#Pila Laguna Town Plaza

[pilalaguna]

Don Felizardo de Rivera, Founder of Pila

Don Felizardo de Rivera y Evangelista (1755-1810) was the eldest of the three Rivera brothers, Don Felizardo, Don Miguel and Don Rafael. They were the owners of the estate Hacienda de Sta. Clara. They were the sons of Don Juan de Rivera, who had inherited the estate from the Spanish noble family, the Thenorios, and passed it on to his sons.

In the 18th century, due to flooding from its original location near the Laguna de Bay, the original town of Pila and its Church needed to be located to higher ground. So the Riveras planned to move it, just like their ancestor the Datu of Pila, Datu Maguinto, did in the 13th century.

However, a long, heated and controversial dispute rose between two prominent families at the time: The Riveras and the Relovas ("Pros" and "Antis". Don Regino Relova y San Antonio wanted the relocation on his land. Don Felizardo Rivera insisted that the town and church be moved to his hacienda in Sta. Clara.

Don Felizardo won after a long battle (starting October 14, 1794 and ending on July 13, 1803) after made an agreement with the parish priest: If the church was relocated to his estate, he pledged "the spiritual and material support of the Riveras to the church of St. Anthony in perpetuum up to the last of their line." The parish priest agreed.

Don Felizardo donated his lands to the church and to the municipal government but he also retained ownership of the lots surrounding what was to be the town plaza. He became the architect of the town's design, following Spanish colonial layout. He even built a kiln for manufacturing bricks and tiles for rebuilding the church, which was "transferred stone by stone" from its old location. The the ancestral houses were built around the plaza and the town municipio (municipal hall) was built opposite the church. With the assistance of the prominent families of Oca, Ruiz, and de Castro, he rebuilt the town of Pila ("Nuevo Pila") as it is to this day.

Don Felizardo served as gobernadorcillo in 1805, 1807, and 1809. He died on October 13, 1810 at the age of 55. He asked that "he be robed in the Franciscan habit upon his death and that a funeral mass be celebrated with him facing the altar of the newly-built church prior to his burial in the church crypt." His will (currently in the possession of the Rivera Family) was notarized by the town mayor at the time. At the time of his death, both pros and antis came to pay their respects and drop the long feud (the families later intermarried.) Don Felizardo's son Jose de Rivera later took over the gobernadorcillo post in 1811.

Don Felizardo de Rivera is the recognized founder of (Nuevo Pila) present-day Pila, Laguna, and the ancestor of the four main prominent families in Pila: Rivera, Relova, Agra and Alava.

WHEN A TOWN HAS TO MOVE: HOW PILA (LAGUNA) TRANSFERRED TO ITS PRESENT SITE (1794-1811) Luciano P.R. Santiago Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, Vol. 11, No. 2/3 (June/September 1983), pp. 93-106 (14 pages) https://www.jstor.org/stable/29791789

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During the 16th and 17th centuries, one of the earliest known leaders of Pila under Spanish Colonial Period was Don Antonio Maglilo (1696-1712), who governed Pila like his father Don Francisco Maglilo (1599), (Santiago, Ancient Pila, pg 11), the descendant of datu Maguinto.

In 1728, Don Maglilo’s descendant, Don Juan de Rivera, the founder of one of Pila’s most prominent families, the Rivera clan, became mayor of Pila. The Rivera’s were a “major branch of the Maglilo(s)” and changed their surname to “Rivera”, the “Taga-ilog”, or “People of the River”. (Santiago, Ancient Pila, pg 17).

Don Juan de Rivera married Doña Josepha Thenorio, who descended from Spanish nobility from Extremadura, Spain. The Thenorio family matriarch was Doña Maria Cortés de Monroy, the sister of Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés (1485-1547). (Santiago, Ancient Pila, pg 16). (Writer’s Note: Cortes had relations and a child with the Aztec princess Doña Isabel Moctezuma (born Tecuichpoch Ixcaxochitzin; 1509/1510 – 1550/1551), a daughter of the Aztec ruler Moctezuma II, and Cortes’s sister Doña Maria’s descendants married the descendants of a Philippine Pre-Hispanic king.)

