Dupax Church

St Vincent Ferrer at Dupax was built by Dominicans in the late eighteenth century, a heavy brick church in the earthquake baroque manner - thick walls, deep buttresses, a low broad profile designed to ride out the tremors that regularly shake this part of Luzon - with a squat bell tower and a plain facade whose interest is in the brickwork rather than any carving. It was declared a National Cultural Treasure. What makes the setting memorable is the approach: a row of very large acacia trees, planted long ago, lines the way to the church and throws deep shade over the forecourt, so the building sits in green rather than in the bare plaza most colonial churches occupy. Nueva Vizcaya is a valley province most travellers pass through on the way between Manila and the Cagayan Valley or the Cordillera, and Dupax is one of the few reasons to stop.

History

Dupax began as a Dominican mission to the Isinay people around 1602; the missions passed to the Augustinians in 1704 for lack of priests and returned to the Dominicans by 1740. The 18th-century church complex was declared a National Cultural Treasure in July 2001 (Wikipedia, Saint Vincent Ferrer Church (Dupax del Sur)).

The main sights

• The brick church - thick-walled earthquake baroque construction.
• The acacia avenue - old trees shading the approach.
• The squat bell tower - the low tower beside the nave.
• The plain interior - simple, in keeping with the exterior.

When to go

November to May for dry travel. Weekday mornings are quiet; the acacias make midday bearable here in a way it is not at most churches.

Good to know

It is a working parish with services. There is minimal interpretation on site and few facilities in town. Dupax is a detour off the main valley highway.

Nearby

Bayombong and the Nueva Vizcaya valley towns are north; the Capisaan cave system is in the same province.

Key facts