SAN JOSE, Antique – The Baroque-style stone church in the middle of a cemetery in the municipality of Hamtic is now a historical landmark and an important cultural property in Antique.
The Provincial Board, during its regular session on Thursday, approved on final reading Ordinance 2021-266 declaring the old church as a provincial historical landmark and important cultural property.
According to Board Member Errol Santillan, chairman of the committee on history and cultural heritage, the landmark is called Hamtic Cemetery Church due to its location.
The cemetery is just about a kilometer away from the town proper.
His next step, Santillan said, is to request funds from the National Historical Institute (NHI), National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), National Museum, and National Historical Commission (NHC) for the church’s restoration.
“If the stone church is restored, it could raise the prominence of Antique as having one of the earliest religious edifices in the country erected during the Spanish period,” he said.
The stone church, still intact despite its old age, dates back between years 1565 to 1733, Santillan added.
The materials used to build the church were coral stones, adobe and bricks. (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay, PNA/PN)