Don Juan's descendant, Don Felizardo de Rivera (1755-1810), was at first a town executive from 1792 to 1793. He was governor of Pila in 1792. During the town move, he had drawn up grid plans (Cuadricula) in 1790 for the new site (where Pila was to be moved) based on the classical Spanish system of 'church-plaza-town hall complex' as originally prescribed by the 'Laws of the Indies (1573)' (laws issued by the Spanish Crown for town planning). He had become a self-taught architect. When the transfer was officially sanctioned (approved), he implemented his plans by serving as gobernadorcillo (governor) in 1805, 1807, and 1809 (he died in 1810). Because of his orderly design (of the town), Don Felizardo is considered the founder of 'Nuevo Pila (New Pila).' Don Felizardo retained all the residential lots around the rectangular plaza between the church and the town hall for the ancestral houses. The principal street is christened 'Rivera', which connects (the town) 'like a long umbilical cord' (back to) Pagalangan. (Santiago, Ancient Pila, pg 25). All the lots around the town plaza were given by Don Felizardo to his heirs, and the ancestral houses now stand on those lots.

Pila was moved again due to flooding from the lake, to Don Felizardo’s Hacienda in Santa Clara, Laguna. (Santiago, The Roots of Pila, Laguna, pgs 9, 10). On May 20, 1804, Pila Church was also moved to land at the hacienda. (Santiago, The Roots of Pila, Laguna, pgs 10, 11, 13) Today, the 200-plus year-old church is now called the San Antonio de Padua church, which was declared the National Shrine of San Antonio de Padua, contains a relic of the saint and is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. The ruins of the original church are still standing at Pagalangan and have a historical marker as the site of the original church of Pila.

Don Felizardo is considered the founder of the present-day town of "Nueva Pila" ("New Pila") and the town’s designer and architect in the Spanish colonial grid style of city planning. (Santiago, The Roots of Pila, Laguna, pg 12). The Pila Municipal Hall was later built in June 1931, across from the Church, on land previously owned by Doña Corazon Rivera de Del Mundo, daughter of Don Luis Rivera. (Santiago, The Roots of Pila, Laguna, pg 20).

In his 1810 Last Will and Testament, Don Felizardo identifies himself as “Taong Tunai at Maguinoo” (a true maginoo). The document is with the Rivera family of Pila, Laguna.

[jongbasco]

VIRTUAL VISITA IGLESIA 2022 - Day 4 San Antonio de Padua, Pila, Laguna⁣ #Pila is a hidden gem. It may not be as famous nor as old as other historic towns but a visit to the town - the plaza  in particular,iis an experience that will inspire and delight any visitor. #LaNobleVilladePila is the perfect example of a Spanish town plan but surrounded mostly by American period structures. The crowning glory is arguably the plaza, a wide lawn of green where houses of different vintages look out on to. The Presidencia and the church opposite one another is made prominent though the size of the plaza makes them less imposing. The church of Pila is a reminder of the transfer of the old town to its current location. It is the first church in the country dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua.  It has a modest design, classy, elegant with a triangular pediment facade divided into tiers. A gentle camber of the facade bugles the facade out instead of being flush.  Seven Churches in Seven Days, seven of the nicest #church #facades ive been to in the country, one per day of #semanasanta till #easter. A third serving of #virtual #visitaiglesia in the time of #lockdown.⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Start your own virtual visita iglesia and post one church day till Easter as well. Flood the feed with beautiful churches while we maintain being the living Church in this holiest of times. ⁣⁣ #wanderful #wanderfromhome #lockdowndiaries #heritageph #lumangsimbahan #instakultura #pamana #heritagechurches #holyweek #holyweek2022 #dioceseofsanpablo #sanantoniodepadua #laguna #pilalaguna #500yoc (at Pila, Laguna Heritage Town) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcRtiX3vYp0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lebjaperal]

