A relic of Saint Peter in Apalit
In 2017 Apalit's parish received a fragment of Saint Peter's bones, adding to a church already rich in history.
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Discover Pampanga Editors · October 2026
Photo: Ralff Nestor Nacor on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons
On July 22, 2017, a small fragment of bone believed to be from Saint Peter the Apostle was enthroned at the parish church of Apalit, the town that has had Peter as its patron since 1597.
Centuries of building
The parish separated from Calumpit in 1597, with Fr. Pedro de Vergara as its first priest. A church and convento were begun in the 1640s. A larger church of stone and brick was attempted in the 1850s, but an earthquake destroyed the church in 1863.
In January 1876 Fr. Antonio Redondo laid new foundations to the plans of Ramon Hermosa. The church was finished in 1883 and reconsecrated at that year's fiesta, and its two towers were added in 1896, partly to strengthen the structure. A marker was installed by the Philippines Historical Committee in 1939.
What to look for
Inside the San Pedro Apostol Parish Church, look up at the trompe l'oeil ceilings, painted by Marcelino Serrano under the Italian painter Cesare Alberoni, and the cupola's scenes of the Apocalypse. Six bells hang in the towers, five from the Hilario Sunico foundry.
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History
Sulipan, the old high society barrio of Apalit
How a riverside barrio of Apalit hosted business, politics and even a Russian grand duke in the late 1800s.
Community
Apung Iru: Apalit's saint who travels by river
Since 1844, Apalit has carried its ivory-faced Saint Peter down the Pampanga River every June. A look at the libad.
Things to do nearby
Attractions
Arnedo House, Sulipan
Nineteenth-century mansion of the Arnedo family in Sulipan, where a Russian grand duke stayed and Rizal is said to have dined.
© Judgefloro on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SAAttractions
San Pedro Apostol Parish Church, Apalit
Apalit's 1883 neo-Renaissance church of Saint Peter, with trompe l'oeil ceilings and a relic of the apostle enthroned in 2017.
Where to eat nearby
Food Trips
Apalit Gastropark
Food park in Apalit with stalls of different cuisines and live music on weekends, reported as the first in Pampanga's fourth district.