via Manila Bulletin, 14 December 2020: Another restored church – this time a National Cultural Treasure – is handed back to the local authorities.
The National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) formally transferred on Sunday the newly restored complex of the Church of St. William of Aquitaine, also known as Magsingal Church, to the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia in Ilocos Sur.
Declared as a National Cultural Treasure in 2001, the Magsingal Church Complex includes the ruined walls and bell tower of the former Parish Church of San Guillermo de Aquitania which was built in the 18th century under the Augustinians, a school, the present church, and the old convent, now the Magsingal Museum.
“Magsingal is one of the great churches in the Philippines. Its National Cultural Treasure status is beyond question given its high degree of authenticity, aesthetic significance, wonderful retablo, and the whole heritage of faith in the Parish and throughout the Archdiocese in the Ilocos Region,” NMP Director-General Jeremy Barns said.
