Dedicated to Saint James the Elder, and being the seat of the Bangued Diocese,[1] the church is the heart of Catholic spiritual life in the province of Abra.

The said garrison was meant to protect the Spanish missionaries, who at the time aimed to Christianize the natives and locate the goldmines, from headhunters that pillage the community frequently.

In 1861, Bangued was formally inaugurated as a municipality and was proclaimed the capital town of Abra on July 25, the feast day of Saint James the Elder, in 1863.

[2][3][4] Below is what's written on a marker in front of the cathedral: "On April 5, 1617, Bangued was created a ministry by the Augustinian friars under the Diocese of Nueva Segovia.

During World War II, on March 10, 1945, American warplanes bombed the church and the adjoining Colegio del Sagrado Corazon then used as military hospital by Japanese forces.