Surigao Cathedral ( fil, Katedral ng Surigao), formally known as the Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Cathedral Parish ( fil, Parokyang Katedral ni San Nicolas de Tolentino), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at Surigao City in the Philippines. It is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao The Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao (Lat: ''Dioecesis Surigensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. Erected in 1939, the diocese is one of the older ecclesiastical territories in the Philippi ...

History

The present-day Surigao City traces its beginnings as an independent ''pueblo'' in June 1655. Its parish, dedicated to

Nicholas of Tolentino Nicholas of Tolentino ( la, S. Nicolaus de Tolentino, (c. 1246September 10, 1305), known as the ''Patron of Holy Souls'', was an Italian saint and mystic. He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during ...

, was founded in 1754 by the Augustinian Recollects. The center of the Catholic mission in the area was initially at

Siargao island Siargao is a tear-drop shaped island in the Philippine Sea situated 196 kilometers southeast of Tacloban. It has a land area of approximately . The east coast is relatively straight with one deep inlet, Port Pilar. The coastline is marked by a s ...

but was transferred to Surigao due to the Moro attacks in the island. To ease the administration of Mindanao, it was divided into six districts, one of which was the District of Surigao. The said district spanned from Caraga Bay to

Butuan Bay Butuan Bay is a bay and extension of the Bohol Sea or ''Mindanao Sea'', in the northeast section of Mindanao in the Philippines. Its main river source is the Agusan River, which empties into the bay at the coastal city of Butuan. Butuan Bay is c ...

. Its first capital was Tandag but was transferred to Surigao in 1751. The parish of Surigao was administered by the

secular priest In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogr ...

s in the first half of the 19th-century while the century's latter half was divided among the Augustinian Recollects and the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s. After the earlier two

orders Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, the Benedictine fathers took over the area at the time when the Surigao provinnce was formally founded in 1901, with Surigao as the capital town. In 1939, the

Diocese of Surigao The Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao (Lat: ''Dioecesis Surigensis'') is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. Erected in 1939, the diocese is one of the older ecclesiastical territories in the Philippi ...

was canonically erected from the Diocese of Cagayan de Oro's territory, with the Saint Nicholas of Tolentino Parish Church being consecrated as its diocesan seat. The bombings during the World War II destroyed the earlier cathedral church, including the adjacent Saint Paul University Surigao buildings, but was later rebuilt in 1988 under the supervision of the

Missionaries of the Sacred Heart The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; la, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis; french: Missionnaires du Sacré-Coeur) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (182 ...

References

External links

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{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao Buildings and structures in Surigao City Roman Catholic churches in Surigao del Norte Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Philippines 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Surigao