The Lady of Atocha Parish in Alicia, Isabela

I was fortunate enough to still be assigned for field work in Isabela province even in my last month of my corporate job. Me, not wanting to miss an opportunity to see something new and explore a place while in there even for work, took the time to walk around the quiet town of Alicia, Isabela while waiting for documents to be released in the LGU office and guess what I’ve stumble upon, one of the centuries-old Spanish churches located in the Isabela-Cagayan area, The Lady of Atocha Parish of Alicia.

The structure of the Lady of Atocha Parish was original built by the Spaniards in the 18th century, but not finished. History says that “Passing by Old Angadanan (now Alicia) town on February 12, 1805, Fr. Manuel Mora, OP wrote that “Angadanan has a convent of bricks, though not totally finished. Its church is timber, wood, and bamboo. The number of inhabitants is 791.” The church and convent as seen today in the town of Alicia, beautiful and solid, was built by Fr. Tomas Calderon, OP and inaugurated in 1849, with Fr. Francisco Gainza, OP, then vicar of Carig (now Santiago City). The church was dedicated to the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, more popularly known today as Our Lady of Atocha. The church is known for its antique Castilian architectural design and can be found along the Maharlika Highway and is accessible by land transport.

During my visit, they were doing some maintenance work to preserve the original exterior of the church made of bricks but the interior today has been fully refurbished.