Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church is a 19th-century National Cultural Treasure and Roman Catholic church located in Sibonga, a southern town of the province of Cebu, Philippines. It is also known as Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza Church or Sibonga Church and its second patroness is St. Philomena.
Table of Contents
History
The mother parish of Sibonga Church was Carcar and later it became part of Argao.
Finally in 1830, it was formally established as a parish. An earlier church made of light materials existed by the year of the founding of the parish. The present-day Neo Gothic church was constructed as a permanent place of worship in 1866. The building of the church continued on despite the Philippine revolution until its completion in 1907.
Sibonga church is also famed for its ceiling fresco paintings by Cebuano artist Raymundo Francia which depicts Biblical stories and features of Catholic catechism in 1924. Francia also painted the ceiling of Argao Church.
Heritage
The church is recognized as a heritage structure. National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a Level II historical marker on December 2, 2010.
The National Museum of the Philippines declared Sibonga Church as a National Cultural Treasure according to a news report in 2023.
Architecture
Its facade is less embellished compared to other colonial churches. The main door is a pointed arch as well as the stained glass windows by the twin bell-towers that flank the entrance. On the stonewall along the upper portion of the door and glass windows are decorative outlines where at their peak is a bloom of acanthus leaves and each of the half-arches culminates in a gathering of tassels below. On the pediment above the entrance is a relief emblazoned with the name of the parish, “NTRA. SEÑORA DEL PILAR” (Our Lady of the Pillar), and a rose window. The bell towers—one of which contains the baptistry while the other the antique bells—likewise have rose windows; the epistle side contains the image of the Our Lady of Pillar and the other side St. Philomena. Each of the belfries are pierced with pointed arches too and roofed in triangular red spires.
Celebration
The fiesta of Our Lady of Pillar is celebrated every 12th of October annually. Another festival is held on August 10 yearly in honor of St. Philomena, the patron saint of the poblacion where the church is located, an event that is conducted in a far greater festive mood and a grand procession.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church in Sibonga, Cebu from May 5, 2025 to May 11, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Sibonga.
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 | Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church in Sibonga, Cebu |
| Other Names | Nuestra Señora del Pilar Zaragosa Church, Sibonga Church |
| Address | Poblacion, Sibonga, Cebu |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (032) 486 9390 |
| Religion | |
| Established | 1690 |
| Age | 335 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District III – Southeast Cebu |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of San Antonio de Padua |
| Patron | Our Lady of the Pillar |
| Feast day | October 12 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church, National Cultural Treasure |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Age since completed | 118 years |
| Style | Neo Gothic |
Nearby Churches
- Archdiocesan Shrine of San Miguel Arcangel Church in Argao, Cebu
- Our Lady of Divine Grace in Sibonga, Cebu
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Colawin, Argao, Cebu
- San Isidro Labrador Parish, Cansuje, Argao, Cebu
- Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Argao, Cebu
References
- Galende, Pedro G (1987). Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines. G.A. Formoso Pub.
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Sibonga to hold simple celebration for feast day of Our Lady of Pillar. SunStar. October 01, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Restoration of Sibonga Convent (Nuestra Señora Del Pilar De Zaragoza Parish). National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Simbahan ng Sibonga. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. October 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Sibonga Church. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Ponce, Noel H. (August 5, 2018). Ceiling art astounds churchgoers. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Rehab on Cebu pre-colonial church near completion. SunStar. March 14, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Taguchi, Yasunari Ramon (August 26, 2017). Sibonga in a day. The Freeman. Retrieved June 7, 2022
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved June 12, 2022
- Cañete, Reuben Ramas. A Preliminary Study of Ceiling Murals from Five Southeastern Cebu Churches. ASIAN STUDIES: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. Retrieved June 14, 2022
- Mansueto, Trizer D. (November 30, 2012) Tracing the Spanish roots of Cebu. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 18, 2022
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on July 20, 2022
- Caescent No-ot Magsumbol. Cultural treasure markers for three churches pending. The Philippine Star. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 23, 2023