St Lawrence Church in Panitan

17 March 2015 Creative Commons License: Attribution, Non-Commercial, No-Derivatives, 4.0 International License 1
written & photographed by:
fergus jm ducharme
On the Road Again!
we’re on the road to explore parts of Capiz Province
Episode 2 of 4 St Lawrence the Deacon Church, Panitan, Capiz

St Lawrence the Deacon Parish
Panitan, Capiz. Founded in 1802

Panitan was officially established as a full fledged town in 1800 and it
subsequently was granted full parish status by the local ecclesiastical authorities
in 1806 with the approval of Pope Pius VI and it was under the sponsorship of
San Lorenzo (St Lawrence the Deacon) with Augustinian Friar Luis Ortega being
appointed the first parish priest in 1807.
The parish was founded by Augustinian Friar Juan Fernandez 1802
However, the story really starts much earlier in about 1572 when Panitan,
then known as Ipion, was established as a visita of Panay and was served by
itinerant priests who would travel to the various chapels throughout the area
from their main base at Santa Monica Church in Panay (about 13.5 kilometers)
from the settlement .

The parish was run by the Augustinians until 1898 with the help of some native
born secular priests such as: Father Jose Ubaldo del Rosario who served the
parish from 1818 to 1832 and again from 1850 to 1851. He was followed by
Father Timoteo de la Consolacion from 1832 to 1841.
The construction of the actual stone church was started in 1841 under the
guidance of Friar Jose Veloso who worked on the construction project until
1844 when he was posted elsewhere and replaced by Friar Jose Aparicio.
The church structure was made of rough stone and mortar as with most
churches in the region. The convent was wood with slate and lime floors.

The Augustinians left the region during the Revolution in 1898 and were
replaced by Secular Priests who have served the parish and the province ever
since.
Before continuing with our story we need to explore who St Lawrence the
Deacon was and what the relationship is between that particular Saint and this
parish in far, far away Panitan, Philippines.
Lawrence of Rome (225–258) was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome
under Pope Sixtus II that were martyred during the persecution of Emperor
Valerian in 258.
St Lawrence is thought to have been born in Spain, at Huesca, a town in the
Aragon region. Here he encountered the future Pope Sixtus II, who was of Greek
origin, one of the most famous and highly esteemed teachers in Zaragoza, which
was one of the empire's most renowned centers of learning.

Eventually, both left Spain for Rome.
When Sixtus became the Pope in 257,
he ordained St Lawrence as a deacon,
and though still young appointed him
first among the seven deacons who
served in the patriarchal church.
He is called Archdeacon of Rome, a
position of great trust that included
the care of the treasury and riches of
the church and distribution of alms
among the poor.
Lawrence appearing before Emperor Valerian

St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, notes that Roman authorities had established a
norm according to which all Christians who had been denounced must be
executed and their goods confiscated by the Imperial treasury. At the beginning
of August 258, the emperor Valerian issued an edict that all bishops, priests,
and deacons should immediately be put to death. Sixtus was captured on 6
August 258, at the cemetery of St. Callixtus while celebrating the liturgy and
executed forthwith.
After the death of Sixtus, the prefect of Rome demanded that St Lawrence turn
over the riches of the Church. St. Ambrose is the earliest source for the tale that
St Lawrence asked for three days to gather together the wealth. He worked
swiftly to distribute as much Church property to the poor as possible, so as to
prevent its being seized by the prefect.
On the third day, at the head of a small delegation, he presented himself to the
prefect, and when ordered to give up the treasures of the Church he presented
the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering, and said these were the true
treasures of the Church.

One account records him declaring to the prefect,
"The Church is truly rich, far richer than your
emperor." This act of defiance led directly to his
martyrdom and can be compared to the parallel
Roman tale of the jewels of Cornelia
On 10 August, St Lawrence, the last of the seven
deacons, suffered a martyr's death. By tradition, St
Lawrence was sentenced at San Lorenzo in Miranda,
imprisoned in San Lorenzo in Fonte, and martyred at
San Lorenzo in Panisperna.
The Almanac of Philocalus for the year 354 mentions
that he was buried in the Via Tiburtina in the
Catacomb of Cyriaca by Hippolytus and Justin the
Confessor, a presbyter. One of the early sources for the
martyrdom was the description by Aurelius Prudentius
Clemens in his Peristephanon, Hymn II.
A well-known legend has persisted from earliest times.
As deacon in Rome, St Lawrence was charged with
the responsibility for the material goods of the Church
and the distribution of alms to the poor.

St Ambrose of Milan relates that when St
Lawrence was asked for the treasures of
the Church he brought forward the poor,
among whom he had divided the treasure
as alms.
"Behold in these poor persons the treasures
which I promised to show you; to which I
will add pearls and precious stones, those
widows and consecrated virgins, which are
the church’s crown." The prefect was so
angry that he had a great gridiron
prepared, with coals beneath it, and had
Lawrence’s body placed on it (hence St
Lawrence's association with the gridiron).
After the martyr had suffered the pain for
a long time, the legend concludes, he made
his famous cheerful remark, "I'm well done.
Turn me over!” From this derives his
patronage of cooks and chefs.

