Baras
San Jose Parish
The mission of Baras was established in 1595 under the title of Santiago at a site north of Morong and south of Bosoboso. The Franciscans ceded the mission to the Jesuits in 1616 but after a fire in 1635, the Jesuits decided to transfer the town to a site called Ibayo. They built a new church of bamboo and nipa dedicated to Christ the Savior. In 1679, the spiritual care of Baras reverted to the Franciscans who transferred the town to its present site in 1682. The church was built from 1682-86.
The church was renovated in the late 1960s.
Heritage Features: Church, presently located off the main highway, is approached through a side road which opens to a wide but narrow plaza, enclosed by a low wall. The church stands on a low mound approached by a flight of steps. The convento built around an atrium stands beside the church. Typical of the 17th-century Franciscan mission church, Baras is dark, simple; sparse; its severe facade made even more so by the dark adobe blocks of which the church is made. The interior is well preserved. Windows are limited to the facade and one side of the church. The sanctuary is divided from the nave by an arch.The main altar is clearly divided into stories. Both the main altar and the two side altars are in the plateresco style.
During a renovation in the 1960s, the church ceiling was removed exposing the rough wood beams supporting the ceiling; also a huge stone altar was found beneath the sanctuary during renovation. It now serves as the church altar. Tiles used for the restoration of the floor came from ruined structures in Intramuros.
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