Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church is a Roman Catholic and Marian church in Bombon, Camarines Sur, Philippines. It is famous for its leaning church tower.
The word Bombon comes from ma bombon, which was an act of providing feed to wild fowls. Catching birds was one of the livelihoods of the natives in the colonial era.
After the Franciscans established their mission center in Quipayo Church in 1578, they went to found several churches such as in Bombon. Thus the church in Bombon began as a visita of Quipayo.
It gained independence in 1749, seceding from Quipayo to become a town. It had 3,450 inhabitants 1,061 of whom were paying tributes. However, during the time that the American colonizers started the occupation of the Philippine archipelago, it was reduced to a mere village of Calabanga upon the passage of Act No. 959 on October 23, 1903. Starting in 1912, it was annexed to the municipality of Magarao. It was re-established as a town by Executive Order No. 251 issued by President Elpidio Quirino in 1949.
The church meanwhile became a parish in 1804. Its first parish priest was Fr. Juan de la Torre.
Ref: The Old Churches
