My last post was about Cabatuan Cemetery and it is expected from me as a freelance writer to also feature the town’s parish church. The parish church of Cabatuan or the Parish of St. Nicolas de Tolentino is one of the most beautiful churches in the island and those visiting the province of Iloilo must come and marvel at this edifice. First built during the 1800s, it is a very artistic and highly decorated church in Iloilo and was given the title “Iglesia Primera El Centro de Iloilo”.
The first thing that you will notice upon seeing this church is how it is made of brick and it is one of its main characteristics that sets it apart from other colonial churches in the country. The man behind this church is Fr. Ramon Alquezar who served as its parish church for more than three decades and built many infrastructures in Cabatuan like roads. As he was the one who introduced brick manufacturing to this town, it is not a surprise when he built a church made of baked bricks for Cabatuan.
For the interior decorations, Fr. Manul Guetierez adorned Cabatuan church making it truy beautiful especially during its time. The exterior of the church is shaped like a cross.
Like other Philippine colonial churches, Cabatuan church was badly destroyed during the Second World War as well as during the 1948 earthquake that hit the town. At present, through the efforts of many individuals and groups particularly those Cabatuanuanons living abroad renovations and repairs has been done and still on going.
Getting there:
The town of Cabatuan is 24 kilometers away from Iloilo City and can easily reached by taking a jeepney bound for Cabatuan for less than 20 minutes. Those coming outside the province and flying via the Iloilo Airport will find this town more accessible since the airport is located in this town. In fact, as a freelance writer I highly suggest that you visit this church the moment you land in Iloilo. 🙂
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