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{{Short description|Roman Catholic cathedral in Ilocos Sur, Philippines}}{{Use Philippine English|date=March 2023}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}

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| native_name_lang = es| image = Allan Jay Quesada- DSC 0465 St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, Vigan City.jpgFaçade prior to the 2022 Luzon earthquake>July 2022 earthquake| pushpin map = Luzon#Philippines| pushpin label position = left| pushpin map alt = | map caption = 17.574843120.388841region:PH-00_type:landmarkdisplay=inline,title}}| location = Vigan, Ilocos Sur| country = Philippines| denomination = Roman Catholic| tradition = | previous denomination = | churchmanship = | membership = | attendance = | website = | bull date = | founded date = | founder = | dedication = Saint Paul| dedicated date = | consecrated date = | cult = Alfredo Verzosa>Servant of God Alfredo Verzosa| events = | past bishop = | people = | status = Cathedral| functional status = Active| heritage designation = | designated date = | architect = | architectural type = Church building| style = RenaissanceEarthquake Baroque| groundbreaking = 1790| completed date = 1800| construction cost = | closed date = | demolished date = 2022 (partial due to earthquake)| bells = 7| tower quantity = 1| length = | width = | width nave = | height = | diameter = | other dimensions = | floor count = | floor area = | materials = | parish = St. Paul the ApostleArchdiocese of Nueva Segovia>Nueva SegoviaArchdiocese of Nueva Segovia>Nueva SegoviaArchdiocese of Nueva Segovia>Nueva Segovia| diocese = | deanery = St. Paul the Apostle| archbishop = Marlo Mendoza Peralta| bishop = | rector = Msgr. Gary Formoso| priestincharge = | priest = Fr. Ram Jaramillo Rigunay Fr. Marlon Belmonte| asstpriest = | embedded =

factoids

(ii), (iv)| ID = 502rev| year = 1999}}}}The Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of the Conversion of Saint Paul, commonly known as Vigan Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. It contains Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia cathedra. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site declaration for the Historic Town of Vigan in 1999.WEB, Historic Town of Vigan,weblink UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 3 April 2015,

History

File:Cathedral of Vigan PHC historical marker.jpg|thumb|left|Cathedral PHC historical marker]]When Juan de Salcedo came to Vigan, he renamed the town to Villa Fernandina in honor of the young son of King Philip II. Upon the orders of Salcedo in 1574, the first temporary church of Vigan was built out of wood and thatch.{{harvnb|National Historical Institute|1993|p=88}}{{harvnb|Dela Torre|2006|p=153}} With Salcedo is Augustinian priest Alonso de Alvarado who first attempted to Christianize the Ilocos region. The need to construct a permanent church and convent in Vigan was decided by the Augustinian Chapter on April 30, 1575. It became the first parish in Northern Luzon.{{harvnb|Dela Torre|2006|p=2}} The plans to construct the church failed since in 1577, the Augustinians vacated Ilocos. The Franciscans then came to Ilocos with Father Sebastian de Baesa as priest of Vigan. In 1591, the supervision was transferred to the secular clergy. Father Gabriel dela Cruz became the first secular priest of Vigan until 1598. When the Augustinians returned to Ilocos in 1586, they also handled Vigan alternately with the secular clergy. On February 14, 1622, Vigan was officially transferred from the Augustinians to the secular.{{harvnb|Dela Torre|2006|p=154}} The first church was built in 1641 and was damaged by earthquake in 1619 and 1627. A third church was burned in 1739. Upon the request of then Bishop Juan de la Fuente Yepes, the seat of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia was transferred from Lal-lo, Cagayan to Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan (present-day Vigan) through a ceremonial procession on September 7, 1758.WEB, Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia,weblink CBCP Online, 3 April 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150923201112weblink">weblink 23 September 2015, dmy-all, With the transfer of the seat of the Diocese, the church of Vigan became a cathedral on that same year. Governor General Jose de Basco ordered the establishment of a new church in 1786. The fourth and present-day church was built from 1790 to 1800 under the Augustinians.WEB, St. Paul's Cathedral,weblink Vigan.ph, 3 April 2015, It was occupied by the revolutionists under Colonel Juan Villamor in 1896 and by the American forces under Lieutenant Colonel James Parker in 1899.On July 27, 2022, the church was damaged by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit parts of Luzon.NEWS, 2022-07-27, Magnitude-7 Earthquake Hits Philippines' Main Island, en, Bloomberg.com,weblink 2022-07-27, NEWS, Sadongdong, Martin, July 27, 2022, Strong Abra quake damages Vigan Cathedral, Bantay Bell Tower in Ilocos Sur, Manila Bulletin,weblink live, July 27, 2022,weblink July 27, 2022, 3 hours after the earthquake, the Cathedral's rector and parish priest Msgr. Gary Noel S. Formoso announced its temporary closure through the Cathedral's official Facebook page, with its reopening upon the advice from structural engineers on its safety for future use.WEB,weblink ANNOUNCEMENT, Vigan Cathedral, Facebook, 27 July 2022, 3 August 2022, live,weblink 3 September 2022, A week after the earthquake, the Vigan City LGU began implementing a color coding scheme that will assess the structural integrity and safety of the city's buildings; due to extensive damage,NEWS, Pardilla, Cleizl, 4 August 2022, NHCP at iba pang ahensiya ng pamahalaan, ininspeksiyon ang 2 historical landmarks sa Vigan City..., NHCP and other government agencies inspected the 2 historical landmarks of Vigan City...,weblink Natuklap ang entrada ng simbahan, may mga malalaking bitak sa loob ng katedral, wasak at gumuho ang ilang bahagi ng biga ng simbahan, bumagsak naman ang ilang imahen., Filipino, Ulat Bayan, People's Television Network, PTV, Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, 5 August 2022, both the Cathedral and the adjacent Vigan City Bell Tower were placed under the highest level of "Code Red": the affected structures were closed and cordoned off, all functions and activities within were temporarily ceased, and the surrounding areas were placed off-limits to the general public.NEWS, Pardilla, Cleizl, 3 August 2022, Vigan Cathedral at Vigan City Bell tower, kabilang sa mga inilagay sa Code Red kung saan hindi..., Vigan Cathedral and Vigan City Bell Tower among those placed under Code Red where it is not...,weblink Filipino, Sentro Balita, People's Television Network, PTV, Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines, 3 August 2022, INTERVIEW, Singson, Jose "Bonito" C. Jr., Cleizl Pardilla, Vigan LGU, nagpatupad ng color coding sa pagtukoy ng mga establisimyentong ligtas..., Vigan LGU implements color coding to identify establishments that are safe..., Filipino, Ulat Bayan, 3 August 2022, People's Television Network, PTV, Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines,weblink 3 August 2022,

