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