San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church, also known as Guimbal Church, is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

located in the municipality of Guimbal, Iloilo in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is under the jurisdiction of the

Archdiocese of Jaro The Archdiocese of Jaro (; ; ; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Jaro, Iloilo City, Philippines. Its episcopal see is at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also the National Shrine of ...

History

Guimbal Church was initially a ''visita'' of

Oton Oton, officially the Municipality of Oton (; , , ), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 98,509 people making it as the most populous town in the province and the entire ...

and later of

Tigbauan Tigbauan, officially the Municipality of Tigbauan (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 65,245 people. History Spanish colonial era On January 1592, Jesuit mis ...

, established in 1575. Its status fluctuated over the centuries, changing from an independent parish to a visita and back again. In 1580, it became a separate parish from Tigbauan, and the

Augustinians Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

built a convent in 1590. In 1617, Fr. Martin de Nicolas served as its vicar, but the parish was annexed under the secular clergy in 1618. The Augustinians took over the parish again in 1626, but in 1630, the diocese declined the administration of the town of Ajuy. By 1656, it was once again a ''visita'' of Tigbauan, regaining its independence in 1659, only to be reassigned to Tigbauan in 1667 and later to

Miagao Miagao (also written Miag-ao), officially the Municipality of Miagao (; ; ), is a municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 68,115 people. Miagao is considered as the "Onion Capital ...

in 1703. Originally a Marian church with as the patroness, the church later adopted St. Nicholas de Tolentino as its new patron in 1704. The construction of the church and convent began under Fr. Juan Campos between 1769 and 1774. The church was severely damaged by an earthquake on July 13, 1787. Rebuilding efforts were led by Fr. Jose Orangren from 1893 to 1896. It suffered another setback with a fire in 1895, but was restored by Fr. Agustin Llorente. The church also sustained damage during World War II and the 1948 earthquake, which also destroyed the convent.

Architecture

The church is primarily constructed of coral stone and yellow sandstone quarried from nearby Guimaras. The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

is seamlessly integrated with the church's facade, positioned on the

epistle side In the liturgical traditions of Western Christianity, the Epistle side is the term used to designate the side of a church on which the Epistle is read during a church service. It is the right-hand side of the chancel as viewed by the congregation ...

. The tower features arch openings, with its uppermost level being hexagonal and adorned with triangular windows and a blind dormer, continuing into the domed roof topped with a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

and cross. The church's broken

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

curves inward, and at its apex is a rectilinear

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

, with

finials A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the apex of a dome, spire, tower, roof, or gable or an ...

, a stone

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, and a cupola with a cross. Paired

Corinthian column The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

s frame the pediment, with an arched

stained-glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

positioned between them. These decorative columns also appear flanking the main entrance and the outermost posts of the church wall. The cornice features a row of

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

s in high

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

, and the archway is decorated with a semicircular relief. At the ground level beside the entrance, two

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

s hold holy figures. Inside, the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

is separated from the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

by an archway. The ceiling is decorated with exposed

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as Beam (structure), steel beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof Roof shingle, shingles, ...

s, and the nave walls are punctuated with arched apertures, allowing natural light to illuminate the interior.

References

External links

* * {{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro Roman Catholic churches in Iloilo Baroque church buildings in the Philippines Romanesque Revival church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro