The main church in town, a Roman Catholic parish was constructed in 1859 and completed in 1869 by Spanish friar Tomas Santaren, of the Augustinian Order.The church is unique among those in the Philippines for its large pediment featuring a military scene, the Spanish victory over the Moors in the Battle of Tetuan. The National Museum of the Philippines listed the church as a National Cultural Treasure.
San Joaquin Church
The San Joaquin Cemetery is located along the main highway in San Joaquin Town. The construction of San Joaquin Cemetery was commenced by Fray Mariano Vamba, the last Augustinian parish priest of the town in 1892. A statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched stands on top of a baroque style gate, and on each side of Christ, two columns with angelic figures are poised as guards. In addition, sculpted heads of two cherubs and a skull representing death marks the entrance of the cemetery. Twenty stone steps after entering the gate and you will be greeted by the Baroque designed mortuary chapel standing on the center.
San Joaquin Cemetery
Established on 1581 by Gobernador Ronquillo de Peñalosa as "La Villa Rica de Arevalo", named after his hometown Arévalo, Spain, it is one of the first places in the Philippine archipelago to be named in Spanish. It became the capital of the settlement in the province on 1582. It was invaded by the British in 1588 and followed by more raids by Moros in 1600 and by the Dutch in 1609, 1614 and 1616. The continuous raids forced the capital to be relocated near the mouth of Iloilo River, which is the current location of Iloilo City Proper. It was incorporated as a district of Iloilo City on July 16, 1937.
Villa Arevalo
Molo Church in Iloilo was originally built made of tabique pampango with a chalk roof, then built temporarily with nipa by Fr. Jose Ma. Sichon in 1863. Plans for a concrete structure were made in 1866 and approved by Bishop Mariano Cuartero in 1869. The present Gothic-Renaissance church was immediately built after the approval of the plan. In honor of Saint Anne, this church was known to be a feminist church because of the two rows of sixteen female saints line on both sides of the altar. Molo Church was visited by Dr. Jose Rizal in 1886 because of its biblical paintings and it served as the evacuation center during World War II. The church was damaged during the liberation of the Philippines from Japan and was repaired by Rev. Manuel Alba with the help of the congregation.
Molo Church
San Jose Church
The first church in the city of Iloilo was built by the Jesuits around 1607 to serve the needs of the military stationed in Punta, as Iloilo was then called. However, on 29 April 1617, the Augustinians established San Jose , a house of the order.
The museum displays a collection of archaeological, historical, ethnographically craft and tribal folk arts relating to Western Visayas. Some of the relics and antiques in the collection were donated by the Ilonggos who are passionate about their province's rich history. The museum also has a collection of priceless cultural artifacts like unique religious images and relics, silver pieces and church vessels that depict the Panayanon religious spirits.
Museo Iloilo
The Jaro Cathedral was once destroyed by a quake in January 1948 and was only restored in 1956 under the order of the first archbishop of Jaro, His Excellency Jose Ma. Cuenco.
It came to be known as the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Metropolitan Cathedral in 1951 after the patroness of the Diocese of Jaro
Jaro Cathedral
Built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife Concepcion Gamboa and their two sons and three daughters, the mansion has three floors, a basement and an attic. It has a winding wooden staircase and big bedrooms with floor and doors made of hardwood. It has 59 doors which indicate the intricacy of its layout.
Lizares Mansion
The only historic house in Iloilo open without prior notice, Casa Mariquit (1803) is the former home of Philippines VP Fernando Lopez. Photos of meetings with Emperor Hirohito, Chiang Kai-shek, Generalissimo Franco, Lyndon Johnson and others are a fascinating step backward in time.
Casa Mariquit
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Iloilo City
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines, located in the center of the Philippine archipelago. The province comprises the southeastern part of Panay Island with island-province of Guimaras just across its coast. The capital city of the province of Iloilo is the City of Iloilo, which is also one of the major urban centers in the Philippines.