St. Michael Cathedral | |
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Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel | |
Location in Luzon | |
17°05′16″N121°51′16″E / 17.0877°N 121.8545°E | |
Location | Gamu, Isabela |
Country | Philippines |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
History | |
Former name(s) | Saint Ferdinand Cathedral |
Status | Cathedral |
Founded | 1686, 2013 |
Founder(s) | Pedro Jimenez |
Dedication | Saint Michael the Archangel |
Past bishop(s) |
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Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Architectural type | Church building |
Specifications | |
Materials | Brick, sand, stone, gravel, cement, steel, concrete |
Administration | |
Province | Tuguegarao |
Metropolis | Tuguegarao |
Archdiocese | Tuguegarao |
Diocese | Ilagan (since 1970) |
Clergy | |
Archbishop | Ricardo L. Baccay |
Bishop(s) | David William V. Antonio |
The Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel, also known as Saint Michael Cathedral and formerly known as Saint Ferdinand Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the town of Gamu, in the province of Isabela, Philippines. Before the cathedral was built, the former seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan was located in Saint Ferdinand Proto-Cathedral in Barangay Bagumbayan, Ilagan, Isabela. [1]
Ilagan had its beginnings as an encomienda of Don Hernández de Paz circa 1617. The town was also founded as a mission of the Dominican priests called San Miguel de Bolo on April 21, 1619. After the revolt in 1621 by the inhabitants of Ilagan and the nearby towns of Naguilian and Baculud, nothing was written about the town’s history until it was re-founded by Pedro Jimenez in 1678. During that time, it was officially named as San Fernando de Ilagan. It was also formally accepted as a Dominican mission in March 1686. [2]
Records tell that the construction of the church of Ilagan started around 1696 to 1700. In 1777, Pedro de San Pedro started the construction of the belfry. Later on, the tower was completed by Joaquin Sancho in 1783, the date indicated in the clay inset found at the top of the tower. The church was recorded to have sustained heavy damages during a typhoon in 1866. It was torn down by the parish priest in the hopes of erecting a new structure. The current church structure is no longer the old stone structure erected in the Spanish-era. [2] Only the tower remains intact. On April 22, 2024, a fire started from the roof of the 300-year old church which destroyed most of its interior. [3] [4]
The current cathedral was built in 2000. [5] In 2003, the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan was transferred from the Saint Ferdinand Parish Church to a new Church in Barangay Upi, in the town of Gamu. In 2013, Pope Francis decreed that the cathedral be dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel although the diocese remains under the patronage of Saint Ferdinand of Castile. [1]
Isabela, officially the Province of Isabela, is the second largest province in the Philippines in land area located in the Cagayan Valley. Its capital and the largest local government unit is the city of Ilagan. It is bordered by the provinces of Cagayan to the north, Kalinga to the northwest, Mountain Province to the central-west, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya to the southwest, Quirino, Aurora and the independent city of Santiago to the south, and the Philippine Sea to the east.
Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan, is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 158,218 people making it the most populous city in the province and the second most-populous in Cagayan Valley after Tuguegarao. As of 2022, it also had the most number of voters in the province with 101,050 electorates.
Palanan, officially the Municipality of Palanan, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. It also served as the final capital of the First Philippine Republic from 1900 until the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo by the Americans during the Philippine-American War in 1901. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,684 people.
Santiago, officially the City of Santiago, is a 1st class independent component city in the Cagayan Valley region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 148,580 people.
Alicia, officially the Municipality of Alicia, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 73,874 people.
Echague, officially the Municipality of Echague, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 88,410 people. The town is known for the indigenous and endangered Yogad language, which is spoken and conserved by its locals.
Gamu, officially the Municipality of Gamu, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 30,655 people.
Naguilian, officially the Municipality of Naguilian, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,788 people.
Tumauini, officially the Municipality of Tumauini, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 70,743 people.
Bayombong, officially the Municipality of Bayombong, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 67,714 people.
The Archdiocese of Cebu is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines and one of the ecclesiastical provinces of the Catholic Church in the country. It is composed of the entire civil province of Cebu. The jurisdiction, Cebu, is considered as the fount of Christianity in the Far East.
The Diocese of San Pablo is a Roman Catholic diocese which is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Manila. Its patron saint or titular is Paul the First Hermit, the only one in the world dedicated to him.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ilagan is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Philippines. It was erected on 31 January 1970 from territory of the then Roman Catholic Diocese of Tuguegarao and it covers the entire civil Province of Isabela. It is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuguegarao.
Saint Dominic de Guzman Cathedral, commonly known as Bayombong Cathedral, is an 18th-century, Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. Salvacion, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines. The cathedral, which is the seat of the Diocese of Bayombong, is under the patronage of Saint Dominic and was originally founded in 1739 by the Augustinian Friars of Spain.
Saint Michael the Archangel Parish Church, commonly known as Orion Church, is a 16th-century, Baroque Roman Catholic church located at Brgy. San Vicente, Orion, Bataan, Philippines. The parish church, dedicated to Saint Michael, the Archangel, is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Balanga. A marker bearing the brief history of the structure has been installed in its façade by the National Historical Committee, precursor of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. The current priest of the parish church is Fr. Abraham SP. Pantig.
The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang, commonly known as Our Lady of Guibang Shrine, is a Roman Catholic parish church and pilgrimage site situated at Brgy. Guibang, Gamu, Isabela, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Ilagan. The shrine is consecrated to the pilgrim image of Blessed Virgin Mary of Guibang.
The Our Lady of the Visitation of Guibang, is a 20th-century Roman Catholic icon enshrined in the town of Gamu in the province of Isabela, Philippines. It is considered to be one of the most venerated Marian images in northern Philippines. The statue was Episcopally Crowned by the Most Rev. Carmine Rocco, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines on 26 May 1973. As closing of the Diocesan Marian Congress of that same year. The Coronation was held at St. Ferdinand College, beside the St. Ferdinand Cathedral in Ilagan, Isabela.
Saint Rose of Lima Parish Church, commonly known as Gamu Church, is a Roman Catholic church located in Gamu, Isabela, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Ilagan.
Saint Ferdinand Parish Church, also known as the Proto-Cathedral of Ilagan, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Barangay Bagumbayan in Ilagan, the capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. The cathedral used to be the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Ilagan until it was transferred to the Cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel in the neighboring town of Gamu in 2003.