Architecture and design

File:Nave of St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral, Vigan, Ilocos Sur.jpg|thumb|left|Cathedral navenaveThe church is predominantly in Earthquake Baroque style with large buttresses on its side. It also has Neo-Gothic, Romanesque and Chinese inspired embellishments. In its interior are silver-paneled main altar, three naves, 12 minor altars and brass communion handrails. Each pillar has a painting of each of the Twelve Apostles. Located south of the cathedral is the Vigan City Bell Tower, a separate {{convert|25|m|ft}} bell tower with a square base and an octagonal form, with a weather vane on top in the form of a rooster, which symbolizes Saint Peter. 7 bells are hung and 5 can be seen outside. Two big bells can be found inside. Located beside the cathedral is the Palacio de Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia, the only remaining Spanish colonial era Archbishop's Palace in the Philippines, and which still retains its original function as the official residence of the archbishop of Nueva Segovia (though his private quarters are housed outside); WEB,weblink Blood, sweat, and dreams: The Palacio de Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia, Torres, Judith, 21 September 2019, BluPrint, One MEGA Group, Inc., Philippines, 5 August 2022, the palace also houses a chapel usually open to the public, the archdiocesan archives, and an ecclesiastical museum which includes the palace's original throne room and artifacts from various churches in Ilocos Sur. The church also contains remains of former bishops of the Diocese of Nueva Segovia, as well as the remains of Ilocano poet Leona Florentino (she and her husband Elias de los Reyes' grave marker can be seen on a column near the side door facing Plaza Burgos).

Other burials

• Alfredo Verzosa- (9 December 1877 - 27 June 1954) was the fourth native Filipino to be elevated as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and the first from Northern Luzon – the first Ilocano. He founded the Congregation of the Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Heart (MCSH). His cause for beatification is currently underway, having been declared Servant of God by Pope Benedict XVI.

Gallery

File:Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish of the Conversion of Saint Paul (Vigan Metropolitan Cathedral) - Vigan City, Ilocos Sur - Altar.jpg|The retable of the Cathedral in 2024 after refurbishmentFile:SIDEALTAR CATHEDRAL.jpg|The right retable of the cathedral dedicated to the Our Lady of the Most Holy RosaryFile:SIDEALTAR LEFTOFCATHEDRAL.jpg|The left retable dedicated to the Black NazareneFile:The Great Bell of Vigan Cathedral.jpg|The biggest bell of Vigan Cathedral

References

{{reflist}}

Bibliography

• BOOK, Dela Torre, Visitacion, The Ilocos Heritage, 2006, Tower Book House, Makati City, 978-971-91030-9-7,
• BOOK, Historical Markers: Regions I-IV and CAR, National Historical Institute (Philippines), 1993, 971-538-061-1, Manila, fil, 88,weblink {{harvid, National Historical Institute, 1993, 124, }}

External links

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• {{Facebook|TheViganCathedralOfficial}}

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia}}