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Samal Church

Roman Catholic parish church in Samal, Bataan, Philippines

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 8, 2026
Entity authorityQ55753162
Source-derived summary

Saint Catherine of Siena Parish Church, commonly known as Samal Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Samal, Bataan, Philippines. The church is dedicated to the Italian saint Catherine of Siena. The Dominicans constructed the first church in 1596. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga.

From June 5, 2023 to December 26, 2025, Fr. Josue V. Enero was assigned as Rector and Parish Priest of the church until his death. Rufino Sescon, Bishop of Balanga, appointed Alwin B. Bobis as parish priest (originally as parish administrator) on January 19, 2026.

History

The Dominicans in 1596 directed the spirituality of Samal. Attacked by Dutch invaders in April 1647, the local garrison of Pampanga under Alejo Aguas ousted the Dutch forces. Rev.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Samal Church” as roman Catholic parish church in Samal, Bataan, Philippines. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Samal, Church and Roman.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1596, 2023, 2025, 2026—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1596. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Samal, Church and Roman providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Samal Church”, the useful work is to connect “roman Catholic parish church in Samal, Bataan, Philippines” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q55753162. Authority coordinates are 14.770, 120.542. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1596, 2023, 2025 and 2026.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Samal Church”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Samal Church primary sources, Samal Church archive and Samal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Samal Church”?
  2. Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Samal Church” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.