SILANG, Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria

The traditional origins of the town are attributed to ten Bornean datus who sailed northward on board balangays and ended in Silang through Taal Lake. Its first settlers were Gat Hingiw, his wife Gat Kaliwanag, and their seven children, who later moved to different parts of the town and established their respective barangays. Gat Pandan stayed in the original community and developed the area.
During the start of the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, tracts of land were given by the King of Spain to the conquistadores and their descendants, who collected tributes from the people residing in their acquired lands. Silang originally belonged to the encomienda (land grant) of Diego Jorge de Villalobos; his claim extended to what is today the towns of Carmona, Amadeo, Indang, Alfonso, General Trias, and Tanza.[5] For many years, Silang was one of the biggest towns, by the 20th century its land area was reduced to its current size, as some of its former villages later became independent towns. Indang was the first to be granted town status in 1655. By the 19th century, the town lost land to the towns of Carmona and Amadeo, and by 1938, the town's southern lands were ceded to become part of the city of Tagaytay.
The Silang encomienda was later purchased from King Ferdinand VI of Spain for 2,000 pesetas on March 9, 1746, to prevent it from becoming a "friar land" like the other towns of Cavite, executed through the representation of Bernabe Javier Manahan and Gervacio dela Cruz.
𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗚
The Franciscans started evangelizing Silang in 1585 with the permission of Fr. Cristobal de Salvatierra. After ten years, the parish was established on February 3, 1595. They built a small chapel made of light materials under the patronage of St. Diego of Alcalá and a small school and took charge of Silang until 1611. Due to the request of an encomendero (grantee of an encomienda), Capt. Diego Jorge de Villalobos to the rector of the Society of Jesus in Manila, the Jesuits were assigned to Silang in May 1599.[4][5] The first Jesuits in town was Fr. Diego Sanchez and Fr. Diego de Santiago. The first two Jesuits were followed by Fr. Luis Gomez, Fr. Francisco Almerici, Fr. Pedro Chirino, and Fr. Leonardo Scelsi. The church and school built by the Franciscans was destroyed by fire on August 30, 1603. With a new order of priests to administer, the church and school previously built by the Franciscans were transferred in a new location and made even larger. The stone church was built from 1637 to 1639 under the auspices of Fr. Juan de Salazar and was dedicated to the Nuestra Senora de Candelaria in 1640. When the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish colonies, the parish was taken over by the secular clergy in 1788, the Augustinian Recollects in 1849, back to the secular clergy in 1868, Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) in 1910, seculars in 1913, Columbans in 1936 and is now administered by the secular clergy since 1978.
The retablos of Silang falls under the baroque style and is built from 1643 to 1663. It has three retablo, one retablo mayor or main altar and two side altars or colaterales in each side of the transepts which are mirror images of each other.[7] The side altars have three levels containing relieves except for the central niche of the second story. The first and second level has three niches while the third level has a single niche.[7] Fluted ionic columns and corinthian columns designed the first story and the second and third stories respectively.[7] On top of the altars are statues of angels holding shields. One of the side altar is dedicated to women saints, saints in the New Testaments and martyrs. The other one was dedicated to the Jesuit saints. The presence of local styles such as plants, fruits, volutes or circular designs and millipedes made the retablo of Silang distinct.
The altar mayor is the largest and highest altar among the three altars and known relieves depicting the story of Jesus in the life of Mary based on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary. It has three levels, seven alternating niches for saints and relief and same divisions like the side altars. Instead of fluted Corinthian column separating the retablo sections, garlanded Corinthians and salomonicas are used. The same local styles are also used in the main altar like fruits and flowers including decorative motifs of foliage, angel heads, acanthus crenellations, cartouches and empty rectangle.