Considered as one of the oldest churches in the country, the Sta. Catalina Parish Church is located at the heart of the town of Bagac, Bataan. According to historical records, it was built by the Franciscan Fathers in the 1600's. It conform the Spanish tradition of building the church at the central plaza to further the spread of authority through Christianity. The structure is not magnificent enough to be compared to other baroque churches in the Philippines. It is simple with just a few ornaments. Initially, the church has an L-shaped design but recent renovations changed it to a cross or T-shaped one. The facade of the structure has also been renovated but was patterned from the original. Equilateral arches are used to house the big windows and the main entrance door, while Doric columns supported the lintel and roof of the facade. Two odd shaped bowls, instead of gargoyles are placed on the roof sides for decoration. The bell tower, attached to the right side of the facade is divided into three floors ornamented with old style cement banisters. White and gray are the choice of colors for the exterior face, while mosaic stone walls are for the sides of the church.
Because of the renovations, the exterior of the church lost its antiquity which made it less appealing compared to other old churches in the country. The only features of the structure that are preserved are the coral stone walls on the sides and the antique ceramic tiles on the floor. The interior embellishments of the church are mostly new like the mosaics of angels on the altar and the murals of Jesus Christ on the walls of the two side wings. To facilitate flow of form, equilateral arches painted with gold linings are once again used and this time to house the antique images of saints. One can say just by looking at the images that they are well preserved and are still in perfect condition. The clothing of the town's patron saint "Apo Ina" looks extravagant as well as those of Virgin Mary's. According to the church secretary, the clothes of the images are mostly donations from the rich families of the town amounting to at least 20,000 pesos each. The retablo is not exaggerated like the typical ones from old churches but is as appealing too. Glass stained windows and antique wooden sculptures of the Stations of the Cross ornamented the walls of the church.
The reason behind the simple architectural design of the building is that it was created by a society of underprivileged fishermen and farmers. Aesthetics during those times were not given great importance by the locals. Compared to other structures in the town plaza, the church is quite huge but still looks very inviting because of its many entrances. The size of the main door of the facade is the same for all the doors of the church, while big stained glass windows that can be opened outward surrounded the structure. Natural ambiance can be felt from the light and air entering the huge windows and doors as the well as from the view of the earthy colors of the interior murals.
