San Jose Church, also called San Jose Placer Parish Church and Parroquia de San Jose de Placer, is a Roman Catholic church located in Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines.
The church is popular for the annual Dinagyang Festival in honor of Sto. Niño every January and the image of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. It is also one of the few parishes under the administration of the Order of the Augustinians.
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History
The Jesuits followed the Augustinian missionaries to spread Catholicism to the people in Panay. Arriving as chaplains, they were invited by encomendero Esteban Rodriguez de Figuerora, the Jesuits led by Pedro Chirino arrived in Tigbauan. However, an expert opinion suggested that the Jesuits were in Suruaga, the present-day San Joaquin.
In 1607, they erected the first church in an area called Punta in present-day Iloilo City for Spanish military personnel. On April 29, 1617, the Augustinians founded San Jose and served until 1775 when it was given to the secular clergy.
In 1868, the Augustinian friars gave up the church in Jaro (presently Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral). In exchange, they were given the parishes of San Jose de Placer Church and Nuestra Señora de la Paz y BuenViaje Church in La Paz.
In 1873, Fr. Mauricio Blanco was assigned prior of the parish. He carried out repair works of an old church, but then he embarked on a plan to erect a stone church. Its design was inspired by the Miguelete Church in Valencia del Sid in Spain. The construction of the towers started in 1893.
By 1902, repairs were done by Fr. Manuel Diez. Further restoration was undertaken in 1945. The Americans did not drop bombs on San Jose de Placer Church at the height of the Second World War for they were told no Japanese forces took it as garrison. Renovation and laying of a marble floor were done from 1980 to 1982 by Fr. Gilbert Centina.
Architecture
San Jose Placer Church is described to be Renaissance with Greek influence. Its dominant color is deep red from the brick exterior, accented by wheat tone and white on cornices, pilasters, and apertures. Its pediment is hemmed by the belfries.
The belfries are four-bodied edifice with balustrade in the third level, with Ionic columns, and crowned by onion roof. On the base of the belfry in the gospel side is a clock while the opposing side had a round opening with glass pane. The pediment contains the niche of the patron.
The rest of the facade is a two-level church wall (horizontally) of rose and arch windows and six pilasters (vertically). The outermost sections contain arch windows. The innermost ones in the ground level contain three arch entryways above which are images of holy figures rendered in stained glass: (from left to right) Mary, Sto. Niño, and the patron. Below the Holy Child is a high relief containing a cartouche that circumscribes the words Iglesia San Jose (St. Joseph Church).
The beautiful interior of the church has two colonnades of fluted columns with composite capital supporting arches and a barrel vault over the main nave. The side naves have groin vault ceiling, and the clerestory of either walls are pierced with rose windows with stained glass depicting religious scenes. As the church is shaped into cross-like figure, a dome is located above the crossing.
Celebration
The feast of San Jose Placer Church is set every March 19.
Dinagyang Festival. The church is host to the popular yearly Dinagyang Festival in honor of Sto. Niño, a replica of the image installed in the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu. Coming from the Hiligaynon word dinagyang that means celebration, the festival traced its inspiration from the Ati-Atihan Festival in Aklan. In 1968, then parish priest Fr. Sulpicio Enderes O.S.A. brought the replica from Cebu. He was met with jubilation on the way to the parish by the Confradia del Santo Niño, Iloilo Chapter, a parochial group for the devotion of the Holy Child and the organizing committee of the festival.
The following year, in 1969, the first celebration was held. It was called Ati-Atihan Festival, just like the one held in Aklan. It also adopted sadsad, a folk dance where participants lacquer their face and body with black coat to signify an oral tradition that described how Malay settlers acquired the lowland areas of the island of Panay from the aboriginal people in pre-Hispanic period. In 1977, it was rebranded to Dinagyang Festival and its schedule was fixed in every fourth Sunday of January.
Nuestra Señora del Rosario. The church also houses the image of Nuestra Señora del Rosary (Our Lady of Rosary). It was discovered by Diego Quiñones on September 29, 1614. Then it was moved to the fort by Fr. Jeronimo Alvarado and Fr. Juan de Morales. It underwent repairs in 1873 and 1907.
Services
Baptism. Baptism is scheduled every Saturday at 11:00 in the morning. The pre-Jordan seminar is at 10:00 AM. Other schedules may be arranged by appointment.
Wedding. Regular wedding schedule is every Thursday at 7:00 in the morning and 5:00 in the afternoon. Mass wedding is every third Thursday of the month for indigent parishioners.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Jose Placer Church in Iloilo City, Iloilo from December 2, 2024 to December 8, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Iloilo City.
Monday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (English)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Hiligaynon)
Tuesday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (English)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Hiligaynon)
Wednesday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (English)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Hiligaynon)
Thursday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (English)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Hiligaynon)
Friday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (English)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (English - Sto. Niño Mass)
Saturday
- 7:00-8:00 AM (English)
- 5:15-6:15 PM (English - Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 5:30-6:30 AM (Hiligaynon)
- 7:00-8:00 AM (Hiligaynon)
- 8:30-9:30 AM (English)
- 10:00-11:00 AM (English)
- 2:30-3:30 PM (Hiligaynon)
- 4:00-5:00 PM (English)
- 5:30-6:30 PM (English)
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Jose Placer Church in Iloilo City, Iloilo |
| Address | #1 San Jose de Calasanz Street, Plaza Libertad, Iloilo City, Iloilo 5000 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | +63 33 336 4802 |
| sanjoseparishplacer@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Website | sanjosedeiloilo.info-aid.net |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1607 |
| Age | 417 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Paul |
| Patron | St. Joseph, Sto. Niño, Nuestra Señora del Rosario |
| Feast day | March 19 |
| Religious order | Order of St. Augustine |
| Architecture | |
| Builder | Mauricio Blanco |
| Style | Rennaissance |
Nearby Churches
- Immaculate Conception Church in Tanza, Iloilo City
- Most Holy Name of Jesus Church in Arevalo, Iloilo City
- Our Lady of Fatima Church in Lapuz, La Paz, Iloilo City
- Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City
- San Jose Obrero Church in Fundidor, Molo, Iloilo City
- Santa Maria Church in Iloilo City
- St. Anne Parish Church in Molo, Iloilo City
- Sta. Teresita del Niño Church in Iloilo City
- The Assumption of Our Lady Church in Bo Obrero, Iloilo City
References
- San Jose Parish. Panublion. Ateneo de Manila University. Retrieved via Wayback Machine from original copy October 23, 2022
- Panay and Iloilo: The Allure of a Dowager. Panublion. Ateneo de Manila University. Retrieved via Wayback Machine from original copy October 23, 2022
- Solinap, Leo (January 14, 2019). Replica in Iloilo called ‘Mr. Niño de San Jose’ when it travels to Cebu. Sunstar. Retrieved October 23, 2022
- Berwin, Carl Don S. (April 18, 2019) 7 Iloilo churches you can go to for Visita Iglesia. Rappler. Retrieved October 23, 2022
- San Jose Community. Augustinian Philippines. August 15, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2022
- H. de la Costa, S.J. (1961). The Jesuits in the Philippines (1581 – 1768). Harvard University Press. Cambridge – Massachusetts. Retrieved through Archive.org on October 23, 2022
- Lotilla, Raphael P.M. The Mapping and Charting of Panay in the 18th & 19th centuries. The Murillo Bulletin Issue No. 11. PHIMCOS. Retrieved October 23, 2022