There was a time when Bacolor was referred to as the Athens of Pampanga. It was once the provincial capital of this prosperous sugar-producing province; its seat of government and center of social activity, culture and the arts.

It is thus no surprise that this old town was filled with elegant ancestral homes and other lavish colonial period structures. But all of this was lost when the entire town was covered by lahar from Mount Pinatubo in 1995. What remains of this flamboyant colonial town is the half-buried Church of San Guillermo, standing as a poignant reminder of the elegance that was once Bacolor.

According to some accounts, the town was founded in 1576 by a certain Don Guillermo Manabat, hence the patron saint San Guillermo. It was accepted as an Augustinian convent on December 31, 1576. By 1599, it was remitting to the San Agustin Monastery in Manila an annual rent of 200 pesos, 200 bushels of rice and 120 chickens – an indication that the town was among those flourishing in the province.

Bacolor gained national prominence when it became the capital of the entire Philippines during the British Occupation from 1762 to 1764. It was from there that Governor General Simon de Anda led the campaign to recapture the Philippines from the British.

Only half of the original façade of the Bacolor Church can be seen today. The church stands alone amid a desert of volcanic debris. According to church expert Fr. Pedro G. Galende, OSA, “the richness of the decoration of Bacolor is indicative of the advanced stage of its Baroque style. The windows of both church and belltower, as well as the main doorway, are arched and profusely ornamented with very intricate designs.”

To gain access into what was once the largest church in Pampanga, visitors enter the church through its choir loft windows. The ceiling of the church had to be removed in order to increase the headroom, thus exposing the old wooden beams which support the roof.

Beautifully restored retablos dug up from several feet of lahar grace the relocated main altar area. Due to the lack of height where the main altar once stood, the tall wooden retablo had to be moved forward under the dome in order for it to be accommodated. In the niches are centuries-old santos which were saved from the destruction – thanks to the efforts of the priest and sacristans who brought them up to the belltower during the onslaught of lahar.

The citizens of Bacolor take pride in their rich heritage which is why they painstakingly excavated the ornately carved wooden main and side altars which were restored to pristine condition. In fact, the same pride for their heritage is seen in the monuments to their local heroes scattered around the town. Having been buried by lahar as well, these monuments were the very first things the citizens of Bacolor raised – a sign to all who visit that Bacolor will rise again.