LA NOBLE VILLA DE PILA After Taal and Vigan, my third favorite heritage town in the Philippines is Pila, Laguna. The beautiful, colorful heritage houses surrounding the plaza made me feel like I truly trekked back in time. I first visited Pila back in 2016 as part of a visita iglesia with JB Tahum around the lakeshore towns of Laguna de Ba-i. JB and I were there for a really short period of time as we had other churches to visit. Fortunately, I got a second chance to visit Pila when Mr. John Silva and the Ortigas Foundation Library invited me to join them in a company tour a year later. Ms. Cora Relova, a resident of Pila and its most staunch heritage advocate, served as our guide. She is one of the founders of the Pila Historical Society Foundation, which fights hard to conserve the town as a National Historical Landmark. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription, which is believed to have been made around 900 CE, mentioned "Pailah." Pailah is said to refer to Pila. The oldest crematorium in the country was also excavated in Pinagbayanan, Pila. These show that Pila is one of the oldest settlements around Laguna de Ba-i. #lagunalakwatsa #thetimetrekker https://www.instagram.com/p/CDfEcUTBUnq/?igshid=ysufm3g0zymt

[jeilladventures-blog]

What is Laguna?

  Officially known as the Province of Laguna is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Laguna is notable as the birthplace of Jose Rizal, the country's national hero. It is also famous for attractions like Pagsanjan Falls, the University of the Philippines Los Baños campus, the hot spring resorts of Los Baños and Calamba on the slopes of Mount Makiling, Pila historic town plaza, Taytay Falls in Majayjay, the wood carvings and paper-mache created by the people of Paeté, the annual Sampaguita Festival in San Pedro, the turumba of Pakil, the tsinelas footwears from Liliw, the Pandan Festival of Luisiana, the Seven Lakes of San Pablo (the first city in the province), and the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery in Nagcarlan.

[pilalaguna]

Pila's Designated Historical Structures

[pilalaguna]

Pila's Old Basketball Court

Pila used to have a basketball court located in the town plaza in the 1970s that the youth of Pila would utilize. It is now no longer there.

[pilalaguna]

Easter Sunday in Pila, Laguna, 1975

Easter eggs used to be hidden in the town plaza for the ancestral family children. Pila's online museum curator is pictured as a child in the blue and white dress 4th from the left, top row.

[pilalaguna]

Cemeteries of Pila

Town Plaza, 1800s: Teodoro A. Reyes, a Pila descendant: The town plaza in the 1870s was used as a cemetery.

According to Cora Relova of the Pila Historical Society Foundation, “Our Pila ancestors later transferred the cemetery to another site.”

Cora Relova, Pila Historical Society Foundation: The front of the current (present-day) church of Pila used to be the location of the 1870s cemetery (before it was transferred). The old cemetery location is now the church parking lot.

"Lumang Cementerio" ("Old Cemetery") Old Pila Public Cemetery built in 1957: Bel Tomas Ranosa: The old Pila cemetery is now the location of the Villa Zorella Resort in Victoria. Former Pila Judge Ramiro "Lolo Judge" Relova and Corazon de Rivera and the Del Mundo family (Renato "Lolo Ato" and Marina Llamas de Mundo) and Pila ancestors used to be buried in the old cemetery and were later moved to the inside of the present-day Pila church.

Pila Memorial Park, 1986 Owned by Bernardo Relova Jr.

Pila Crypts:

Pila’s prominent ancestral families are interred inside the present-day Pila Church.

See Crypts of Pila

[pilalaguna]

More Links 2

Mystery of the Remains of Don Felizardo de Rivera

Cemeteries of Pila

Don Juan de Rivera

Don Felizardo de Rivera

Laguna Myths and Legends: Secret Tunnels

Bahay ni Tisa is not in Pila Laguna

A Pila Schoolgirl's Autograph Book

Corazon Rivera (1888-1979) and the Corazon Rivera Ancestral House

Pila Ancestral Photos 1: Rivera, Alava, Agra Families

Pila Church: Past and Present

Pila Family Tree 1

"Gitna": The Rivera and Relova Ancestral Houses in Pila, Laguna (in Tagalog)

Pila Family Stories: Rivera Family of Pila Laguna

Pila Ancestral Photos 2: Alava and Relova Families

Property Tax Rates in Pila, Laguna, Philippines in 1909

Pila Artifacts at the University of San Carlos Museum, Cebu City, Philippines

Puliran in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription is the Laguna de Bay by Jaime F. Tiongson

Pila, Laguna (c1610), one of the historic Eight Spanish Villas in the Philippines

Laguna Copperplate Inscription: A New Interpretation Using Early Tagalog Dictionaries by Jaime F. Tiongson

