Church of Our Lady of the Rule (Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu)
January 5, 2012 by chucha
Filed under Cebu City, Visita Iglesia
The Church of Our Lady of the Rule or Nuestra Señora de Regla in Lapu-Lapu City Cebu was built somewhere between 1735 and 1744. This is a Baroque-Style Church and was slightly damaged during the Second World War. Not only that, the church was unfortunately demolished by Dutch priests assigned to the parish later. The sacristy of the new concrete church houses the 2.5- foot high image of Nuestra Señora de Regla (Virgin of the Rule).
Nuestra Señora de Regla was the title given to the Blessed Virgin by the natives of Cebu who believe that the abundance and blessing that they enjoy is a gift given through the strength of her maternal intercession.
The old spacious and solid convent, built by Fr. Aguirre in 1855 is a perfect example of a Spanish Colonial mission.
Feast: November 20-21
Tel. No. (+6332) 340-8081
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Loading ...Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral (Cebu City)
The church is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu. The diocese of Cebu was established on August 14, 1595. It was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese on April 28, 1934 with the provinces of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran and Talibon as suffragans.
The lack of funds and other unexpected events delayed the construction of the cathedral for several years. At one time, funds for the building of the cathedral were spent to fund the moro wars. The death of an incumbent bishop who spearheaded the reconstruction and vacancies in the office were also factors.
The architecture of the church is mainly made of squat and with thick walls to withstand typhoons, earthquake and other natural calamities. The façade shows a tre-foil shaped pediment which decorated with carved relieves of floral motifs and HIS inscriptions with a pair of griffins. The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms is inscribed in low relief above the main entrance.
During the World War II, the cathedral was partially destroyed by Allied bombings of the city. The only remaining structures were the belfry made in 1835, the façade and the walls. It was rebuilt almost immediately in the 1950s under the supervision of architect Jose Ma. Zaragosa during the incumbency of Archbishop Gabriel Reyes.
A mausoleum was built in 1982 that served as a final resting place for the remains of Cebu’s bishop and clergy at the initiation of Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales.
The cathedral was renovated on April 28, 2009 during the 75th anniversary celebration of the elevation of Cebu into an archdiocese. There is a pending application at the Vatican for the cathedral’s elevation into a minor basilica in honor of St. Vitalis, a Christian martyr.
(3 votes,5.00) Loading ...Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño (Cebu City)
Minor Basilica of the Santo Niño
The basilica was once known as the San Agustin Church. It was built by Legaspi and Urdaneta for the 30-cm high image of Sto. Niño. The statue is said to be a gift from Magellan to Raja Humabon’s wife and recovered unscathed in a pinewood box by Juan Camus on April 27, 1565. It is enshrined in a small chapel in the left part of the altar.
The first church was built using wood and nipa by Fr. Diego de Herrera but was destroyed by fire on November 1, 1566. They replaced the burnt church with that made of stone by 1606 but was again set on flames on March of 1628. It was rebuilt soon after with stones and bricks by Fr. Juan de Medina but was demolished by Fr. Jose Bosqued in 1731. The present stone structure was started on February 29, 1735 by Fr. Diego Bergano, Gov. Gen. Fernando Valdex and Bishop Manuel Antonio Decio and was completed by Fr. Juan de Albarran in 1740. It was restored and reinforced in 1782 and was again slightly restored in 1889 by Fr. Mateo Diez who added the windows. The church and the convent was reestablished in 1965 during the 4th centennial of the Christianization of the country. The retablos on the sides, the old organ and some portions of the monastery were removed. During the 400th year of Cebu’s Christianization on April 28, 1965, the church was conferred to the title, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño by Hildebrando Cardinal Antonuitti papal legate of Pope Paul VI. The basilica is considered to be a national landmark in the island.
The church has an impressive, solid façade. It is mixture of Muslim, Romanesque and Neo-Classical Features. It is divided into two levels with shallow pilasters dividing each storey into three segments. The graceful, Muslim-inspired, trefoil arched the main entrance is glanced by shallow, rectangular, statued niches above which are the semi-circular arched windows of the second level. It is topped by a double-edged triangular pediment. The baroque style bell tower has two alternate shaped blind and open windows ending up in triangular pinnacles with a circular disc. It is crowned by balusters and a Muslim-influenced dome. The convent, finished in 1796 is located at the opposite far end.
The interior is composed of a painted ceiling, finely carved retablo and a choir loft. The image of Our Lady of the Fort (Nuestra Señora de la Cotta) adorned the baptistery. The image was recovered in the vicinity of the church while Fort san Pedro was being built in 1565. It is believed to be the one given by Pigafetta (Magellan’s Chronicler) to Queen Juana on the day of their baptism. Among the treasures inside the church is the Ecce Homo (Bust of Christ), believed exhumed from a spot near the church on August 20, 1572 by a Spanish soldier while digging for the foundation of his house. The image was in a coffin containing the remains of an imminent person identified as Raxa Carli which could have been a Latin version of Raja Carlos as Raja Humabon had been christened.
Tel. No.: 032- 2556699
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