The town’s present one-nave church replaced a wooden church built, from 1835 to 1844, by Fr. Joaquin Perez but burned in 1862. Fr. Manuel Alvarez de Manzano laid the church’s new 6 yard thick and 6 yard deep foundation.  The construction of the church was continued by Fr. Suarez until 1875. By 1880, the façade was completed and the church was finished by Fr. Vicente Iztequi.  The church was damaged during the July 16, 1990 earthquake.

Church of St. Raymond of Penafort

Formerly the largest in the country, this church has a simple Early Renaissance sandstone facade with a low pediment and upper and lower levels separated by dentil-like elements.  Niches, windows, and the doorway relieve the monotony of the simple facade. The walls used finely hewn and squared ashlar stones hewn from the stone quarries along the mountain rangesof Malabobo, located 8 kms. from the town. The church measures 82.40 m. long and 16 m. wide while the transept is 51.70 m. long and 15.40 m. wide. The sidewalls measure 2.5 yards wide while the façade and the back walls are 3.5 yards wide.

The church’s simple Early Renaissance sandstone facade

Fr. Manzano also began constructing the two bell towers and was continued by his successors, including Fr. Iztequi, but the towers were never completed, reaching only 6 m. high and remains so up to this day.  Fr. Perez built the 45 yard long and 20 yard wide brick convent in 1847 but this was also burned in 1862.  The present convent was built, on the same foundation of the former, by Fr. Iztequil from 1875 to 1886.

The church’s interior

How to Get There: Mangatarem is located 177 kms. from Manila and 23 kms. south of Lingayen.