Visiting San Vincente Ferrer Church - National Cultural Treasure

Municipality of Dupax Del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya

January 1, 2024

It was New Year Day, January 1, 2024. We decided to do a heritage trip to a nearby Province down south in Nueva Vizcaya.

San Vicente Ferrer Church and Convent

Nueva Vizcaya is the gateway to Cagayan Valley, the first Province coming from Central Luzon. Nueva Vizcaya proudly holds the title of the Citrus Capital of the Philippines, thanks to its bountiful selection of fresh citrus fruits, ranging from ponkans and oranges to honeydew and pomelo.

Durian Fruit

 

Fruit Stand

Kasibu, a town within Nueva Vizcaya renowned for its citrus agriculture, is home to sprawling citrus farms and orchards. Never did I expect to find Durian and Marang in this Province until I have tried tasting both fruits in Aritao.

Dupax Del Sur

From our home town, we travelled onboard our L300 van a hundred kilometers to the Municipality of Dupax Del Sur where San Vicente Ferrer church and convent is Located.

The San Vicente Ferrer Parish Church (Filipino: Simbahan ng Parokya ni San Vicente Ferrer; Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de San Vicente Ferrer), commonly referred to as Dupax Church or Dupax del Sur Church, is an 18th-century Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. Dopaj, Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. The parish church, under the advocation of Saint Vincent Ferrer, is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bayombong. The church complex has been declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines in July 2001.

It was a two and a half drive down south passing by lush green and scenic landscapes along the Municipalities of Cordon, Diadi, Bagabag, Solano, Bayombong and Bambang. We reached Dupax Del Sur around 1600H and the church and convent was closed. We parked inside the convent courtyard and had a picnic. 

The church is considered a National Cultural Treasure. Unlike those in the Ilocos Provinces, it may not be a World Heritage Site but nevertheless, we marveled at its baroque architecture very thankful of the very peaceful surroundings. It was a an excellent way to start the year - visiting a place of worship and a Cultural Treasure at the same time and enjoying the serenity of the lush green landscapes along the way.

Concluded our road trip with a taste of Bagabag Buko Pie.

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