Calbayog Cathedral, also known as Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and Parish of Our Lady’s Nativity, is the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Calbayog located in the Calbayog City, Samar, Philippines. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Palo.
It is also known as the mother of all dioceses in Easter Visayas and the first cathedral erected in Leyte and Samar. More importantly, it is a national heritage church.
Table of Contents
History
Calbayog began as a settlement called Hibatang. The Jesuit missionaries, after reaching Samar in 1596, eventually arrived in Hibatang in 1599 and established a mission station as a visita of Capul, Northern Samar.
The settlement was moved away from the coast and up the river to avoid Moro raids, and due to flood it was moved again by the banks of the Calbayog River along the Sabang-Cahumpang. In 1737, the settlement was named after the river and it was known as Calbayog thereafter.
The Franciscans assumed the pastoral care of the church after the Jesuits were expelled in 1768. It was during the time of the Franciscans that the settlement was raised into pueblo in 1785, which was the same year that the church was dedicated to the patronage of Our Lady’s Nativity. However, it remained a visita of Bangajon (present-day Gandara). In 1788, the church was elevated into a parish with Fr. Benito Rodriguez del Carmen as parish priest.
Calbayog benefited from the opening of ports and trade in the 19th century through the production of hemp (abaca). Its church became the mother parishes of Santo Niño, Tinambacan, Santa Margarita, and Oquendo.
Church-building of the present-day edifice began within the term of Fr. Jose Gomez in 1835. Its cruciform structure was made of stone and its roof made of nipa. In 1855, its dimension was enlarged by Fr. Francisco Juan Moreno Montalbanejo. In the succeeding years, more reconstructions were made including the buttresses and facade Fr. Salustiano Bus in 1870), bell tower (Fr. Juan Ferreras in 1871), ceiling and gavanized iron roof (Fr. Damian Peña between 1890 and 1894), and interiors (Fr. Antonio Sanchez between 1894 and 1898).
The Franciscans left during the Philippine Revolution, with Fr. Antonio Sanchez as the last Franciscan parish priest in 1898. The parish was administered by the diocesan clergy and Fr. Jose Diasnes was the first secular priest. American colonizers occupied the church between January 26, 1900 and January 3, 1903.
During the first decade of the 20th century, the church underwent improvements. A number of interiors were imported from Europe (such as the pulpit, chandeliers, and large clock installed in the facade) and painted by Cirilo Buenaventura and Señor Respall.
In the colonial era, Leyte and Samar consisted of one province and their churches were under the Diocese of Cebu. In 1768, each were made into a province with Tacloban as capital of Leyte and Catbalogan that of Samar. The Diocese of Calbayog was erected by Pope Pius X on April 10, 1910 and its jurisdiction extended over the churches of Leyte and Samar. Bishop Pablo Singzon consecrated the church as Cathedral of the diocese and placed under the advocation of Saints Peter and Paul in 1912.
The cathedral is a heritage church and a Level II historical marker was installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on November 25, 2018.
Architecture
Built in the shape of the cross, the Baroque-Romanesque cathedral has brick in the entrance and stone exterior in its upper level. Its facade is decorated sparsely by dentil and moldings. Its pediment is punctured with an oculus and contains the image of the Our Lady’s Nativity flanked by the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul; above is a quadrangular lantern.
The bell tower is erected separately from the church and rises up to five floors with pyramidal roof.
On top of the crossing is a dome pierced with arch openings and on the roof are dormer windows.
Celebration
The feast day of Saints Peter and Paul is June 29, and Our Lady’s Nativity is September 8.
Services
The parish office is open 8:30 AM to 12:00 NN and 2:30 to 4:30 PM every Tuesday to Saturday. ON Sunday, it is open 8:30 AM to 12:00 NN only.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Calbayog Cathedral 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 Calbayog City.
Monday
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Sunday
- 4:30-5:30 AM
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM
- 10:00-11:00 AM
- 4:00-5:00 PM
- 6:00-7:00 PM
- 8:00-9:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Calbayog Cathedral |
| Other Names | Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and Parish of Our Lady's Nativity |
| Address | JD Avelino St., West Awang, Calbayog City, Samar 6710 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 209 1394 |
| calbchancery@yahoo.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1599 |
| Age | 426 years |
| Status | Cathedral, Parish |
| Declared as cathedral | April 10, 1910 |
| Declared as parish | 1788 |
| Age as parish | 237 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Calbayog |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Saints Peter and Paul |
| Patron | Nativity of Mary, St. Paul, St. Peter |
| Feast day | June 29 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage church |
| Consecrated | 1912 |
| Style | Baroque-Romanesque |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Assumption of Our Lady Church in Pilar, Calbayog City, Samar
- Holy Infant Church in Oquendo, Calbayog City, Samar
- Holy Infant Church in Santo Niño, Samar
- Holy Infant Mission Center in Napuro, Santa Margarita, Samar
- Most Holy Trinity Church in Sabang, Calbayog City, Samar
- Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Mission Center in Tarabucan, Calbayog City, Samar
- Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Almagro, Samar
- San Antonio de Padua Church in Carayman, Calbayog City, Samar
- San Roque Mission Center in Dagum, Calbayog City, Samar
- St. Anthony of Padua Church in Tagapul-an, Samar
- St. Anthony of Padua Mission Center in Tominamos, Calbayog City, Samar
- St. James the Greater Church in Santa Margarita, Samar
- St. Joachim Church in San Joaquin, Calbayog City, Samar
- St. Joseph the Worker Church in Policarpo, Calbayog City, Samar
- St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Tinambacan, Calbayog City, Samar
References
- Katedral ng Calbayog. National Registry of Historic Sites and Structures. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved April 28, 2024
- Charo Nabong-Cabardo. NATIVITY OF OUR LADY PARISH. Diocese of Calbayog. September 8, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2024
- Historical marker installed at the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Leyte Samar Daily News. November 26, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2024
- Diocese of Calbayog. Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved April 28, 2024