The Church and Parish of Mary Magdalene in Hinigaran built using Romanesque architecture is one of the remaining colonial churches in Negros Occidental. It was established by Fr. Juan Pavon, an Augustinian-Recollect Parish Priest who arrived in Hinigaran on November 4, 1848 and served until October 1849. It was first made of light materials then ten years later, in 1858, the church construction at its present location was initiated by Fr. Francisco Ayarra.
As with other colonial churches in the country, forced labor was used requiring the faithful to render 15 days of work in the construction. They were also required to bring 25 pcs. of chicken eggs which were mixed with lime, corrals and bricks. The hardwood materials were said to have been from Palawan and the limestone blocks used to build the 2-meter thick walls were from Guimaras. These materials were said to have been carried from Guimaras, Palawan and the upper section of Hinigaran known as Patiqui and transported to the place known today as Kinsehan or Quinchihan derived from the wages of the workers which were 15 centavos per 15 days.
The church, belfry and the convent were completed in 1881. However, just like the unfortunate fate of other colonial churches in the country, the Church of Mary Magdalene has likewise undergone renovations to “modernize” its look. What remains original are the facade and walls of the church. The church is said to have a bell made of silver and gold weighing 480 kilograms. The old bells displayed beside the church are probably not made of silver and gold but they are as old as the church.
The feast day of Mary Magdalene falls every 22nd day of July.
Hello! Thank you for featuring my dad’s hometown and the church where I was baptized. Though I’ve lived in the US for more than half of my life now, I retain very happy, vivid childhood memories of Hinigaran. You are correct in that the church’s interior had undergone many disastrous modern renovations in the aftermath of Vatican II. Nonetheless, did you see the most recent change? Last year, they finally restored the “retablo” high altar in the apse of the church. It might not be an exact copy of the original, but it’s definitely better than the experiments of the past 40 years. As for a bell made out gold and silver, that’s just an urban legend. Church bells are basically made of high-copper bronze alloy. Besides, the Philippines is not Mexico or Peru–we don’t have enough gold or silver deposits to make a 480 kg (1,058 lbs) bell!