San Bartolome Church (Malabon)

historical marker installed in 2015 A former visita of Tondo, Malabon was founded on May 21, 1599. On May 17, 1614, it became an independent parish, with Padre Luis Gutierrez as vicar prior. When Padre Diego de Robles became prior of Malabon in 1621, he began the construction of the first stone church a year after. During World War II, San Bartolome Church suffered heavy damages and restoration began only in 1951 under the secular priest Father Trinidad. In 1958, Father Reyes took on the task of repairing the dome, transept, main altar, and the belfry. ==Architecture==

San Bartolome Church's protruding triangular pediment, supported by the colonnade of the facade, bears the Augustinian symbol and the year 1861. The facade features eight imposing Ionic columns reminiscent of a Greco-Roman temple. Measuring by , the church has a central nave and two aisles, transept, and a dome in the or barrel vault style which is cupped by a campanile. The main entrance to the church is a Jubilee door decorated with wood carvings. Numerous paintings framed with gold leaf line the church ceiling. A simple yet elegant retablo can be found in the sanctuary where the image of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle is surrounded by the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary above, the tabernacle below, and St. Augustine and St. Nicholas de Tolentine on both sides. The writer I.V. Mallari, a native of Malabon, writes that the church is "one of the most beautiful examples of ecclesiastical architecture that Spain has left this country."' File:Entrance to Malabon Church, Nov 2023.jpg|Welcome arch File:Malabon Church Interior, Aug 2025 (1).jpg|Nave facing the altar in 2025 File:San Bartolome Church (Malabon) 11.jpg|Church dome File:2626San_Agustin_Malabon_City_40.jpg|Three bells of the church ==References==