Most Holy Trinity Cathedal, more commonly known as Talibon Cathedral, is the seat of ecclesiastical authority of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Talibon. It is located in the town of Talibon in the northern portion of the island of Bohol, Philippines.
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History
When the Jesuits arrived in Bohol in 1596, they settled in Baclayon and established La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria Church. From there, they spread out to other areas in the island and founded Loboc (San Pedro Apostol Church).
Fr. Juan de Torres came to Talibon in the same year. There are two possible dates when the church became a parish. According to historical records, Talibon was a parish as early as 1724 when the Jesuits were its administrators. And yet it wasn’t until after the Recollects took over that Fr. Ramon de Santa Ana assumed the role as its first parish priest in 1832. In the years in between, it was part of Inabanga.
Talibon was chosen as the center of the diocese, which was named after the town upon its creation by virtue of a papal bull issued by Pope John Paul II on January 9, 1986. The diocese’s canonical erection occurred on December 3, 1986.
The stone church was built in 1858 and completed in1899. Its design was created by Domingo de Escondrillas whose works may be seen in colonial-era churches and buildings in Cebu. Improvements of the church and other structures were carried out by Recollect friar Fr. Jose Sanchez including the bell tower, and the interiors were by Fr. Nemesio Llorente.
Heritage
On March 15, 2015, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a Level II historical marker.
Architecture
Unlike most churches in Bohol, no portico stands by the cathedral’s entrance. Cross-shaped with a bell tower in its epistle flank, it is a beautiful blend of Baroque and Neoclassical styles as seen from the intricate carvings on its facade.
Its entrance is an arch portal in between the niches of St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Nicholas of Tolentino. Above the door is a frieze of fine sculpture of decorative rhomboids, dentilation, and rosettes; and above each of the niches of the saints mentioned earlier are a cartouche with bas-relief of bands emanating from central radius.
In the second level of the facade is the niche of the Holy Trinity whose pointed arch erupts into sculpted texture. In each of its sides are octagonal windows depicting saintly figures. The entire vista contains attached fluted columns of composite capital; the ones closest to the niche are covered with leaflike shapes.
Its pediment is round-shaped. It would have been a plain, unadorned surface except that it is pierced with a round opening, carved with volutes on either edges, and crowned with finials.
The bell tower, meanwhile, has a quadrangular base and is capped with a pyramidal roof. The levels in between are chamfered and punctured with arches.
Celebration
The feast of the town is every last Saturday of May. Second patron is St. Roch whose feast day falls on August 16.
Services
The sacrament of matrimony is scheduled every Thursday or at the discretion of the parish office.
Holy Hour is scheduled every Thursday at 4:00 pm.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Most Holy Trinity Cathedal in Talibon, Bohol 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 Talibon.
Monday
- 5:15-6:15 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Tuesday
- 5:15-6:15 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Wednesday
- 5:15-6:15 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Thursday
- 5:15-6:15 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Friday
- 5:15-6:15 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Saturday
- 5:15-6:15 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 4:30-5:30 AM
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 9:00-10:00 AM
- 10:30-11:30 AM
- 11:30-12:30 PM
- 3:00-4:00 PM
- 4:30-5:30 PM
- 6:00-7:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Most Holy Trinity Cathedal in Talibon, Bohol |
| Other Names | Most Holy Trinity Cathedral Parish, Talibon Cathedral |
| Previous Name | Most Holy Trinity Parish |
| Address | Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, Poblacion, Talibon, Bohol 6325 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 038 515-5085 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Founder | Fr. Juan de Torres |
| Established | 1596 |
| Age | 429 years |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Declared as parish | 1724 |
| Age as parish | 301 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Talibon |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of the Most Holy Trinity |
| Patron | Most Holy Trinity |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Age since completed | 126 years |
| Architect | Domingo de Escondrillas |
| Style | Baroque, Neoclassical |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- San Agustin Church in San Agustin, Talibon, Bohol
- San Roque Church in Bagacay, Talibon, Bohol
- St. Isidore Church in Trinidad, Bohol
- St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Hinlayagan Ilaya, Trinidad, Bohol
- Sto. Niño Church in Bien Unido, Bohol
References
- Throwback Thursday: Talibon, Bohol, Municipal Hall in 1984. Bohol Provincial Library. March 11, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2022
- Jose, Regalado Trota (2001). Visita Iglesia Bohol: A Guide to Historic Churches. National Commission on Culture and the Arts. Manila, Philippines. ISBN 9718140166, 978-9718140161. Retrieved December 6, 2022
- Talibon Diocese. Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved December 7, 2022
- Katedral ng Talibon. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. September 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022
- Diocese of Talibon. Claretian Publications. Retrieved December 20, 2022