Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church is a 19th-century Roman Catholic church and heritage church located along the major thoroughfare in Poblacion Pardo, an urban barangay a few kilometers south of Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines.
Table of Contents
History
Pardo Church was part of San Nicolas Parish and became an independent parish on April 10, 1866. A church that existed in those times was in a state of disrepair that by 1877, Spanish architect Domingo de Escondrillas submitted a Byzantine-style church as proposal for the construction of a new church.
It was built between 1880 and 1893 with Fr. Manuel Ibeas at the helm. It underwent repairs in 1912 during the administration of Fr. Venerado Reynes.
A 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Central Visayas on October 15, 2013 that caused damage to the church. Financial aid from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and donations from the public funded its restoration works particularly the belfry and foundations.
The newly-restored church was inaugurated in 2016 in time for its 150-year anniversary since its founding as a parish.
Heritage
The church is recognized as a heritage structure. National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a Level II historical marker on July 11, 2016.
Architecture
It may not be quite apparent but the church sits on a hilltop just like the Carcar Church and Minglanilla Church. It used to be the highest structure in the olden days. Upon approaching the entrance, one can see a relief of the all-seeing Eye of Providence (symbolized by an eye enclosed in a triangle representing the Trinity, which is surrounded by twelve stars that represent the 12 tribes of Israel) circumscribed in a circle up high in the frontispiece. Also inscribed in the circle are what look like leaves of quatrefoil motif. Below the symbol is an emblem of the Augustinian religious order.
The central facade is a quadrilateral-shaped bell tower that rises from the ground up to five stories high. The entrance on the ground is a portico and pilasters stand up to the first three stories, culminating in a balcony of open arches. The upper two floors is a steeple of blind and open arches, a belfry, and a spire crowned by a cross. Flanking the bell tower are two round domed towers, perhaps one of the church’s distinctive characteristics.
Celebration
Parish Church holds the feast of St. Thomas of Villanueva, known as the Father of the Poor, on the 22nd of September annually.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Pardo, Cebu City 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 Cebu City.
Monday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Tuesday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Wednesday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Thursday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Friday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Saturday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:30-7:30 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM
- 9:30-10:30 AM
- 2:30-3:30 PM
- 4:00-5:00 PM
- 5:30-6:30 PM
- 7:00-8:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Pardo, Cebu City |
| Other Names | Pardo Church, Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva |
| Address | Natalio B. Bacalso Avenue, Poblacion Pardo, Cebu City 6000 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | (032) 272 6162, (032) 416 3575 |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | April 10, 1866 |
| Age as parish | 158 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| District | District II - Metro Cebu South |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of Sto. Niño |
| Patron | St. Thomas of Villanueva |
| Feast day | September 22 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Age since completed | 131 years |
| Architect | Domingo de Escondrillas |
| Builder | Fr. Manuel Ibeas |
| Style | Latin-Byzantine |
Nearby Churches
- Archdiocesan Shrine of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in Cebu City
- Archdiocesan Shrine of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Cebu City
- Archdiocesan Shrine of San Roque in Cebu City
- Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Arnold Janssen in Cebu City
- Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod in Cebu City
- Holy Cross Parish Church in Basak, Cebu City
- Mary Help of Christians Church in Cebu City
- Our Lady of Consolation Church in Talisay, Cebu
- San Lorenzo Parish Church in Cebu City
- Sto. Niño Church in Pasil, Cebu City
- Virgen de los Remedios Church in Labangon, Cebu City
References
- Simbahan ng Pardo. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Retrieved May 23, 2022
- Pardo Church. Heritage Conservation Society. January 2, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2022
- Pardo Church. Filipinas Heritage Library. Retrieved May 23, 2022
- A Brief Description of the Churches of Pardo and Naga. LaGuadalupana. October 14, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2022
- Pardo church fixed 3 years after quake. Sunstar. April 14, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2022
- Jose, Regalado Trota. Simbahan: Church art in colonial Philippines, 1565-1898. Ayala Museum. January 1, 1991.
- St. Thomas of Villanova and his Traditional Feast. Augustinians Philippines. September 21, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2022
- Galende, Pedro G (1987). Angels in Stone: Architecture of Augustinian Churches in the Philippines. G.A. Formoso Pub.
- 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 12, 2022
- Gabii sa Kabilin Guide: Forging Peoples. Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. May 27, 2016. Retrieved via Issuu on July 8, 2022
- Elizaga, Troy. The Formation of Towns and Parishes in Cebu, Philippines. Retrieved via Academia on July 20, 2022