The Restoration of Pila by Elizabeth S. Timbol

Pila’s Ancient Jar Burials

Pila mentioned in Precolonial Tagalog Counting and Marking Time Research

Datu of Pila in Filipino Class Structure by William Henry Scott 

How to address a Datu of Pila 

The Practice of Manda

Ruins of Old Stairs

Pedro del Mundo Family History

Pila Laguna Trivia

Easter Sunday in Pila, Laguna, 1975

Pila Videos

Corazon Rivera Ancestral House: Furniture

Corazon Rivera Ancestral House: Furniture 2

Corazon Rivera Ancestral House: Garden

Life in the Corazon Rivera Ancestral House

The Spring Well of Pila

The Pila Marker

Pila Museum Restoration

A Pila Wedding

The Chinese in Pila

A Childhood Pic with my Grandfather, Judge Ramiro Relova

All Saints Day Ancestral Graves: Rivera, Relova, Alava Families

[pilalaguna]

Mystery of the remains of Don Felizardo de Rivera

Mystery of the remains of Don Felizardo de Rivera

The general consensus seems to be that the founder of present-day Pila, Don Felizardo de Rivera, was supposedly buried in the altar floor of the current (present-day) Pila church. But when the flooring of the altar was replaced sometime in the late 1900s, the grave marker was not replaced and was lost.

Don Felizardo died on October 13, 1810 at the age of 55. He asked that "he be robed in the Franciscan habit upon his death and that a funeral mass be celebrated with hin facing the altar of the newly-built church prior to his burial in the church crypt." His will (currently in the possession of the Rivera Family) was notarized by the town mayor at the time. Source: WHEN A TOWN HAS TO MOVE: HOW PILA (LAGUNA) TRANSFERRED TO ITS PRESENT SITE (1794-1811) Luciano P.R. Santiago Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, Vol. 11, No. 2/3 (June/September 1983), pp. 93-106 (14 pages) https://www.jstor.org/stable/29791789

The following sources have provided information on the possible location of the remains of Don Rivera:

Luis Carillo: "Don Felizardo de Rivera died in 1810. The present-day Pila church (which was transferred from its old location and being rebuilt at the time) was completed in 1849. He must have been originally buried in the old location in Victoria, Laguna (since the new church in Pila was still yet to be completed). "Because of his elevated status, he must have been buried within the (old) church grounds, then his bones must have been transferred to inside the (present-day Pila) church. What is unknown is whether his remains and those of his wife were (really) transfered. There is no grave marker inside our current church to identify (him)."

Raffy Alava: "My mom told me he was buried in front of out (present-day Pila) church together with the caruaje (horse-driven carriage). The problem is, there's no tombstone anywhere."

Cora Relova, Pila Historical Society Foundation:

Photos provided by Bel Tomas Ranosa

The altar of the present-day Pila church. Photo by Valerie Price

[pilalaguna]

"Bahay ni Tisa" is not in Pila, Laguna

This web site has incorrect information about Pila, Laguna. This is for informational purposes as we strive to keep Pila’s historical heritage as accurate as possible.

"Bahay na Tisa is located in Pila, Laguna" Incorrect. Bahay ni Tisa is located in Pasig.

It was declared an "important cultural property in Pasig, not Pila.

"Bahay na Tisa is a municipal heritage house in Pila, Laguna, Philippines." Incorrect. Only a few ancestral houses and the town plaza are a heritage site.

"It was built in the early 19th century by the first mayor of Pila, Don Marcos de Leon." Incorrect. No such mayor existed in Pila.

"The house has been the residence of the Enriquez- de Leon clan since the late 1800s. The house is currently under the care of the Enriquez family and is open to the public as a museum." Incorrect. Pila has no such museum.

"A highlight of the museum is the collection of antiques and artifacts that are attributed to the de Leon and Enriquez lineage. The only museum in Pila is the Pila Museum. Pila does not have a a de leon and Enriquez Lineage. The four families of Pila are Rivera, Relova, Agra, and Alava.

Bahay na Tisa has become an important landmark in Pila and in Laguna. According to the Pila Historical Society Foundation, there is no such landmark designation.

