Draft:Narvacan Church

The Narvacan Church, also known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Catholic church in Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. It is formerly known as the Saint Lucy the Martyr Parish. It was founded in 1587 by the Augustinian friars.

History
The parish is one of the oldest churches in the province dating back from the 16th century. The church is dedicated to Saint Lucy from 1587 until 2017, on where Our Lady of Mount Carmel is declared as the principal patron, replacing Saint Lucy. It was founded in 1587 by the Augustinian friars, dedicating it to Saint Lucy the Martyr, the town's patron saint up to this day. The present church was probably built in 1701, and is a restoration of the 17th century church. A cemetery can be found at the left side of the church. It's visitas, or chapel of eases were Santa Maria, San Esteban, and Santiago. These separated in the 17th and 18th centuries. It also houses an ivory image of the Virgin of Mount Carmel, an image believed to be miraculous and survived the Second World War. The church itself was bombed by American forces during the Second World War but was subsequently rebuilt. The church is elevated into an Archdiocesan Shrine on December 13, 2023, the feast of Saint Lucy.

Architecture
The church is in Baroque style, with its facade having two levels and three windows with stained glass. A bell tower with three storeys is built at the right side of the church. The retablo, with five niches houses the image of the Virgin Mary, Saint Anthony, Saint Therese, Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod. The side altars were dedicated to Saint Joseph, and Saint Lucy.

The image of the Virgin Mary
The image of the Virgin, with ivory face and hands is enshrined at the back of the main retablo.