St. Nicholas de Tolentino Church is a 19th-century, heritage church located in the town of Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines. It is also called St. Nicholas of Tolentino Parish Church, Simbahan ng Dauin or Dauin Church.
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History
The church in Dauin was declared a parish in 1820 in the care of the secular clergy. In 1857, the Augustinian Recollects assumed administration of the church and Fr. Manuel Navarro, O.A.R. was appointed as its parish priest. He initiated the construction of the church, and it was continued and completed by Fr. Manuel Cabriada who served between 1867 and 1874. In the succeeding years, it was reconstructed by Fr. Tomas Gonzales who also built the convent.
The Recollects left at the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution and the secular clergy took over. The Recollects once again returned in 1912 until 1969 when the parish was turned over to the diocese. In addition, the church caught fire in 1943 and repairs were made in 1951.
News revealed that the NHCP alloted multimillion-peso budget in 2018 for its restoration along with San Isidro Labrado Church in Lazi, Siquijor and Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. The restoration and turn-over of the church back to the Diocese of Dumaguete.
Heritage
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines declared Dauin Church as Heritage Church and a Level II marker was installed on August 29, 2019.
Architecture
Dauin Church’s facade is assymetrical with a bell tower installed in its epistle corner. Its unique characteristics are the dentilations running along the horizontal moldings and decorative Ionic columns. It also has a slender pediment, rising above and having the same dimension with the section containing the church’s entrance. The pediment features a triangle that represents the Holy Trinity, below which is an arch window that is flanked by attached columns, church walls cut in the shape of a volute, and finials.
The lower register of the facade are sparse of decorations and an arch portal flanked by paired and single columns. Panels created by the columns are empty except for rectangular spaces.
The bell tower on the other hand reflects the dentils, paired columns, and empty rectangles of the facade. Starting at the rooftop, the steeple stands into four tiers, each decreasing in dimension the higher the level is in terms of elevation. It culminates into octagonal two-level beflries of round and arch apertures, and a conical roof.
Celebration
The feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentino falls on September 10 in a celebration called Kinaiyahan Festival.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Nicholas de Tolentino Church in Dauin, Negros Oriental 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 Dauin.
Monday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
Tuesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
Wednesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
Thursday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
Friday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
Saturday
- 6:00-7:00 AM (Cebuano)
- 6:30-7:30 PM (English - Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 6:30-7:30 AM (Facebook Live)
- 8:30-9:30 AM (Facebok Live)
- 11:00-12:00 NN (Facebook Live)
- 4:30-5:30 PM (Facebook Live)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Nicholas de Tolentino Church in Dauin, Negros Oriental |
| Other Names | St. Nicholas of Tolentino Parish Church, Simbahan ng Dauin, Dauin Church |
| Address | Poblacion District 2, Dauin, 6217 Negros Oriental |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 0997 309 9496, 424-0344 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1820 |
| Age as parish | 205 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Dumaguete |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. John |
| Patron | St. Nicholas of Tolentino |
| Feast day | September 10 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | 1874 |
| Age since completed | 151 years |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of the Abandoned Church in Valencia, Negros Oriental
- San Nicolas de Tolentino Church in Magsaysay, Dauin, Negros Oriental
- St. Augustine of Hippo Church in Bacong, Negros Oriental
- St. Ezekiel Moreno Quasi-Parish Church in Caidiocan, Valencia, Negros Oriental
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental
- St. Vincent Ferrer Quasi Parish Church in Apo Island, Dauin, Negros Oriental
References
- Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. (December 31, 2020). Augustinian Recollect Legacy to the Church in Negros Island. Philippine Social Science Journal. Retrieved January 20, 2023
- Simbahan ng Dauin. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. November 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2023
- Raffy. Cabristante. P38-M NHCP project to restore 3 churches in Negros Oriental, Siquijor. GMA News Online. August 15, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2023
- NHCP turns over government-funded restored churches. Sunstar Dumaguete. August 29, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2023