The National Shrine of Saint Joseph, known locally as Mandaue Church, stands at the centre of old Mandaue beside the city's historic hall. A Roman Catholic parish church founded by the Augustinians in 1599, it has been rebuilt and expanded over the centuries but retains a quiet colonial character. The interior is spacious and cool, with a carved wooden retablo and images venerated by local devotees. The churchyard and the surrounding plaza remain the social gathering place for the old barangay, particularly during the feast of Saint Joseph in March.
The church is one of the oldest parish foundations on Cebu Island, predating the formal establishment of most surrounding municipalities. A visit here gives a sense of Mandaue before its industrial transformation — a small Catholic settlement clustered around a church and a colonial town hall, both of which still stand within a few metres of each other at the heart of the modern city.