Constantine I is said to have built a small oratory in honour of St Lawrence, which
was a station on the itineraries of the graves of the Roman martyrs by the seventh
century.
Pope Damasus I rebuilt or repaired the church, now San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, while
the minor basilica of San Lorenzo in Panisperna was built over the place of his
martyrdom.
The gridiron of the martyrdom was placed by Pope Paschal II in the Church of San
Lorenzo in Lucina.
Martyrdom of St Lawrence by Agnolo di Cosimo

The Martyrdom of St Lawrence, Tintoretto, oil on canvas, (Christ Church, Oxford)

The shrine in Rome containing the gridiron said to have been used to
grill St Lawrence to death

The stone on which St Lawrence's body was laid after death, in San
Lorenzo fuori le mura.

The estate upon which the Basilica sits was once
home to a small oratory built by Emperor
Constantine I. The Emperor built it over the site
on which it was believed that Saint Lawrence was
executed.
In the 580s, Pope Pelagius II commissioned the
construction of a church over the site, in honor of
the martyr.
In the 13th century, Pope Honorius III
commissioned the construction of another church
in front of the older structure. It was adorned
with frescoes depicting the lives of Saint Lawrence,
and the first martyred deacon Saint Stephen, who
is interred with Lawrence in the confessio under
the high altar.
The two structures were united as part of a
program of urban renewal. Excavations have
revealed several other crypts of various people,
buried below street level. Saint Hilarius is buried
here.

The portico, c. 1220, has
Cosmatesque decoration by the
Vassaletti family of craftsmen.
The 13th-century frescoes, which
have been recently reconstructed,
depict scenes from the lives of St
Stephen and St Lawrence, both
deacons and martyrs.
There are two ancient sarcophagi in
the portico. A Christian one, possibly
decorated in the 7th century on an
older sarcophagus, has a relief
depicting putti picking grapes. While
vines and grapes are symbols of the
Eucharist, this is not likely here.
Two Romanesque stone lions were
moved here from the old entrance.
Relics of St Stephen laid
to rest in the tomb of St
Lawrence by Lorenzo di
Niccolò, ca. 1412
Some of the frescoes in the Basilica

The martyrdom of Saint Lawrence from several late 13th-century frescoes on the walls
of the Sancta Sanctorum. Emperor Decius appears on the left.

We now know who St Lawrence was as
well as how and why he was martyred.
Let’s now get back to our visit of the
Church in his name in Panitan, Capiz

This beautiful church is situated in a very
nice area bordering Panitan’s Town Plaza.
At one end of the Plaza is the Town Hall
and facing it is a great looking gazebo
where towns people and visitors can sit
and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere or just
sit and watch the world go by.
Next to the Church and between it and
the town hall is a ‘recreation area’ which
includes a basketball court and a large
covered meeting area sort of like a town
gym.

Panitan Municipal Town Hall faces the Town Plaza
with the mandatory statue of José Rizal
The lovely gazebo located in the Town Plaza
facing the Municipal Fall and next to St
Lawrence Church

The church’s right hand side facade contains the bell tower & each side has a statue:
on the left is the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the right the Blessed Virgin Mary.

above the central portico and I haven’t
an individual picture of it is as dove in
flight which I believe to be a depiction of
the Holy Spirit. Just above the Dove is a
Labarum which is the Christian symbol
representing Jesus Christ. On the left side
above the statue of the Greek letter
Alpha (A) and on the right tower we see
the Greek letter Omega (Ω). These
symbols in Christianity represent the
eternal nature of Jesus Christ.
The Labarum
symbolizes
Jesus Christ
The Alpha & the Omega represent
the eternal nature of Jesus Christ

As we enter the Church we note that it is a three aisle church & its
spaciousness is impressive. It is also quite bright and makes you feel welcome.
The major variance in this Church is the fact that it has two galleries along
each side of the church accessible from the choir loft likely to accommodate
additional people for services.

as we move up the central aisle and approach the sanctuary, we are impressed
by how big the church appears to be. It is plain but very large and airy, large
doors are spaced at regular intervals along both side aisles.

As we reach the sanctuary we look back and the sight, as mentioned earlier,
is quite impressive…

On each side of the sanctuary there are two plaques representing the writers of
the bible, Mathew, March, Luke & John

As we head back to the main entrance,
along one of the side aisles, we come to
the only confessional in the church, once
again the simplicity is striking.
Once we get to the entrance, we see
three statues we some how missed when
we came in.
St Pope Pius X Our Lady

As we leave the church and walk into the courtyard located to the side of the
Church around which are the Parish Centre, a Private Prayer area and the
Convent.

The Gridiron Hall is the Parish Centre
which houses the Parish Offices and
meeting hall. It is so named after the
Gridiron on which St Lawrence was
Martyred. Also not the paving stone
area immediately in front of the Hall
which is done to also recall the gridiron.
Around the ‘corner’ from the Gridiron
Hall and across the courtyard is the
Parish Convento and facing it next to
the church is a roofed area where the
parish vehicules are parked.

As we leave the grounds we pass the Adoration Centre down a path between
the statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as the Sacred Heart of Mary.

We’ll be back in about a week or so with another Episode in our
exploration of this part of Capiz Province.
We hope that you’ll join us then.

we thank you for being with us today and our team
members for their efforts in bringing you this story.
info@historicphilippines.com
Roselyn J Parrenas:
She Who Must be Obeyed
Nilo Jimeno:
pilot, facilitator &
assistant discoverer
Jomarie Acallar:
navigator, facilitator,
assistant discoverer &
photographer
Amy Bailo:
driver

St Lawrence Church in Panitan

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