocesan Clergy with Fr. Antonio Astudillo as the first diocesan parish priest.
In January 1978 Fr. Astudillo started the construction of the Bangued Parish Pastoral Center. It was inaugurated on May 1, 1979.
Fr. Astudillo left for the United States in 1982 leaving Bangued in the hands of Msgr. Cesar Raval, SVD who was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Bangued on February 18, 1982. In 1985, Fr. Nilo Peig took over. He repainted the cathedral, built the chapel of Dangdangla and finished the Cabuloan chapel. When he went to Rome for further studies in 1989, Fr. Cesar Briosos administered the parish until Fr. Alexander Barbieto was appointed parish priest. After the First Diocesan Pastoral Assembly in 1994, he was succeeded by Fr. Michael Brillantes. It became his task to implement the statutes of the DPA among which were the Pre-baptismal and Pre-cana seminars, the introduction of pledges (KARI), the building of Basic Ecclesial Communities, and the formation of the Finance Council.
In 1999, Fr. Floro Bautista succeeded Fr. Brillantes. He repainted the convent and started renovating the church sanctuary. He improved the camposanto chapel and built the chapel of Angad through the generosity of the people there. He continued and strengthened the BEC program. It was left to Fr. Alfredo Eduarte who took over in 2004, to complete the renovation of the sanctuary, especially the restoration of the "retablo."
Sources: History of the SVD-Abra Mission in the Philippines 1909-1956 by Rev. Fr. Miguel Hergesheimer, SVD (published by The Abraeniana Institute and Research Center and DWCB) and Diocese of Bangued Golden Jubilee Nasangsangayan a Tawen ti Gracia (Souvenir Book)
