In our post today we have the history of the church of Santander. At the southern tip of Cebu is the small municipality of Santander. The municipality is noted for the many beaches and beach resorts which make for a great get away from stress. Santander is a fishing town facing Dumaguete with its main industry being tourism and Fishing. To get to know an area you must look at its history not only by what exists there now but also what came before. This is a short history of the church of Santander, Cebu.
The name Satander is named after a town of the same name in Spain. The way the name was chosen is no longer known but we can guess that it was named by a homesick or countrysick A spanish priest. In the year 1599 Satander was the last visita of Sialo or Carcar very far away to the north. Then it was later declared a visita of Boljoon closer but still very far away. In 1898 the visita was made a parish with Fr. Gregorio de Santiago as the first priest assigned to the town in the history of the parish of Santander. The parish is under the patronage of Saint Gabriel the Archangel.
The church today is a newer structure built from the 1950s to the 1970s. Its facade is a simple one with pilasters and gothic elements like a large rosette and gothic arched windows. The belltower of the church built as part of the facade is home to several century old bells. The church was once painted light blue but is now a bright yellow. As the new church was built in the 1950s the church’s orientation was changed. Once the church faced the sea now it faces the highway. The coral stone ruins of the base of the watchtower still exist and will be covered in another post.
Within the church the interior is clean and simple like any other church. The floor is made of modern tiles and the walls are have pilasters with simple designs at the base. The retablo is most likely a contemporary one made of wood. Its design is baroque with 2 levels. Usually i would say that it is a good thing that the parish did not choose a modern retablo but considering the gothic inspired church it is confusing.
