San Jose Church, formally known as San José de Placer Church, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It was built in 1607 by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

and is considered the first ever church in the city of Iloilo. The church houses the replica of Santo Niño de Cebú, the patron saint of the

Dinagyang Festival The Dinagyang Festival is a religious and cultural festival in Iloilo City, Philippines, held annually on the 4th Sunday of January, or right after the Sinulog in Cebu and the Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, Aklan. It is one of the biggest festiv ...

. It is located in what was once known as Plaza Alfonso XII, now

Plaza Libertad Plaza Libertad, formerly known as Plaza Alfonso XII, is a historic urban park in Iloilo City, Philippines. It is considered the site where the flag of the first Philippine Republic was raised in triumph after Spain surrendered Iloilo, the last Sp ...

, a historic plaza in Iloilo City.

History

The first church in Iloilo, whose name back then was ''La Punta'', was erected by the

in 1607, primarily as a support for the military in the area. On April 29, 1617, the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

came and established a house of the order which they named "San José." They held San Jose Church until 1775, when governance was handed over to the secular clergy. By 1873, the church of San Jose went through a renovation, essentially bolstering on what the Jesuits had already built, and is the same church being seen to this day. In line with the church’s needed overhaul, a nearby convent was also established. During World War II, the church was saved from being bombed by the Americans after they received information that the Japanese were not holed up in the church as they were previously informed. Between 1980 and 1982, the church was renovated and a new marble floor was laid, under the direction of the poet-writer, Fr. Gilbert Centina. San Jose Church is one of the few parishes in the Philippines still under the Augustinians.

Architecture

San Jose Church adheres to the Renaissance design, fused with Hellenic elements. In support of the central nave is an arcade of Corinthian pillars. The church is designed to resemble the Latin Cross, with the exception of a dome at the center. The church's interior has an arcade of Corinthian columns supporting a faux barrel vault over the nave and groin vaults over the aisle. The main altar has some Gothic touches. An image of the Nuestra Senora del Rosario can also be found in the church, which was discovered by Diego Quinnes during the Dutch siege of Iloilo on September 29, 1614.

References

External links

{{Iloilo City Roman Catholic churches in Iloilo Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Iloilo City Tourist attractions in Iloilo City Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro