San Roque Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the municipality of Cordova, which is in the southeastern tip of Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines and south of Lapulapu City. It is also called Cordova Church.
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History
What is known today as Cordova was the result of unifying areas of Gabi, Day-as and Pilipog collectively as a jurisdiction separate from Opon. Its name was derived from Cordoba, a Moorish city in Spain.
In 1898, however, it was annexed to Opon due to unsuccessful attempt in running the new town independently. A decade after, it called for a secession that was granted by the Philippine Assembly.
Bernardo Nuñez, whose name is memorialized in a street named after him, was selected as municipal president in an inaugural meeting attended by Speaker Sergio Osmeña, Sr., Governor Manuel Roa, and officials from Opon.
In the past, San Roque Church’s mother parish is the church in Opon (currently, Lapulapu City). It gained parochial status on October 8, 1864. The Order of Augustinian Recollects administered the parish in the beginning, starting with Fr. Jose Salazar, OAR as the first parish priest. In 1909, its administration passed to the Redemptorists and to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart since 1939.
An early house of worship was constructed from tabique pampango, nipa, and coral stones that was constructed in 1864. The construction of the stone church began during the term of Fr. Lucas Incon, a secular priest, who served between 1924 and 1933.
Architecture
Renovations done throughout the history of the Cordova Church made much of it contemporary in style. It combines architecturally Moorish and Gothic elements.
Its facade is designed as porte-cochere. It has four Corinthian columns that are fluted and topped with peaks made of minor fluted pier and bulbous spire, dividing the facade as well as the pediments into three sections and where the middle section is wider than the other two.
On the ground floor is an arcade made of three contiguous arches. Above the arches are clover-shaped windows bearing cherub-like figures. Each of the three pediments is a pointed arch whose outline is embellished with acanthus leaves.
On each pediment is a relief of a particular icon: the center has the coat of arms of the Holy See, the gospel side the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the epistle side the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The entrance and twin bell-towers flanking San Roque Church are recessed. The entrance is composed of three pointed arched doors, the primary portal being wider and flanked by narrower twin entrance doors.
On the wooden puerta mayor is a relief carving of the saint surrounded by dogs. St. Roque of Montpellier, France is also the patron of dogs. The bell towers are made of arches with tracery and decorated by squares containing wreaths and quatrefoil decors. The belfry is pierced by a pair of arched openings with metal grills and capped by pyramidal roofs.
Celebration
The feast of St. Rock of Montpellier is held in August 16 every year and the local government unit commemorates the life and works of the saint as well as local culture in Dinagat Festival.
Services
Baptism is scheduled every 11:00 in the morning during Sundays. An appointment is necessary to arrange for blessing of one’s dwelling. Blessing of vehicles may be done after the Mass, simply approach or talk to the priest or any of the altar servers.
The parish office is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Roque Church in Cordova, 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 Cordova.
Monday
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Tuesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Wednesday
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Thursday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Friday
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Every first Saturday of the month)
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Sunday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Cebuano)
- 8:00-9:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
- 4:00-5:00 PM (Cebuano)
- 6:00-7:00 PM (English)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Roque Church in Cordova, Cebu |
| Other Names | Cordova Church |
| Address | Bernardo Nuñez St., Poblacion, Cordova, Cebu 6017 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (032) 266 3530 |
| roque.san.2020@gmail.com | |
| web.facebook.com | |
| YouTube | m.youtube.com |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1864 |
| Age | 161 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District I - Metro Cebu North |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Nuestra Señora Virgen de Regla |
| Patron | Saint Roch of Montpellier |
| Feast day | August 16 |
| Religious order | Missionaries of the Sacred Heart |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1933 |
| Age since completed | 92 years |
| Style | Gothic |
Nearby Churches
- Nuestra Señora Virgen de Regla Parish and National Shrine in Lapulapu City, Cebu
- Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church in Pusok, Lapulapu City
- Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish Church in Marigondon, Lapulapu City
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish Church in Babag 1, Lapulapu City
- Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church in Pajac, Lapulapu City
- St. Augustine Parish Church in Olango Island, Lapulapu City
- Sto. Niño de Cebu – Mactan Parish Church in Lapulapu City
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.
- Redondo, Felipe S. (1886). Breve reseña de lo que fue y de lo que es la Diócesis de Cebú en las Islas Filipinas. Establecimiento Tipográfico del Colegio de Sto. Tomás
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Cabatit-Alegre, Julie (September 19, 2010). Cordova’s best-kept secret. Philippine Star. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Mendoza, Norman V. (August 10, 2015). Street dance is crowd drawer at Dinagat Festival. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Cordova to hold 17th Dinagat Festival. SunStar. August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Sabanpan-Yu, Hope (December 2007). Cebuano Food Festivals: A Matter of Taste. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society , December 2007, Vol. 35, No. 4 pp. 384-392. University of San Carlos Publications. Retrieved June 15, 2022
- Cordova Church. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved June 16, 2022
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on July 20, 2022