Hermosa, Bataan Etymology

Feb 15
3 min read

The place was a wilderness – wild flowers here and there, verdant hills beyond, a brook of sparkling water, open spaces filled with trees laden with fruits, guavas, lomboy, susong kalabaw, aratiles, black berries, bignay, alupag, haluloy, and others. In this setting were some pretty maidens with long, black hair washing clothes and bathing in the brook.

That was when a group of Spaniards first came to this place. Surprised, amazed, they exclaimed, “Qué Hermosa! Qué Hermosa!“ The boys who accompanied their sisters repeated what they heard from the Spaniards. Returning to their parents’ home, they repeated again and again what the Spaniards exclaimed. When the next batch of Spaniards visited the place, they asked for the name of the place. The folks who didn’t understand Spanish answered “Hermosa, Hermosa,” and that was how Hermosa got its name.

Another version of this tale with the same setting was that the Spaniards said, “Las Mujeres son muy Hermosas “.Another Spaniard encountered “Esta llana, es muy Hermosa.” The brothers of the maidens who were then pasturing carabaos exclaimed to the ladies, Did you hear what they said? “One of them replied, “Yan ang llana Hermosa“.

Source: https://www.hermosa.gov.ph/about-2/history-of-hermosa/

Special credits: https://bluedreamer27.com/bataan-pilgrimage-tour-saint-peter-of-verona-parish-in-hermosa-bataan/

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Church in town: 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 - 𝐒𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐨, 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚, 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐚𝐧 (𝐃𝐢𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚)

Saint Peter of Verona Parish Church, commonly known as Hermosa Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Hermosa, Bataan, Philippines. The church is Hermosa's cultural treasure. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga (Vicariates of Saint Peter Verona and Our Lady, Mirror of Justice)

Hermosa, known as "Llana Hermosa," belonged formerly to Orani (composed of Mabuyan and Maboco). It became an independent missionary Pueblo in 1717. In the British invasion of Manila, the Dominicans held there its provincial chapters there in 1763. The church was destroyed by fire several times. Residents of Hermosa found a boat with a statue of a saint inside it along the river.

Saint Peter of Verona, O.P. (1206 – April 6, 1252), also known as "Saint Peter Martyr", was a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest, Dominican friar, and a celebrated preacher. He became the patron of this town.

Established in 1717, the church features a baroque-style façade, with a belfry on the topmost portion of the church. At the façade's center is a stained-glass window depicting Saint Peter of Verona, a 13th-century Italian Catholic priest

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermosa_Church

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

Historically, the town was established in 1756 by Dominican priests. At that time, it was known as Llana Hermosa and composed of Mabuco and Mabuyan. It was then still part of Pampanga, like the rest of Bataan. It became an independent missionary center in 1756 with Saint Peter de Verona as its patron saint.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐚: