Baler Church & Siege of Baler Site

year-round

The 1735 San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Church was the site of the last Spanish holdout after Philippine independence in 1898 — Spanish soldiers held the church for 337 days after the American occupation began, not knowing the war had ended. The story is the inspiration for the 'Last of the Holdouts' narrative. Tip: the church is still the active parish church of Baler; a guide from the Aurora Tourism Office can recount the siege in detail. The battlefield is literally the churchyard.