Santa Rosa de Lima Church is an old Roman Catholic church located in Alcoy, a town in the southeastern part of the province of Cebu, Philippines. It is also called Alcoy Church.
Table of Contents
History
The Spaniards promulgated reducciones program to force the natives to live close to the town center. In the olden days, the town center was found in Mambaje, the present-day Daanlungsod (Old Town). A church was erected by the missionaries as a visita of Carcar Parish beginning in 1600s) and then of Boljoon Parish in 1692.
Between 1783 and 1829, its people contributed to the construction of stone churches, rectories, and watch towers in the southeastern board of Cebu island.
In 1849, a church was erected along with watch towers in Mambaje. It was also in the same year that St. Rose of Lima was chosen as its patroness. In the intervening years, proposals were submitted to establish Mambaje as an independent town but were turned down. On December 19, 1866, its petition for township was granted and on July 16 of the following year, it became a municipality.
Two years later, Mambaje was renamed Alcoy.
In 1872, the seat of the government was transferred through the decision of the parish priest to the current location in Poblacion, which in the past was called Huloyman. Its church became a parish on September 15, 1890.
The church’s facade was completed in 1925.
Architecture
The Gothic church is dedicated to its patroness, St. Rose of Lima. Its facade is characterized by decorative cornices and moldings in the upper portion that trace the general outline of the church’s roof particularly its triangular pediment in the center. There are four pilasters that culminate in pinnacles and their lower portion have projections that resemble buttresses.
The entrance is projected, crowned by a niche of the patron, and flanked by stained arched glass window decorated with ornate metalwork. The puerta mayor is recessed and a pointed arch. On the pediment above the entrance is a quatrefoil window, an icon circumscribed by a circle, and the symbol of the Holy Name of Jesus with the year 1925. A parapet is constructed on the facade side of the roof.
The five-story bell-tower is erected in the epistle side and pierced with open arches with balustrades. Its columns terminate in pinnacles.
Celebration
The feast of St. Rose of Lima is held every last Saturday of August that the town celebrates in Siloy Festival, so named after the indigenous bird Black Shama (Copsychus cebuensis) called siloy that is known by its blue plumage and singsong voice.
Services
Baptism is held after the 10:00 AM Mass every Sunday.
The parish office is open from 8:30 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon daily.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Santa Rosa de Lima Church in Alcoy, Cebu from May 12, 2025 to May 18, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Alcoy.
Monday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 4:00-5:00 PM (Cemetery)
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Thursday
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Friday
- 5:15-6:15 PM
- First Friday of the month 4:00 PM (Hora Santa then Mass)
Saturday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Poblacion & Atabay)
- 8:15-9:15 AM (Pugalo & Daanglungsod - FB Live)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (San Agustin & Guiwang)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Poblacion & Pasol)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Santa Rosa de Lima Church in Alcoy, Cebu |
| Address | Poblacion, Alcoy, Cebu 6023 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (032) 483 9163, 0917 153 5850 |
| stroseoflimaparish1890@yahoo.com | |
| web.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1890 |
| Age | 135 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District III – Southeast Cebu |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of San Guillermo de Aquitania |
| Patron | St. Rose of Lima |
| Feast day | Last Saturday of August |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1925 |
| Age since completed | 100 years |
| Style | Gothic |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of the Consolation Parish Church in Manlapay, Dalaguete, Cebu
- San Guillermo de Aquitania Church in Dalaguete, Cebu
- San Isidro Labrador Church, Nug-as, Alcoy, Cebu
- San Isidro Labrador Parish Church in Mantalongon, Dalaguete, Cebu
- Sta. Monica Church in Cawayan, Dalaguete, Cebu
References
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Pepito, Charles R. (July 27, 2017). Cebu ready to push Nug-as forest reserve as eco-tourism destination. Business Mirror. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Aquino, Benigno III (August 25, 2012). Message of President Aquino to the Municipality of Alcoy, Cebu on the occasion of their Siloy Festival and Annual Fiesta, August 25, 2012. Official Gazette. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Jakosalem, Philip Godfrey C. and Paguntalan, Lisa Marie J (2007). Complementing Local Communities Biodiversity Conservation Initiatives ni Southern Cebu, Philippines. Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on July 20, 2022
- Virgilio Damayo. The History of Alcoy. Cebu City: The Provincial Government of Cebu. ISBN 978-971-9972-10-5. 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2022