Sto. Niño Church is an old Roman Catholic Church that is located in Poro, part of the Camotes Islands in northern Cebu, Philippines. Known as the first and thus the oldest parish established in Camotes, it is also called Sto. Niño Parish Church – Camotes or Poro Church.
Table of Contents
History
One of the earliest historical documents about Poro was in the chronicle written by Antonio Pigafetta, explorer and scholar who joined Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition. It was mentioned along with the islands that are now known as Pacijan (part of the town of San Francisco) and Ponson (of present-day towns of Pilar and Tudela). In 1701, it was established as a town.
In Hispanic times, Poro’s mother parish was Mandaue Church. On December 14, 1847, its status was elevated to a parish. In turn, it became the mother parish of the church of San Francisco and church of Pilar. The stone church was constructed in 1884.
Architecture
Cornices divide the facade into two horizontal levels and its unembellished pediment. The lower level has four pairs of pilasters of plain capitals and delineated bases, thus creating three sections. The frieze above it are decorated with a sequence of reliefs of motifs (one a circle The entrance door is in the middle section and rectilinear. It is flanked by rectangular windows that are adorned with a circular relief. The niche of the patron is centrally located in the upper register, again flanked by windows. The four-story bell tower stands in the epistle side of the church. It is adorned by arched windows enclosed in rectangles and crosses and capped with a dome.
Celebration
The feast of Sto. Niño is held every January 16th in a celebration called Tagbo Festival.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Sto. Niño Church in Poro, Cebu 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 Poro.
Monday
- No mass schedule found.
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Thursday
- No mass schedule found.
Friday
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Saturday
- 6:30-7:30 AM
Sunday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sto. Niño Church in Poro, Cebu |
| Other Names | Poro Church |
| Address | Poro, Camotes Islands, Cebu |
| Country | Philippines |
| stoninoparish79@gmail.com | |
| web.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | December 14, 1847 |
| Age | 178 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District I - Metro Cebu North |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception |
| Patron | Sto. Niño |
| Feast day | January 16 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 1884 |
| Age since completed | 141 years |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Tudela, Cebu
- San Jose Church in San Francisco, Cebu
- San Roque Parish Church in Consuelo, San Francisco, Cebu
- St. Francis Xavier Church in Pilar, Cebu
References
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved July 6, 2022
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on July 6, 2022
- The Lost Niño. The Freeman. January 18, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2022
- TOWN’S DESCRIPTION. Municipality of San Francisco Camotes, GOV.PH. Retrieved July 6, 2022
- Pigafetta, Antonio. The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XXXIII. Translator James Alexander Robertson. Project Gutenberg, June 5, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2022
- Rivera, Carlo (January 25, 2015). The “Tagbo” Festival. The Freeman. Retrieved via PressReader on July 6, 2022
- Tan, Marlinda Angbetic (October 27, 2007). Suroy Suroy Sugbo: Camotes By Marlinda Angbetic Tan. The Freeman. Retrieved July 7, 2022
- Bersales, Jobers (December 16, 2019). Mactang, Camotes and the feeling of ‘Here We Go Again!’. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved July 7, 2022