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San Joaquin Church in San Joaquin, Iloilo

San Joaquin Church is a Roman Catholic church, National Cultural Treasure, and National Historical Landmark located in San Juan in Iloilo, Philippines. The parish is also known for the Spanish-era Baroque capilla more popularly referred to as Campo Santo.

History

The town of San Joaquin used to be called Suaraga after the Siwaragan River. An expert suggested that it is in Suaraga that the Jesuits such as Fr. Pedro Chirino arrived to establish a mission in Panay rather than in the town of Tigbauan.

From 1587 to 1592, the church that was built there was a visita of Hamtic, now called the province of Antique. In 1692, it became a parish with Miagao Church as a visita. Towards the 18th century, it became a visita of Guimbal and then of Miagao. Its status as a parish was restored in 1801.

The construction of colonial stone church started in 1859. After ten years, it was completed by Fr. Tomas Santaren, O.S.A. in 1869. World War II brought destruction to the church except for its facade. Carved images were defaced, the bell tower destroyed, and the old convent left in ruins. Repairs were carried out in the following forty years. Fr. Oscar Andrada began restoration of the Spanish-era church. By 1989, the belfry, church walls, and retablo were reconstructed by Fr. Manuel Escanlar.

In 2001, its community celebrates the bicentennial anniversary as a parish. In addition, Fr. Manuel Sevilla replaced the pews in the nave, did restoration of the Campo Santo, and constructed a new convent. In 2015 within the term of Fr. Nelson Silvela, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines carried out a restoration project on the facade of the church. Moreover, Fr. Joenick Territorio continued the restoration of Campo Santo.

Repair works done through the years have resulted to the loss of some of its colonial features such as the apse wall and polychromed retablo. In addition, the ruins of the convent also became a site of an office of a church organization erected in the 1990s and portions of the complex were occupied by street vendors selling items to a nearby school.

Architecture

San Joaquin Church occupies a complex that has a vista of the surrounding sea. Among its distinctive sites that are remnants of an old convent are a kiln and a round water well. It is famous for its pediment that is a prominent feature of its facade and famed for portraying in bas relief the Battle of Tetuan in 1861 where the victorious Spaniards fought against the Moroccan army. Its kinetic depiction of military triumph (Spanish forces of cavalry and infantry crushing the Moors) makes it stand out from other colonial churches in the country. In the relief is its title, Rendicion de Tetuan. And on the ridges of the gable is a set of balustrade and five finials.

Below the pediment is a niche flanked by stained glass windows. In the ground level, the entrance is an archway bounded by twin Corinthian columns. These columns are also found in outermost corners. Above the archway is a cartouche in low relief of the Augustinian symbol with two putti. On the entablature one can also find a row of rosettes. A massive bell tower rises in the epistle side of the church’s facade. It is connected to the church at its quadrangular base. The upper two levels are hexagonal in shape pierced with arch openings and capped off with a dome, cupola, and a cross.

The church itself does not contain any transepts, thus the nave leads directly to the sanctuary. Buttresses are found along its nave walls.

Heritage

San Joaquin Church was declared a National Historical Landmark, and the National Historical Institute installed a historical marker in 1980. Moreover, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines installed a heritage marker reiterating the church as a National Historical Landmark in 2015. It was later declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on June 31, 2001, and they installed a heritage marker on August 16, 2016 in time for the foundation day of the town.

Campo Santo

San Joaquin Parish is also known for the beautiful, well-preserved Spanish-era cemetery called Campo Santo. It was built by Fr. Mariano Vamba, the last Augustinian parish priest, in 1892. It was declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2015, and its heritage marker was installed by the National Museum of the Philippines on November 1, 2016.

Located along the main thoroughfare, this old, grand necropolis is behind a gate that bears ironwork and stone ornaments. Entrance is through a carved stone entryway with arch tracery. Its cornices are richly ornamented, and the pediment has a central semicircle emblem with bands radiating outward into the triangular borderline. On the arch its capstone bears a high relief of a putto flanked by skull symbols. On top of its thick walls are decorative urns, the figure of Christ with outstretched arms, and two figures of angels.

Visitors are let into a paved walkway and a flight of eighteen steps. What then greets the eye is the historic mortuary chapel called capilla built in Baroque tradition, an imposing edifice among silent crypts and the heart of the Campo Santo. It sits on a promontory whose perimeter walls (which one can spy from the staircase) are niches where images of holy figures are enshrined. The capilla is made of red bricks and quarried coral stone, and it is crowned with a red dome and a cross. Inside, one can discover an alcove containing a replica of La Pieta.

Motifs of foliage are repeated in many areas of the cemetery complex, such as on pilasters in the archway and apertures in the capilla. Finials are another recurring theme found on the roof of the capilla and the pinnacles of the gate. A balete tree once threatened the integrity of the structure, and people organized a drive to raise money in 2005 to fund for its rehabilitation.

On February 24, 2016, ten people were apprehended for excavating a 60-foot tunnel under the cemetery. The enterprise was motivated by a legend so they embarked on a treasure hunt for gold and precious items. The illegal digging activity left the ground and foundation vulnerable, and the tunnel had since been shut off. Currently, Campo Santo is under the guard of the municipal local government and the parish pastoral council.

Celebration

The patronal fiesta of St. Joachim is held every August 16. The municipal government meanwhile celebrates the Bayluhay Festival every January.

Mass schedule

Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Joaquin Church in San Joaquin, Iloilo 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 San Joaquin.

Monday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM

Tuesday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM

Wednesday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM

Thursday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM

Friday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM

Saturday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM

Sunday

  • 5:30-6:30 AM
  • 8:00-9:00 AM (Facebook Live)
  • 4:30-5:30 PM (Children and Youth Mass)

Church information

Details
NameSan Joaquin Church in San Joaquin, Iloilo
AddressSan Joaquin, 5024 Iloilo
CountryPhilippines
Facebookweb.facebook.com
Religion
DenominationRoman Catholic
StatusParish
ArchdioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro
VicariateVicariate of Sts. Philip & James
PatronSt. Joachim
Feast dayAugust 16
Architecture
HeritageNational Cultural Treasure, National Historical Landmark
Completed1869
Age since completed155 years
BuilderFr. Tomas Santaren, O.S.A.
StyleBaroque

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