THE 3 HISTORICAL AND BEAUTIFUL CHURCHES IN CEBU CITY

Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish   Archdiocese of Cebu Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish was formerly a visita (a satellite community dependent on the central religious house or parish) of San Nicolás [present-day Barangay San Nicolas Proper]. On April 10, 1866, the place was officially separated and became an independent parish, and appointed Father Meliton Talegon as the first curate. The parish is under the advocacy of Santo Tomás de Villanueva, a Spanish Augustinian monsignor. The fortress-like façade of Pardo church built was built between 1880-93. The town was created by a government decree of 10 March 1863. It became an independent parish, through a diocesan decree of 10 April 1866, after being a visita of San Nicolas. Fr. Domingo Sanchez built a temporary structure while the church was still under San Nicolas. In 1866, Fr. Meliton Talegon was named parish priest and on 16 September 1877 reports to the provincial that a church of tabique pampango and nipa, built ten years pre...

  Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Feast of Saint Vitalis of Milan Immaculate Conception Another very popular church in the city, just a few minutes’ walk from the Santo Niño Church is the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. It is the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Metropolitan Cebu and has Saint Vitalis as its patron saint.  It was established as a diocese on August 14, 1595 and elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese on April 28, 1934 with the dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon as suffrages. The Construction of the cathedral took many years due to frequent interruptions, brought about by a lack of funds and other unexpected events. At one time, funds meant for the building of the cathedral were diverted to the moro wars. The death of an incumbent bishop who spearheaded the construction/reconstruction and vacancies in the office were also factors. Structure The architecture of the church is typical of Spanish colonial churches in the country, namely, squat a...

  BASILICA DEL SANTO NIÑO Sto. Niño: Our Source of Peace in the Walk of Faith The Santo Niño Church is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the country. The location of the church is said to be where the image of the Child Jesus, which was gifted by Magellan to the newly baptized Queen Juana, was discovered. The one currently on display is a replica while the original one is kept at the parish convent. The church was built in 1565. Regarding to the basilica of the Santo Niño, it was only in 1735 when the first stone was laid down to build the concrete church that is still standing today. Prior to it, the church housing the historic image was generally constructed from humble and light materials. In 1965, during the centenary celebration of the Christianisation of the Philippines, Cardinal Hildebrando Antoniutti, Papal Legate to the Philippines, conferred upon the church the title of Basilica Minore, a special privilege granted to the Augustinian Order by Pope Paul VI. A few years la...