Romblon Cathedral

Roman Catholic church in Romblon, Philippines

Church in Romblon, Philippines

Romblon Cathedral

Saint Joseph Cathedral Parish

* Katedral de San Jose (Filipino)
* Catedral Parroquial de San Jose (Spanish)
* Katedral ng Romblon (Filipino)

Romblon Cathedral in 2012

Romblon Cathedral

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Romblon Cathedral

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12°34′33″N 122°16′10″E﻿ / ﻿12.575791°N 122.269473°E﻿ / 12.575791; 122.269473
Location| Romblon, Romblon
Country| Philippines
Denomination| Roman Catholic
History
Status| Cathedral
Founded| 1635
Dedication| Saint Joseph
Dedicated| 1644
Architecture
Functional status| Active
Heritage designation| National Cultural Treasure
Architectural type| Church building
Style| Baroque, Fortress church
Administration
Archdiocese| Capiz
Diocese| Romblon
Clergy
Bishop(s)| Narciso Villaver Abellana

Saint Joseph Cathedral Parish, commonly known as Romblon Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Romblon town, in the province of Romblon, Philippines. One of the province's known landmarks, it is the seat of the Diocese of Romblon[1] and was declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2001 by the National Museum of the Philippines.[2][3]

## History

[edit]

In 1631, the Christian community in Romblon island where the cathedral stands today was formally organized. The island faced the same fate with the adjacent Tablas, Sibuyan and nearby Marinduque, having been frequented by Moro raiders from the south. When the Portuguese Recollect friar Agustin de San Pedro from Cagayan de Misamis in Mindanao was transferred to Romblon in 1644, he immediately spearheaded the construction of the Romblon's church and belfry due to the said raid attacks. Also because of the attacks, he trained the natives to defend themselves with military armaments and ordered constructions of structures that fortified the island, earning him the moniker "El Padre Capitan". Constructions of the Fuerza San Andres and Fuerza Santiago overlooking the town in 1644, Banton's church and convent including its perimeter walls, and the fortress at Banton's hills, were all under his helm. The church's rear side was placed against the mountainside for stability while the front of the bay inlet facing the town was constructed with a continuous wall-gate for protection.

The first decades of the 18th century saw most of the constructions that comprise the cathedral today. In 1726, the retablo mayor was built, alongside the two smaller retablos facing each other at the transept. Another level of the belfry was added in the following year, 1727. Romblon received a replica image of the famed Cebu Santo Niño and enshrined it in the church in 1728. The church and its parts were damaged caused by typhoons in 1780 and 1829, which were all rebuilt and reconstructed throughout the 19th century.[4][5][6]

In 1974, the church of Romblon became a cathedral when the Diocese of Romblon was founded.[1] In 1992, the cathedral-enshrined image of Santo Niño de Romblon went missing and was returned to Romblon in 2013.[7] The cathedral was installed with its National Cultural Treasure marker in 2013 even though it was designated as such in 2001.[3]

On May 27, 2023, a "tragic" fire engulfed the Cathedral's L-shaped convent, parish office and rectory, "except for the old stone pillars", Bishop Narciso Villaver Abellana said. It served as a repository-temporary museum of religious treasures, including canonical books, records and antique wooden statues of Spanish-era Christian saints.[8][9]

## Gallery

[edit]

* National Cultural Treasure marker

* Archways at the cathedral's facade

* Romblon Cathedral convent

* The cathedral's belfry

* Buttresses at the cathedral's lateral wall

* Laminated image of Sto. Niño de Romblon that was lost for almost 22 years[7]

* The cathedral's choir loft

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "St. Joseph Cathedral Romblon, ROMBLON, MIMAROPA, Philippines". GCatholic. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
2. ^ "The Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP)". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
3. ^ a b "Romblon cathedral, ancient Hispanic forts declared National Cultural Treasures". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
4. ^ "Romblon Province". Romblon Provincial Government. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
5. ^ "Fr Agustin de San Pedro Marker". Wikimedia Commons.
6. ^ "Romblon Cathedral". iCatholicPH Roman Catholic Church News. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
7. ^ a b "Stolen Santo Niño image found, returned after 22 years". GMA News Online. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
8. ^ Esmaquel, Paterno (June 2, 2023). "Fire destroys convent of Romblon Cathedral, a cultural heritage site". Rappler. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
9. ^ Sembrano, Edgar (July 2, 2023). "What was lost in the Romblon convent fire". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 25, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Romblon Cathedral at Wikimedia Commons
* Romblon Cathedral on Facebook

