Ilocos Norte’s 209-year old church in Piddig is scheduled to reopen after almost five years since it closed its doors for restoration.
The upcoming reopening of the baroque church is an “answered prayer” for Piddig residents whose forebears built the church on top of a hill for the Agustinian friars in 1810.
The two centuries-old St. Anne Parish church was closed in September 2014 after it was declared unfit for occupancy by the engineering experts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The NCCA deemed the church’s wooden trusses as heavily deteriorated and the foundation too weak.
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The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) allocated Php 50 million for the restoration and rehabilitation of St. Anne Parish church. The NHCP considered the Piddig structure as one the oldest churches in Ilocos Norte. St. Anne Parish church also stands as witness to the province’s colorful history.
Fr. Carlito Ranjo Jr., who serves as the Diocese of Laoag’s restoration committee head, shared to media that the restoration experts took two years to carefully study the church structure and the materials used. The study enabled the experts to determine the best way to restore the old church to its original design. The restoration works started March 22 in 2018.
Netizens were delighted on Monday when Fr. Ranjo posted on social media the photo of St. Anne church’s fully-restored facade and interiors.
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“The St. Anne Church restoration is done. Just waiting for the turn over date,” Fr. Carlito Ranjo Jr. said in his post. The newly-restored church is scheduled to be turned over back to the Piddig parish on July 25.
READ MORE: How San Agustin church in Intramuros rose from the ruins of war into a museum
SEND your encouraging cheers in the comments below for the Piddig community of the fully restored two-centuries-old St. Anne Parish church!
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