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St. Francis of Assisi Church in Old Poblacion, Escalante City, Negros Occidental

St. Francis of Asisi Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Escalante City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

History

Silay’s territory included the then villages of Tucgagauan (Saravia, present-day Enrique B. Magalona) and Nueva Sevilla (previously called Manlambus, present-day Escalante). Saravia and Escalante became independent towns by the order of Governor Manuel Crespo on November 28, 1856.

The seat of government was moved from Old Poblacion to Balintawak by virtue of Executive Order No. 301 issued by President Carlos P. Garcia on May 30, 1958. Afterwards, it became a component city pursuant to Republic Act No. 9014 signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 28, 2001 and ratified on March of the same year.

The church of Escalante became a parish on May 22, 1860. Fr. Cipriano Navarro, OAR, was the first parish priest and he served between 1860 and 1867. He also renamed Nueva Sevilla to Escalante, inspired by his Spanish hometown.

One popular, albeit tragic story was the murder of a Catholic priest during the American period. Augustinian Recollect Fr. Victor Baltanas de la Virgen del Rosario (born 1869) sailed from Spain to the Philippines in 1891 and was assigned in Pampanga, Manila, Palawan, and Negros Occidental.

Finally, he was the parish priest of Escalante beginning in October 1907. It was a fraught time that witnessed a growing schism between Catholicism and the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, commonly known as Aglipayan. On May 15, 1909, Fr. Baltanas was killed by Aglipayan member Mauricio Gamao allegedly motivated by a conflict on church property and died from the mortal wounds the next day. He was laid to rest in San Carlos. His remains were exhumed in 1995 and was kept at Colegio de Santo Tomas-Recoleto and then transferred to Himlayang Pilipino in the 2000’s.

Building of the colonial-era church was initiated by Fr. Gregorio Aperte. It withstood natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, but it was deemed no longer safe for continued use. It is in ruins and considered a Registered Property/Historical Structure through Resolution No. 3 of the National Historical Institute issued on October 22, 1991.

The present-day stone church was built in the 1980s.

Architecture

A three-post bell tower has interspersed wall sections and rises in the gospel side. The church itself is a low-level structure, and its facade features geometric shapes and patterns (as seen in its muti-gable overhang and on the wall atop the windows.)

Celebration

The feast day of St. Francis of Assisi is October 4.

Services

The parish office is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 to 11:30 AM and from 2:00 to 5:00 PM.

Mass schedule

Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Old Poblacion, Escalante City, Negros Occidental 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 Escalante City.

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

  • 7:30-8:30 AM
  • 9:00-10:00 AM
  • 5:00-6:00 PM

Church information

Details
NameSt. Francis of Assisi Church in Old Poblacion, Escalante City, Negros Occidental
AddressEscalante City, Negros Occidental 6124
CountryPhilippines
Contact(034) 724 8396
Emailsaintfrancisparisholdpoblacion@gmail.com
Facebookwww.facebook.com
Religion
DenominationRoman Catholic
StatusParish
Declared as parishMay 22, 1860
Age as parish165 years
ArchdioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro
DioceseDiocese of San Carlos
VicariateVicariate of Sagay (St. Joseph)
PatronSt. Francis of Asisi
Feast dayOctober 4

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References