Vatican elevates 412-year-old Malabon church into minor basilica

MANILA, Philippines — The Vatican has elevated a 412-year-old church in Malabon as a minor basilica, the first in the Diocese of Kalookan to receive the designation.

According to the Kalookan Diocese, it received the formal decree dated Sept. 29 from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

The decree granted the diocese’s petition, which was endorsed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Founded by Augustinian missionaries in 1614, the San Bartolome parish church is the oldest in the diocese.

Its early history is partly undocumented, but historical accounts describe repeated destruction caused by natural calamities and other misfortunes. A more durable church structure was completed in 1813, while the year 1861 appears above the church’s main entrance.

The church suffered extensive damage during the Philippine Revolution in 1898, when its eastern portion was burned and many valuables were either stolen or destroyed. Five altars and a removable silver altar were among the few items that survived, according to the parish profile.

In August 2022, the National Museum of the Philippines declared San Bartolome an Important Cultural Property, recognizing its historical and cultural significance.