Church complex—The present church’s bell tower is attributed by
Redondo to a secular Don Leonardo Celis-Díaz, a native of Cebu. The building of
the church fabric itself is disputed. Did Celis-Díaz build it or did he merely
repair an older structure left by the Jesuits? Oral lore claims that the church
and the ruined convento behind it are from the Jesuits; but Repetti reports
otherwise. Certainly, there must have been some permanent structures when
Hilongos became a residence.
It is quite clear that the church complex
underwent major renovations over the centuries. The original church, now
incorporated as a transept, was a single-nave structure whose main door was
also the gate to a bastioned fortification. Some bastions and walls of that
fortification still remain. The main nave of the church is a modern
construction, and the bell tower build by Fr. Celis-Diaz is an independent
multi story structure, now plastered over with Portland cement.
The
church interior is completely new in contrast to the convento which may have
been completed in the 19th century. The convento guards many of the church’s
antiques including silver vessels from the 18th century.