[pilalaguna]

More Articles and Links

What Early Tagalogs Worshipped

The Gold-Rich Datu of Pila and Philippine Gold Pila's Historical and Archeological Importance Ancient Tagalog Shamans: The Babaylan

The Relic of St. Anthony of Padua

Pila's Antique Statue of the Virgin Mary Pila's Antique Four-Poster Beds

Pila's Antique Statues: San Antonio de Padua

The Street Vendor

Pila Laguna History: A Summary

Pila Photos Medicines of the Lolas (Grandmothers)

Capiz Shell Windows

Pila in the 1980s The Pila Marker The Banga and Tapayan (Water Jug) Lizards in Pila: Tuko and Butiki

Polvoron

The Kawali

The Banig

Pila Memories: Kitchen Items The Bunot Sa Sahig: Coconut Husk Floor Buffer

Plantsang de Uling (Clothes Iron) Animals of Pila: Owls

Pila Convent

Campo, the Last Ancestral Land in Pila The Pila Arch Pila's Ancient Rituals Pila History: Some of the Oldest Houses in Pila 2

Pila's Antique Saints: Santisimo Niño Jesus Dormido

What is Pila, Laguna known for?

Pila: A Book and a Plaza

The Ancient Gold of Pila

Cora Relova: Life, Art and Architecture in Historic Pila

Walkabout in Pila, Laguna's Town Plaza Investigative Documentaries: Pila, Laguna: Progressiveness through preserved heritage How to maintain an Ancestral Home Cleaning a Pila Ancestral House Ceiling A Childhood in Pila, Laguna

Hungry for Laguna More Antiques of Pila: The Aparador

Common Childhood Memories of Pila Plants of Pila

Pila History: The American Era Part 2 The Crypts of Pila

Pila Memories: Basketball and Cotton Candy

The Ancestral Houses of Pila, Laguna

Heritage Town of Pila, Laguna

Antique Photos of Pila Town Mayors and Leaders Pila Historical Society Foundation History Poem for Pila Easter Sunday in Pila, 1970s Pila Architecture: Corazon Rivera House Holidays in Pila The Rivera Sisters of Pila, Laguna Facts about Pila, Laguna Huerta's Villa de Pila

Pila's Franciscan Printing Press History

How Burzagom Street got its Name Pila Memories: Holy Communion The Fuentes-Carillo House 1600s Document describing the Pila Choir Pila Memories: Holy Communion The Fuentes-Carillo House

Pila's Rio Nuevo The Angelus Pila, a Historical Landmark that withstood War, Time Judge Ramiro Relova Wedding Photo The Pila Pipe Organ Makahiya Memories Pileños in History: Cora Relova Pila Digital Historian: Lia S. Price More Old Images of the Pila Church Pila Ancestors Animals of Pila: The Cane Frog Pila's Heritage Keepers The Pila Population in 1818

The Pila Population in 1903 The Restoration of Pila

Pila's Spanish Colonial Town Planning System Inside a Pila Heritage House Vic Del Mundo, Pila's Floral Designer Ancestral Women of Pila: "Lola Doray" The Carrozza (Carriage) Foods of a Childhood Breakfast in Pila Pila's Old Basketball Court The Pila Symbol Pila's Designated Historical Structures Treasures of Pila

MORE ARTICLES AND LINKS 2

[pilalaguna]

Posts/Links

Introduction:

A Welcome Message from Dayang Lia

Intro: Ancient Royalty,  A Spanish Colony,  and Gold

Pila History: 900 AD - 1375

Pila History: How Pila got its name

Pila History: Pila in The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI)

Pila History: Datus, Dayangs, Lakans, and The Maginoo: The Ancient Nobility

Pila History: Status of Women in Prehispanic Pila

Pila History: The Maharlika, the Ancient Warrior Class

Weapons of the Early Tagalogs

Pila History: Baybayin: The Ancient Tagalog Language

Pila History: Pailah: Settlements, Trade, and the Land of Gold

Pila History: Ancient Pottery of Pila

Pila History: Pila at Pinagbayanan (First Location)

Pila History: Pila Crematorium

Pila History: Pagalangan, The Place of Reverence (Second Location of Pila)