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Diocese of Romblon

Dioecesis Rombloniensis

Territories|

* Romblon

Ordinaries|

* Nicolas M. Mondejar
* Vicente Salgado y Garrucho
* Arturo M. Bastes
* Jose Corazon Tumbagahan Tala-oc
* Narciso Villaver Abellana

Cathedral|

* St. Joseph

Parishes|

| Vicariate of
St. Joseph,
Patron of the
Universal Church|

* St. Joseph
* San Antonio De Padua
* Our Lady of Fatima

|

Vicariate of
San Nicolas
de Tolentino|

* St. Joseph The Worker (Corcuera)
* San Nicolas de Tolentino (Banton, Romblon)
* Immaculate Concepcion (Concepcion, Romblon)
* St. Jude Thaddeus (Corcuera)

Vicariate of
St. Augustine|

* St. Augustine (San Agustin, Romblon)
* St. Michael the Archangel (Calatrava, Romblon)
* Our Lady Of Mt. Carmel (San Agustin, Romblon)
* Nuestra Señora de Salvacion Mission Station (San Agustin, Romblon)

Vicariate of
St. Vincent
Ferrer|

* St. Vincent Ferrer (Odiongan)
* Our Lady Of Candles (Odiongan)
* St. Anthony Of Padua (Ferrol, Romblon)
* St. Andrew the Apostle (San Andres, Romblon)

Vicariate of
St. Joseph,
the Spouse
of Mary|

* St. Joseph, Spouse Of Mary (Looc, Romblon)
* St. Thomas of Villanova (Alcantara, Romblon)
* Immaculate Conception (Sta. Maria, Romblon)
* San Pedro Calungsod Mission Station (Alad, Romblon, Romblon)

Vicariate of
Sta. Barbara|

* Sta. Barbara (Cajidiocan)
* Immaculate Conception (San Fernando, Romblon)
* Our Lady Of Most Holy Rosary (Magdiwang, Romblon)
* Our Lady Of Remedies (San Fernando, Romblon)
* Sto Niño (Cajidiocan)
* St. Therese Of The Child Jesus (Cajidiocan)

Vicariate of
St. Vincent
Ferrer|

* St. Vincent Ferrer (Sta. Fe, Romblon)
* St. Joseph, Spouse Of Mary (San Jose, Romblon)
* San Isidro Labrador (Sta. Fe, Romblon)

* Ecclesiastical Province of Capiz
* Catholicism portal
* Philippines portal

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Built Heritage Declarations

Metro Manila|

* Las Piñas Bamboo Organ
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Ilocos Region|

* Burial Caves in Sitio Alabok
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Cagayan Valley|

* Mahatao Church
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Central Luzon|

* Masinloc Church
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Calabarzon|

* Tayabas Church
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Mimaropa|

* Guyangan Cave System
* Romblon Church
* Petroglyphs in the Caves of the Tao't Bato Area
* Historic Bridges of Romblon
* Tabon Cave Complex
* Twin Forts of Romblon

Bicol Region|

* Tabaco Church
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Western Visayas|

* San Joaquin Church and Campo Santo
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Central Visayas|

* Santo Niño Basilica
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Eastern Visayas|

* Guiuan Church
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Zamboanga Peninsula|

* Relief Map of Mindanao
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Northern Mindanao|

* Jasaan Church
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Caraga Region|

* Balangays of Butuan

CAR|

* Ifugao Rice Terraces
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* Stone Agricultural Calendars of Dap-ay Guiday
* Tayum Church

BARMM|

* Karim Ul-Makhdum Mosque
* Kawayan Torogan

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