Candaba church: a school, a refuge and a mission
Candaba's 1575 parish was once a grammar school and, during the British occupation, a refuge for Manila's friar students.
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Discover Pampanga Editors · October 2026
Photo: Ramon FVelasquez on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons
Candaba's parish of San Andres Apostol was founded on May 3, 1575, and was first attached to the Augustinian convent of Calumpit in Bulacan.
A school
For a time the church housed an Estudio de Gramatica, a school of grammar, before it was assigned to the convent of Lubao.
A refuge
In 1762, when British forces occupied Manila, philosophy students from the San Agustin monastery in Manila found refuge here.
A mission base
Candaba was the Augustinians' missionary centre for bringing the faith to Arayat and Santa Ana. Its patron, Saint Andrew, still draws the town together every November 30 for the Feast of San Andres.
Visit the San Andres Apostol Parish Church on the Candaba-San Miguel Road.
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More in Candaba
Community
The Candaba wetlands, a working landscape
Birds, rice and fish share Candaba's wetlands. Why conservation here starts with the farmers.
© Elmer Centeno Guevarra on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SAFood
Cang Daba: how buro may have named Candaba
Was Candaba named after a place called Candawe, or after the big jars of fermented fish its people sold? Two stories.
Things to do nearby
Nature
Birdwatching in the Candaba Swamp
See migratory birds in the Candaba wetlands from November to February, best in the early morning; the sanctuary floods in the rainy months.
Attractions
Candaba Public Market
Market for Candaba's freshwater fish, prawns, lotus stalks, buro and salted duck eggs, with fried quail in the afternoon.
Attractions
Spanish-era house at Holy Family Child Formation Center, Candaba
Large Spanish colonial residence inside a school compound in Buas, visible from the Candaba-Santa Ana Road.
Where to stay nearby
Family Stays
Lola Corazon Leisure Farm
Agritourism resort on the San Luis-Baliwag Road in Barangay Talang, Candaba.
Family Stays
The Great GIGATT Resort and Leisure Park
Resort in Barangay Pasig, Candaba, with overnight rooms, swimming pools, gardens and an aviary.