[3] The Augustinians founded the town of Bacarra on September 18, 1590, and began their missionary activity on land owned by a chieftain the Spaniards named Castillo and a certain Andres Hermosa.

[5] The church and an adjoining convent were established in 1593[2] on the site where an Igorot named Bacsalandoc, first settler of the town and chieftain, had erected his hut.

[2][6] In 1973 President Ferdinand Marcos declared the church a National Cultural Treasure through Presidential Decree No.

[8] The original bell tower, which is detached from the main church building and made of coral bricks, was erected in 1828.

[9] A mysterious underground staircase leading to three tunnels – believed to be connected to the Bacarra river, the church tower, and the altar – was uncovered at the back of the old convent.