Iba Cathedral

Iba Cathedral (St. Augustine Cathedral Parish)
Iba Cathedral (St. Augustine Cathedral Parish)
Saint Augustine Cathedral Parish
Parokyang Katedral ni San Agustin (Filipino); Parroquia Catedral de San Agustín (Spanish);
	Iba Cathedral in 2023
	Iba Cathedral (St. Augustine Cathedral Parish) Location in Luzon Iba Cathedral (St. Augustine Cathedral Parish) Location in the Philippines
	15°19′33″N 119°58′47″E / 15.325944°N 119.979833°E
Location	Iba, Zambales
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Former name(s)	St. Augustine Parish
Status	Cathedral
Founded	1681
Dedication	Saint Augustine of Hippo
Relics held	St. Augustine of Hippo
Past bishop(s)	Florentino Galang Lavarias
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Baroque
Specifications
Bells	3 (Side Bells - Interior) 2-3 Bells on the Bell Tower (Exterior) (3-4+)
Administration
Province	Zambales
Archdiocese	San Fernando
Diocese	Iba
Clergy
Bishop(s)	Bartolome Gaspar Santos
Rector	Rev. Fr. Rico Fagela
Priest in charge	Rev. Fr. Kenneth Masong
Laity
Music group(s)	Kids Choir, Sanctus

Saint Augustine Cathedral Parish, commonly known as Iba Cathedral, is a cathedral parish of the Roman Catholic Church located in the municipality of Iba, Zambales, Philippines. It is dedicated to Saint Augustine of Hippo and is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Iba which covers Zambales and Olongapo.^[1]

History

In the early decades of Spanish colonization, the territory of Zambales included parts of present-day Pangasinan and Bataan.^[2] The Augustinian Recollects were the first to spread Catholicism in the province.^[3] Opposition and conflicts with the local Aetas prompted the Recollects to build a fort in an area called Playa Honda which served as a refuge for the new converts. Iba, also spelled as "Yba" and formerly named as "Paynawen", was eventually founded in 1611 as a visita of Masinloc.^[4]^[5] It became a parish of its own in 1681.^[1]^[6]

The Recollects led the construction of the church of Iba in the 18th century. It is made of coral and limestone, the same materials used to build other churches in the province such as those in Masinloc and Botolan.^[7] The church was the venue of the session of the Second Philippine Commission under William Howard Taft which founded the province of Zambales on August 28, 1901. The church administration in the province went to the Society of the Divine Word in 1928 and the Columban Fathers in 1951.^[4] It became the cathedral of the Prelature of Iba in 1955 and also when it was elevated to a diocese in 1982.^[1]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Cathedral of St. Augustine Iba, ZAMBALES, CENTRAL LUZON, Philippines". GCatholic. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "Masinloc, Zambales: Augustinian Recollect Mission (1607-1902)". Philippine Social Science Journal. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "The Recollects in the 17th Century" (PDF). OAR Augustinian Recollects Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "History of Iba". Iba Municipal Government. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "Zambales History". Zambales Provincial Government. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "Diocese of Iba". Claretian Communications. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
^ "St. Augustine Cathedral Diocese of Iba". Giubileo della Misericordia. Retrieved November 30, 2021.