Pila History: 1500s-1800s

Pila History: The Pila Encomienda and a Spanish Colony

Pila History: La Noble Villa de Pila, The Noble Town

Pila History: The Spanish Nobility of Pila

Pila History: The First Pila Church and Parish at Pagalangan

Animals in Pila History: Crocodiles

Pila History: Pila at Hacienda Santa Clara, the Third and Present Location

Pila History: The Pila Church Ruins at Pagalangan

Pila History: The Principalia of Pila

Pila History: Principalia Antique Photos

Pila History: Name Changes and the Claveria Decree of 1849

Pila History: The Pila Infirmary of the Franciscan Missionaries

Pila History: The Pila Church (2nd and Present Location) and The Shrine and Relic of Saint Anthony of Padua

Pila History: Pila Church Photos

Pila History: Pila’s Church Bells

Pila History: The Printing Press and the Tagalog Dictionary in Pila

Pila History: Pila’s Oldest Books

Pila History: 1900s

Pila History: Pila Historical Landmark Designation

Pila History: Why is Pila called Bayang Pinagpala?

Pila History: The American Era

Architecture

Pila History: Some of the Oldest Houses in Pila

Pila History: Old Houses and the Parts of Pila’s Houses

Pila History: Pila's Architectural Photos 1

Pila History: Pila's Architectural Photos 2

Pila History: Pila's Architectural Photos 3

Pila History: Pila's Architectural Photos 4

Pila History: The Street Names

Pila History: The Town Plaza

Pila History: The First Roads, Bridges, Sugar and Rice Mills

Pila History: The Pila Well

Pila History: The Pila Municipal Hall (“Municipio”)

Pila History: Sacred Heart Statue

Schools

Pila History: Credit Document for a Schoolteacher’s House Rental 1876

Pila History: The First School

Pila History: The Liceo de Pila

Pila History: The Pila Museum as an Early Catechism School

Transportation

Pila History: The Kalesa

Pila History: Early Cars

Clothing

Pila History: Clothing - What Women Wore

Pila History: Clothing - What Men Wore

Antiques

Pila History: Pila's Antique Saint: Santo Sepulcro

Pila History: Heirloom Saints of Pila

Pila History: The Pila Museum

Pila History: Pila Museum Photos

Pila History: Images of a Cedula

Language

Pila History: Pila’s Unique Language

Pila's Ancient Traditions:

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua (San Antonio de Padua)

Pila's Ancient Traditions: Dance and Music

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Holy Week

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: The Angelus and Mano Po

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: The Santacruzan

Pila's Ancient Traditions: About The Flores de Mayo

Pila's Ancient Traditions: The Flores de Mayo's Alay

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Flores de Mayo Photos Part 6

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Flores de Mayo Photos Part 5

Pila's Ancient Traditions: Flores de Mayo Photos Part 4

Pila's Ancient Traditions: Flores de Mayo (Flores de Maria) Photos Part 3

Pila's Ancient Traditions: Pila's Flores de Mayo Antique Photos Part 2

Pila's Ancient Traditions: Pila's Flores de Mayo Antique Photos Part 1

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Funerary Practices 1

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Funerary Practices 2

Pila’s Ancient Traditions: Herbolarios (Before there were Doctors)

Pileños in History:

Pileños in History: Dr. Luciano P. R. Santiago, Pila Historian

Pileños in History: First Pila Physician, Dr. Teodoro Alava Rivera

Pileños in History: Doña Mercedes Lina Rivera, Founder, Philippine Women's University

Pileños in History: Pila's First Woman Doctor, Carmencita Relova Rivera-Valenzuela

Pileños in History: Lorenzo Relova, Associate Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court

Pileños in History: Regino Díaz Relova, Philippine Revolution Lieutenant-Colonel

Pilenos in History: Pila’s First Dentist

Pileños in History: Pila’s Municipal Town Hall Architect and First Architect of Pila

Pilenos in History: Judge Ramiro Relova

Pilenos in History: The Medical Professionals of Pila (Medical and Dental Professionals)

Pilenos in History: The First Female Dentists of Pila

Pileños in History: Pila’s First Lawyer, Jose Diaz Relova

Pileños in History: Longest Serving Mayor: Querubin Relova

Pileños in History: Pila's First Nun and Priest, Sister Consuelo Relova OSB and Rev. Fr. Father Felix del Rio Codera

