Saint Francis of Assisi Church is an old Roman Catholic Church constructed in Baroque style in Balamban, a northwestern town of the province of Cebu, Philippines. It is also referred to as Balamban Church.
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History
St. Francis of Asisi is the patron of Balamban Church. It became a parish in 1857, becoming independent from the mother parish of Jinulauan, now the parish of Toledo.
Architecture
The church’s facade is characterized by slender, dramatic columns that bloom into foliage at their capital. A porte-cochere is made up of two such columns flanked by twin piers on singular plinths terminating in sharp, pointed finials.
The entablature is decorated with ornamental reliefs and at the center is an imagery of a lamb, above which is an exquisite relief depicting two winged figures kneeling and their heads bowed before a monstrance.
The parapet has balustrade, and it rises in the center with finials standing on either side of a voluted niche of a monstrance flanked by kneeling angels.
Entering the church is the portico of an arcade of three arches with corresponding pilasters similarly decorated. The entrance leads to vestibule. The puerta mayor is an archway flanked by twin, fluted, rectilinear pilasters of simpler capitals.
In the upper register of the entrance is an arch window with balustrade flanked by rose windows. On either side of the portico is an arch window with tracery, a rose window, and on the roof the two-level, quadrilateral belfry, pierced with balustraded arches and capped with finials and dome.
Celebration
The feast of St. Francis is celebrated in October 4th, and the fiesta in Balamban is called Lingaw Sadya Festival.
Services
The Holy Hour is dedicated every first Friday of the month after the 5:15 PM mass.
Every first Saturday of the month, the Holy Rosary is heard at 4:30 early morning followed by the Mass at 5:30 in the morning.
The parish office is opened from 8:00 in the morning until noon. After about an hour of lunch break, it is opened again from 1:15 to 5:00 in the afternoon.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Balamban, Cebu from September 2, 2024 to September 8, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Balamban.
Monday
- 5:15-6:15 PM (FB Live)
Tuesday
- 5:15-6:15 PM (FB Live)
Wednesday
- 5:15-6:15 PM (FB Live)
Thursday
- 5:15-6:15 PM (FB Live)
Friday
- 5:15-6:15 PM (FB Live)
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM (Anticipated Mass - FB Live)
Sunday
- 5:00-6:30 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM (FB Live)
- 10:30-11:30 AM
- 3:00-4:00 PM
- 4:00-5:00 PM (FB Live)
- 6:00-7:00 PM
Church information
Details | |
---|---|
Name | Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Balamban, Cebu |
Other Names | Balamban Church |
Address | E.S. Binghay St., Brgy. Sta. Cruz, Balamban, Cebu 6041 |
Country | Philippines |
Contact | (032) 520 5144 |
sfrancida_1004@hotmail.com | |
web.facebook.com | |
Religion | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1857 |
Age | 167 years |
Status | Parish |
Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
District | District V – Northwest Cebu |
Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Francis of Asisi |
Patron | Saint Francis of Assisi |
Feast day | October 4 |
Architecture | |
Completed | Post-war |
Style | Baroque |
Nearby Churches
- Holy Family Parish Church in Luca, Balamban, Cebu
- San Roque Church in Asturias, Cebu
- San Vicente Ferrer Parish Church in Buanoy, Balamban, Cebu
References
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187.
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu. Retrieved June 20, 2022
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on June 20, 2022
- Lingaw-Sadya Festival: Municipality of Balamban. Cebu Provincial Tourism Office. Provincial Government of Cebu. Facebook. Retrieved June 20, 2022
- USJ-R Correspondent (July 27, 2019). USJ-R de Balamban joins Lingaw Sadya Festival. Agustinos Recoletos. Retrieved June 20, 2022
- Oaminal, Clarence Paul (January 26, 2018). The Vicariate of Western Cebu (Part 2). The Freeman. July 19, 2022