sta. barbara catholic church and convent

Catmon is the old name of the town. In 1849, a Baroque-Renaissance model of church was built up in lieu of the old church that was destroyed in the 1787 earthquake. It took almost thirty years to finish it (1878). The interior is composed on one nave and a very spacious transept which is said to belong to the Tuscan orders.

the main entrance

Furthermore, huge stones that were used as walls, posts and floors of the church and convent were called bato piedra sileria and piedra tsina. The former stones came from the mountains of Leon, Alimodian and Tubungan, while the latter was use as ship ballast sailing from China to the Philippines. Other materials were steel, wood and galvanized iron. Carabao-drawn carriage pulled the stone blocks quarried from Alimodian hills through the almost-impassable roads during the rainy months.

Forced labor was also employed in building this church to men aging 16 years old and above. It is a law called ‘repartamiento’ wherein they would serve for 40 days of compulsory service. Each family had to contribute 8 reales (P1.00) which was later increased to 12 reales (P1.50) as a source of fund. People who are well-off were allowed to pay in cash instead of serving for 40 days.

the convent from inside the church

There was no plan in building this church. Completion of one portion prompted the plan for the next. Thus, closer inspection of the walls and posts shows sketches which shows plans and designs were made gradually. Its façade and three altars were designed after the churches in Spain.

The church is luckily spared from destruction during the hostilities and remained unscathed during the Japanese regime and even survived the 1948 earthquake that destroyed a lot of churches.

Some say it possesses a neoclassical style of white-coral edifice. It has a well-unified design of broken arches, columns and top finials. The main entrance is a semi-circular arch and both sides stood another arched niche. A carving of an Augustinian emblem toppled three identical windows. The interior reveals a spacious and large, devoid of any ill-placed pilars which causes obstruction of lighting and sound. The convent, on the other hand, is a long and big two-story building.The ground floor is made of bricks and piedra sillen while the second floor is of wood and steel. The roof is made of galvanized iron sheet and maintains its perfect condition even after 130 years.

Most outstanding feature of the church was the painting of the four evangelist, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John high above the ceilinig. However, this masterpiece was brought down and completely destroyed by the 1948 earthquake. It was only in the early 60s when the belfry was materialized by Msgr. Juan Nilmar.

This was the headquarters of the celebrated Ilonggo hero, Gen. Martin Delgado and his forces in 1898 against the Spaniards and American forces.

cemetery of sta.barbara

Half-kilometer away from the church in Sitio Anghasan is the cemetery of Sta. Barbara, built on the same year as the creation of parish in 1760.However, it was only in 1845 when the massive stone gate of the cemetery was built, the year the church convent was also constructed. It is composed of big stone blocks called piedra por esta ultimo. This is the place where the town’s illustrious citizen, General Martin Delgado, the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army was laid to rest.

Location          : Sta. Barbara, Iloilo

Feast Day         : December 4

The construction started in 1833 and fully completed in 1866 under the supervision of Fr. Manuel Ruiz. It is one of the best structure and largest in Panay. The interiors composed of a spacious transept and one main nave. A neo circular type, each side of the church seemed to be a facade. It is sandwiched by massive squat towers which destroys the balance of its classic structure. Three bull’s eye windows is pasted on the rear wall of the citadel. Fr. Manuel Gutierrez decorated the interiors in 1894 that resembled a basilica rather than an ordinary church. It has originally four big bells on each window of the four belfries. The ceiling is adorn with famous painting in Romes and beautiful chandeliers.

baptistery

The church has three domes: on each side of the main structure is a bell and a huge clock and the third dome was over the center. The pediment of the church is decorated with the pope’s tiara flanked by an Augustinian emblem of a transfixed heart capped by the Bishop’s heart surrounded by a cord. There are nineteen circular windows on the upper part with panes of different colors and ten massive doors including the main entrance. There were two minor altars besides the main one where masses and religious ceremonies were being held. The symmetrical arrangement of voids place a bit of neo-classic into Baroque roundness and massiveness.

Through the Scorched Earth Policy, the church was destroyed through fire by the guerillas. To repair the Tiring Land Field using bricks and stones during the Japanese Occupation in 1943, the church was completely demolished except for the front portion. In 1984, they began to reconstruct the church.

A Romanic cemetery in perfect square shape was built by Fr. Porras with solid base stone and steel railings is found in Barangay Banguit. The chapel found inside the cemetery has Byzantine touches.

the cabatuan cemetery

A touch of neoclassical is seen amidst the Baroque roundness and massiveness with the symmetrical arrangement of voids. It is said to have the most organized and planned niches in the whole province of Iloilo. Although the cemetery was heavily damaged during the 1948 earthquake, it was reconstructed to its original form.

Location          : Cabatuan, Iloilo

Feast Day         : September 10

This Romanesque-Byzantine church is the only red stone in the region and was dedicated to Sta. Monica whose relics can be found inside and exposed for the kissing of the faithful during her feast day on the 4^th day of May each year.

Fr. Policarpio Minayo built the church of bricks and wood through force labor. However, according to some records, it was Fr. Antonio Fermentino who started building the structure and was finished between 1895-1889 when Fr. Lazaro Ramirez was the parish priest.

Six equal arched windows consists the sunken balcony above the main entrance is the eye-catching image of the second level of the façade topped by a statued rectangular niche.

It was used as garrison by the Japanese forces.

It is said that the structure was copied from a church in Pavia, Italy. An Augustinian church less the front columns.

the facade of the new and old church

The town is formerly known as Matagup. Janiuay prides itself with its glorious church and cemetery. The old fortress was dedicated to San Julian and built with bricks baked from oven during the incumbency of Fr. Miguel Carod in the 1850s. The interior is Tuscanic and the interior is of Doric order. The new church made of materials from the Guimaras Island replaced the former church that was burnt down by Japanese invaders in 1942. The original structure was not restored. The new church rests beside the ruins of the old one.

the front of the old janiuay catholic church

During the Japanese era, it was destroyed. They utilized the stones for their landing field at Tiring, Cabatuan.

Location          : Janiuay, Iloilo

Feast Day         : January 28

one of the three gates of the janiuay cemetery

It took nine years to complete the breathtaking necropolis on top of the hill despite the fact that 600 men worked to complete the structure. The construction started in 1874 under the supervision of Fr. Fernando Llorente and is Gothic in design. The Byzantine cross that measures 7” x 4” ft under the arch of the main gate was carried off by 52 carabaos to the site. Twelve stone slabs composed the three wide stairway leading to the three main entrance gates of the cemetery and 16 ft high stone statues enshrined.