Pileños in History: Pila's Longest-Serving Parish Priest, Father Radovan

Pileños in History: Cardinal Vidal

Pileños in History: List of Town Mayors

Pileños in History: Prominent Relovas

Pileños in History: The Four Prominent Families of Pila

Pila Memories:

Pila Memories: Pila’s Food and Desserts

Pila Memories: Toys and Games Pila kids used to play with

Pila Memories: Aling Maring

Pila Legends:

Pila Legends: Mythological Stories our Elders told us

Pila Legends: The Rivera Family and their Legend

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[pilalaguna]

The Pila Church (2nd and Present Location) and The Shrine and Relic of Saint Anthony of Padua

The Present Pila Church:

Photo Credits

The parish of the old Pila church from Pagalangan and the new one rebuilt on Nuevo Pila are a combined 400 years old. The present-day Pila church is 200 years old. It was moved from its original site near the Laguna de Bay, rebuilt stone by stone by Don Felizardo de Rivera at its present-day Pila site, and completed in 1869.

In the 18th century, due to flooding from its original location near the Laguna de Bay, the original town of Pila and its Church needed to be located to higher ground. So the Riveras planned to move it, just like their ancestor the Datu of Pila, Datu Maguinto, did in the 13th century.

However, a long, heated and controversial dispute rose between two prominent families at the time: The Riveras and the Relovas ("Pros" and "Antis". Don Regino Relova y San Antonio wanted the relocation on his land. Don Felizardo Rivera insisted that the town and church be moved to his hacienda in Sta. Clara.

Don Felizardo won after a long battle (starting October 14, 1794 and ending on July 13, 1803) after made an agreement with the parish priest: If the church was relocated to his estate, he pledged "the spiritual and material support of the Riveras to the church of St. Anthony in perpetuum up to the last of their line." The parish priest agreed

Don Felizardo donated his lands to the church and to the municipal government but he also retained ownership of the lots surrounding what was to be the town plaza. He became the architect of the town's design, following Spanish colonial layout. He even built a kiln for manufacturing bricks and tiles for rebuilding the church, which was "transferred stone by stone" from its old location.

Santiago, Luciano P.R. “When a Town has to move: How Pila (Laguna) transferred to its present site (1794-1811).” Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, vol. 11, no. 2/3, 1983, pp. 93-106, JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/29791789

Santiago, Luciano P.R. “Ancient Pila: From Pailah in Pinagbayanan to Pagalangan.” Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, vol. 38, no. 1, 2010, pp. 1–36. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/29792692

(Santiago, Ancient Pila, pgs 25, 26)

The 18th-century Church of Pila, or the the San Antonio de Padua Parish Church, is a church in Pila, Laguna, Philippines dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua.

The church has a three-level facade with classical Doric columns. At the pediment of the church is a niche with Saint Anthony's statue. The windows of the choir loft are at the second level. Niches for the statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are at the lowest level. The semicircular arched doorway has the Franciscan seal on top. On the right side of the church is the convent, which is now used as a school building for the Liceo de Pila High School. A square-based octagonal bell tower is on the left side of the church.

Photo Credits

Photo Credits

The church complex is now part of the Pila Historic Town Center along with the town center of Pila and 35 old houses and buildings which were proclaimed as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute (NHI)) on May 17, 2000, by NHI Resolution no. 2, series of 2000.

From Pila Church on Wikipedia

Photo Credits

The old altar of the Pila Church. Photo from the Pila Family Archives.

Original Pila Church interior, (possibly 1940s). Image from the Pila Family Archives

Pila church in "Nuevo Pila" after it was moved from Pagalangan: 1901, 1922, 1977, and present. Images from Rivera Family Archives.

National Shrine of San Antonio de Padua:

In recognition of its unique combination of secular and religious history, Pila is presently the only town in the Philippines that has been formally declared by both the state and the church as the (Diocesan) National Shrine of Saint Anthony of Padua." (Santiago, Ancient Pila, pgs 25, 26).

The church was elevated to a national shrine for Saint Anthony of Padua in 2019.

Antique Statue of Saint Anthony of Padua. Photo Credits

The church contains a relic of Saint Anthony of Padua, a piece of cloth. Photos by Michael R. Price.

