San Nicolas de Tolentino Church is a Roman Catholic Church in the province of Lambunao, Iloilo, Philippines. It is also called Lambunao Church.
Table of Contents
History
Lambunao previously was part of Passi. An hermitage was put up in Malunod in the first half of the 18th century. Augustinian friars were the first to evangelize to the natives, and they transferred the location of the church after the death of a priest that was assigned there through the order of Fr. Pedro Muya Jimenez, the Spanish provincial. The new location was along the Lambunao river, already a settled area by the Spaniards.
It was fused with Calinog as a parish as early as 1743. Over the years, it would be absorbed into Laglag (present-day Dueñas) while Calinog would be part of Passi (1742, 1747, and 1753). Fr. Francisco Tello was assigned there in 1750.
In 1879, Fr. Jose Lobo moved the town center from what was a marshland to the current, more favorable site called Daraiton. He also built the church and convent as well as other structures in the town. The lot of the new pueblo was made available by the donation of Gobernadorcillo Martin Lingaya. The church was consecrated on September 9, 1890. Meanwhile, church bells were cast in 1894 and brought from Manila. They were installed in the belfry on March 24, 1896.
Fr. Joaquin Diaz was the last parish priest from the Spanish conquest. Aside from the works he did in Lambunao, he was also tasked in building the Augustinian convent in Iloilo City on August 5, 1896. He returned to Lambunao on April 9, 1898. Months later, the Philippine Revolution ignited. Upon hearing that the revolutionaries were descending upon the town, Fr. Diaz suspended the Eucharistic celebration and fled to Janiuay and then to Iloilo City. The parish was tended to by Fr. Esteban Muneza intermittently.
The church caught fire three times: first by lightning and the other two times by kindling elements from kaingin (slash and burn clearing) from nearby areas that were swept up by the winds and sparked the fire at its cogon grass roof. It was damaged during the war and the 1948 earthquake. Reconstructions took place in the next decades: Fr. Policarpio Parcon, Fr. Restituto Cerdena (interiors), Fr,Eriberto Daniel (facade), and Fr. Victor Casa (lighting fixture).
Architecture
The church is situated across the huge town plaza. Its facade is pierced with round apertures with beautiful rosette tracery and attached columns. The color scheme is one of contrast: deep red as an accent in cornices and edges to yellow-brown background. By the entrance, which is an archway, you can see the niches of Jesus (in the gospel side) and Mary (in the epistle side). The pediment is an undulating curvilinear decorated by finials, cross, and columns. At the center is the niche of the patron.
The facade is bounded by two bell towers. While round columns are found in the facade, the towers have plain pilasters except for their last story. Balustrade can be found in each level starting at the roof. The belfries are two-level affair on a wide base, each one smaller than the one above and topped with cloister vault, lantern, and cross.
The interiors have gone through major reconstructions. The once bare ceiling was transformed to a ribbed barrel vault. Concrete coat frames each of the aperture along the nave walls.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Nicholas of Tolentino is observed every September 10. Meanwhile, the local government celebrates the Binanog Festival every December.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Lambunao, Iloilo from June 9, 2025 to June 15, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Lambunao.
Monday
- No mass schedule found.
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- No mass schedule found.
Thursday
- No mass schedule found.
Friday
- No mass schedule found.
Saturday
- No mass schedule found.
Sunday
- No mass schedule found.
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Lambunao, Iloilo |
| Address | Old Iloilo - Capiz Rd, Lambunao, 5042 Iloilo |
| Country | Philippines |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1740 |
| Age | 285 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Matthew |
| Patron | St. Nicholas of Tolentino |
| Feast day | September 10 |
| Architecture | |
| Consecrated | September 9, 1890 |
| Builder | Fr. Jose Lobo |
Nearby Churches
- Conversion of St. Paul Church in Bingawan, Iloilo
- Holy Child Church in Badu, Calinog, Iloilo
- Immaculate Conception Church in Calinog, Iloilo
- Patronage of St. Joseph Church in Binaba-an, Lambunao, Iloilo
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Caninguan, Lambunao, Iloilo
References
- Lambunao Church. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved October 31, 2022
- A Brief history of the Roman Catholic Church in Lambunao. Municipal Government of Lambunao. Retrieved October 31, 2022
- Paul Dumol, PhD, Grace Concepcion, PhD, and E.J. Ofilada (August 15, 2020). Research Update: Foundation Dates for “The Pueblos of Panay”. Center for Research and Communication. Retrieved October 29, 2022