St. Blaise Church is a Roman Catholic church and a popular pilgrimage site located in Sebaste, Antique, Philippines. Its patron is also locally known as Señor San Blas and believed to be miraculous by many devotees.
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History
The old name of Sebaste was Ipayo after the river that runs through the settlement. It was renamed to Sebaste after the hometown of its patron saint St. Blaise, Sebastea, the present-day city of Sivas in Turkey.
In the past, it belonged to the jurisdiction of the municipality of Pandan According to some accounts Sebaste used to be a town during the colonial period, but it was struck by disasters and suffered heavily that it was demoted to a village.
Towards the end of the Spanish era its church was established on August 25, 1897. Augustinian friar Fr. Domingo Carrera was its first parish priest. Many attributed its recovery and eventual progress to St. Blaise, who upon being installed as the patron saint the situation in the settlement remarkably improved.
It separated from Pandan and became an independent town pursuant to Executive Order No. 99 issued by President Diosdado Macapagal on September 26, 1964. However, the executive issuance was nullified by the Supreme Court and the town became a mere village annexed to Pandan. Finally, its municipal status was reinstated by virtue of Republic Act No. 4870 that was approved on May 8, 1967.
Today, St. Blaise Church is a pilgrim site for the devotion of the saint. Devotees flock to the church particularly during his feast day on February 3 every year to ask for favors, for healing of illnesses, and for intercession for aid during calamities.
The image of the patron was installed by Fr. Mariano Vicente Zapata, then the parish priest of Pandan Parish Church, and it was a gift given by his mother. A tradition of palapak is observed by devotees, where one kneels and the statue of the saint is placed over one’s head. Another is pahid where handkerchiefs are rubbed on the miraculous image and then these are touched on the parts of the body that need healing.
Architecture
The church’s facade is made of stipple wall bounded by pilasters and embellished by sawtooth trim, spires, and budded crosses. A lunette of glazed glass is installed above the main doorway, which is provided shade by a barrel-vault ceiling. The pediment is pierced with a rose window bearing a cross motif on its glass pane. The bell tower is found in the epistle side.
Celebration
The feast day of St. Blaise is February 3.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of St. Blaise Church in Sebaste, Antique from November 18, 2024 to November 24, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Sebaste.
Monday
- No mass schedule found.
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- No mass schedule found.
Thursday
- No mass schedule found.
Friday
- No mass schedule found.
Saturday
- No mass schedule found.
Sunday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | St. Blaise Church in Sebaste, Antique |
| Address | Sebaste, Antique 5709 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1897 |
| Age | 127 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Diocese | Diocese of San Jose de Antique |
| Vicariate | Northern Vicariate |
| Patron | St. Blaise |
| Feast day | February 3 |
| Architecture | |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Semirara, Caluya, Antique
- San Antonio de Padua Church in Caluya, Antique
- St. Francis Xavier Church in Patria, Pandan, Antique
- St. Michael the Archangel Church in Culasi, Antique
- St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Libertad, Antique
- St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Pandan, Antique
References
- Diocese of San Jose de Antique. Retrieved December 28, 2023
- Executive Order No. 99, s. 1964. Official Gazette of the Philippines. September 26, 1964. Retrieved December 28, 2023
- Sebaste. Provincial Government of Antique. Retrieved December 28, 2023
- REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4870, May 08, 1967. Supreme Court of the Philippines. Retrieved December 28, 2023