Now a declared national shrine in the Philippines , Barasoain Church, located at the heart of Malolos' crowning glory, is historically significant that it can be seen in the reverse side of the 10 Philippine peso bill.

It was in Barasoain Church where important episodes in the country’s political history came about: the convening of the First Philippine Congress on Sept. 15, 1898; the drafting of the Malolos Constitution, from Sept. 29, 1898 to Jan. 21, 1899; and the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic on Jan. 23, 1899, making Malolos its national capital.

Built from 1871-1878, a stone church was constructed to replace an earlier one made of wood. A plaque at the church’s facade tells us that the original Barasoain church was destroyed by fire in 1884, after which the building underwent several renovations. Beginning 1885, the Augustinian Jian Giron contracted the services of a builder known only as Magpayo, who rebuilt the church from its foundations using variations of a circular motif.

The church was restored to its original splendor for the Philippine Centennial celebration in 1998. It is said that the way the church looks today is exactly how it looked during the time of the revolution.

Beside the church is the Malolos Convent, now converted into a museum. This served as Emilio Aguinaldo’s residence when he was president. It was also in this convent where the “Universidad Literaria Cientifica de Filipinas” (Literary and Scientific University of the Philippines) was first housed – a project of the revolutionary Malolos government which had existed for one year in 1898 to 1899. Historians traced the founding of the University of the Philippines (UP) not to the American colonialists who had chartered the University in 1908, but to the Universidad Literaria Cientifica de Filipinas.

The church convent now houses both Ecclesiastical Museum and the History Museum, dedicated to the great events that took place in the church. It showcases a collection of municipal antiques and priceless array of artifacts, under the management of the National Historical Institute. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, except on holidays, 8:00am, to 5:00pm. Admission is free.

Among the highlights of the Barasoain Museum is a dramatized audio-visual presentation that recalls important events in Philippine history starting from the declaration of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1896, then the great events that took place in the Barasoain church, the Quezon era, the Japanese Occupation, the Liberation period, the inauguration of the present Philippine Republic and the People Power. This 17-minute light-and-sound is a great an introduction for visitors in understanding the history of Malolos and the country’s struggle for independence.

You may wonder where the name “Barasoain” came from. The term was rooted from the Filipino word, “baras ng suwail,” which means “dungeon of the defiant” in English. The Barasoain Church is believed to be the place where anti-Spaniard Filipinos gathered together, even before the revolution. It is also believed that the term was taken from the name of a well-known church at Navarra, Spain. Some Spanish priests and missionaries had gone there and saw a very beautiful church, so they decided to give the same name to the one that they built in Malolos.