Photo from Bel Tomas Ranosa

Links:

Laguna church gets affinity bond with Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua in Italy

San Antonio de Padua Church in Pila becomes National Shrine

Pope urges new Philippine shrine be center of missionary outreach

[pilalaguna]

What is Pila Laguna known for?

From: Google Search: What is Pila Laguna known for?

“The National Historical Institute of the Philippines (now National Historical Commission of the Philippines) declared the town plaza and surrounding ancestral houses a National Historical Landmark on May 17, 2000, by NHI Resolution no. 2, series of 2002. It cited Pila as an early pre-Hispanic center of culture and trade in Laguna known as La Noble Villa de Pila and has been recognized as one of the country's more important archeological sites where clay potteries were discovered in excavations made in Pinagbayanan in 1967.”

Source: wikipedia

[pilalaguna]

Pila Historical Landmark Designation

Pila is now a national historical landmark by The National Historical Commission of the Philippines, protected by a Heritage Bill. The preservation was led by Don Felizardo de Rivera’s direct descendants, Cora Relova and Monina Rivera, the founders of the Pila Historical Society Foundation. The declaration was formalized on site with a marker in Pila and attended by former Philippine President Fidel Ramos.

National Historical Institute Mandate/Presidential Decree

Proclaimed as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute (NHI)) on May 17, 2000, by NHI Resolution no. 2, series of 2000.

2010: Philippine Cultural Heritage Act passed into law, giving protections to all cultural heritage properties. In Luzon, a notable heritage town is Pila, Laguna.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Designated Historic Sites:

The San Antonio de Padua church and church complex

Town Center of Pila

35 Heritage houses and buildings

Pila Town Plaza. Photo by Michael R. Price

Pg 20, Santiago, Luciano P.R. “THE ROOTS OF PILA, LAGUNA: A SECULAR AND SPIRITUAL HISTORY OF THE TOWN (900 AD TO THE PRESENT).” Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, vol. 25, no. 3/4, 1997, pp. 125–155. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/29792218.

Photo Credits: Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Pila Municipal Hall. Photo from the Pila Family Archives.

Corazon Rivera Heritage House. Photo Credits.

Teodoro Rivera Alava/Soledad Agra Heritage House

Map of Historic Structures

Pila Historical Society Foundation:

The Pila Historical Society Foundation Inc. was organized in 1993 by a group of concerned citizens with the objective of preserving the town’s heritage, cultural, environmental and historical landmarks.

The Foundation was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 10, 1993 as non-governmental organization (NGO). On December 27, 1993, it was accredited by Pila’s Sangguniang Bayan (SB) and appointed as the caretaker of the town plaza.

Using funds raised and provided by the Foundation, and with the cooperation of the late Mayor Querubin Relova and the Sangguniang Bayan, the Foundation undertook the demolition or relocation of structures that detracted from the plaza’s historical relevance. A portion of the old school building was also repaired to house the artifacts retrieved from the Pinagbayanan excavations of the 1960s.

Then, with additional funds solicited from Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a new pathway was built around the plaza. Subsequently, development continued with funds approved by then Governor Lina for the construction of the Pila arch and installation of lights and benches at the park.

Pila Arch. Image from Pila Family Archives.

More recently, Senator Biazon granted new funds to enable the rehabilitation of the plaza’s old water fountain.

Pila's Antique Fountain. Photo by Michael R. Price.

The Foundation is proud that its efforts in researching and documenting Pila’s culture and history, and has played a major role in securing the declaration of the town as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute (May 17, 2000).

Update: 5/12/21: From Raffy Alava Antonio, Pila Committee Chairman on Culture and Tourism, great-great-great grandson of Don Felizardo de Rivera: An ordinance was recently passed naming the town plaza of Pila "Felizardo de Rivera Plaza". The ordinance is for the recognition and legacy he has given the town.

References:

(“The Roots of Pila, Laguna: A Secular and Spiritual History of the Town, 900 AD to the Present”, by Luciano P.R. Santiago, Filipino writer and historian, published in the Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, Vol. 25, No. 3/4, Special Issue, Local Histories, September/December 1997, published by the University of San Carlos Publications. jstor.org/stable/29792218).

Pila, Laguna on wikipedia