Jaro Cathedral

Jaro Cathedral — formally the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary — is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Jaro and one of the most visited religious sites in the Western Visayas. The cathedral faces a wide plaza in the old district of Jaro, north of the city centre, and its white baroque facade is the most recognisable image of colonial Iloilo. Pope John Paul II visited in 1981, and his visit is commemorated in the cathedral complex.

The Jaro Belfry, a free-standing bell tower dating from the 18th century, stands on the opposite side of the plaza from the cathedral — an arrangement that looks planned but was actually the result of successive earthquake damage forcing separate construction. The tower is visually striking and photographs well. The surrounding Jaro district has a concentration of old Spanish colonial houses and the Lopez Heritage House, and is worth exploring on foot after visiting the cathedral.

things to do sight
A story
Jaro Cathedral is the only cathedral in the Philippines dedicated to a female saint — the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, Our Lady of Candles — and has been a place of Marian pilgrimage for centuries. What makes the complex architecturally unusual is that its bell tower, the Jaro Belfry, stands completely separate from the main church across the plaza, the result of repeated earthquake damage to the original structure that made rebuilding as one unit impractical.

Other places in Things to Do