Saint Joseph Parish in Bailen, Cavite

Located at the heart of this small town is a church dedicated under the patronage of Saint Joseph. It is very interesting to note that Bailen was once a Catholic parish before it became an independent municipality. It was founded by virtue of a decree issued on August 28, 1857 by Archbishop Fray Aranguren, OSA, of the Archdiocese of Manila. This separated the Barrios of Batas and Guyong-guyong from the town of Maragondon, naming the new Parish Bailen (coined from the Spanish word “bailar”, meaning “to dance”). However, pointing out the difficulty of the inhabitants in going to and from the town of Maragondon to transact Civil and Religious matters, especially during rainy season, a group of 45 prominent citizens of Barrio Batas address a petition to Spanish Governor General Fernando Norzagaray (1857-1860) to convert the barrio into a municipality.

The parish of Bailen (Saint Joseph Pairsh) is situated in front of the plaza and just few walks away from the municipal hall. It was built in 1858 which makes it 163 old this year. The church recently underwent major restoration changing its former green facade to a brick-patterned one.