May your coffee be strong, and your day be beautiful! Good day, Hives! It's me again, Ace26, your Gwapo (handsome) blogger from the Philippines. ---- ![IMG_20240820_122438.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EptZ8NYVV79roVCt5XXHAeZGsNwt966iArmCfFhNh8HnDm5hJucmZPNA66nWQRs6Tog.jpg) ---- Do you love cosy, affordable travel and visiting spiritual sites fits in perfectly with that!? Let me introduce you to this 100-year-old Ancestral church, the Santo Tomas de Villanueva parish in Poblacion, Pardo Cebu. ---- ![IMG20240820115130.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpT1k4DhUFbSXN9fYzFR9g2VJpZsT2KhsJCsuYDEy64NPEuTYEnqQ5fNR9prBSLMGiH.jpg) ---- While I am driving towards Cebu City with my wife, actually I have always used to pass by this church, which is the Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish. But before we got to the Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish, while we were on the road, we saw a motorcycle accident in Inayagam Cebu; I didn't try to stop since there was already a police and rescuer, but I hoped they were okay. ---- ![IMG20240820115034.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EopupeCHyxFSumvBiHz4g1mM2ijGMiVDkZRp3oTNjsBXbr5Bm7Kbz7bGQmiem9gujFN.jpg) ---- I decided to light a candle for those people who were involved in that accident, so we just stopped by Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish after we had lit the candle. ##### What amazed me about this place? ![IMG20240820115344.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/Ep5mBgoWynV3ZN1Xe5ykRWsp9pQXpdPodHb954NLwW1A1GWDmcqvU8Vp1fxkPwAZjvg.jpg) When you enter the place, The first thing that will welcome you is the front face of the Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church. ---- ![IMG20240820120626.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpLgsN2gVKGfXsS5ZsuhNxNnVfkAH78o5dUHCL7iVAnPpvv2gBETSn8v8vUt68ZyHcc.jpg) ---- There are 2 Leon that serve as the guard of the church. Who would have thought to add some Leon to a church design? Like, what is that Leon doing right there? 🤔 ---- ![IMG20240820120629.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EqQP1ddG36hwnSPxxAM5xKM1bcR5idNJPwkfMcrXEH81tdNKa413qphPNBGkyL1vtoa.jpg) ---- Upon approaching the entrance you will see this circle that has an eye centre rounded by a star, They say one can see a relief of the all-seeing Eye of Providence (symbolized by an eye enclosed in a triangle representing the Trinity, which is surrounded by twelve stars that represent the 12 tribes of Israel) circumscribed in a circle up high in the frontispiece. Also inscribed in the circle are what look like leaves of quatrefoil motif. Below the symbol is an emblem of the Augustinian religious order. # **History** ![IMG20240820120356.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpnCJjNRZPh3zrXywHwdVfL1zRWPKnw6VPfLc7CS4fnsRkw5dzEfGQvAyGR6n8WWwAS.jpg) > Pardo Church, also known as Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish, was Established as the Parish of the Diocese of Cebu Under the patronage of Santo Tomas de Villanueva. The Parish was built by Nipa and Tabique During the time of Padre Domingo Sanchez, in 186. In 1877, the church was damaged by an earthquake, so the present stone churches were built according to the design of Domingo de Escondrillas in the time of Padre Manuel Ibeas, in 1880-1893. and In 1912, Padre Venerando Reynes restored the parish. The other part damaged by the earthquake in 2023 was adjusted in 2015-2016. > Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church was part of San Nicolas Parish and became an independent parish on April 10, 1866. A church that existed in those times was in a state of disrepair that by 1877, Spanish architect Domingo de Escondrillas submitted a Byzantine-style church as the proposal for the construction of a new church. > It was built between 1880 and 1893 with Fr. Manuel Ibeas at the helm. It underwent repairs in 1912 during the administration of Fr. Venerado Reynes. ## Here are some photos of Santo Tomas de Villanueva’s very gorgeous church. Hope you like them. ![IMG20240820115022.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpnBGrXx5v745PBK5DRMUzawVzrmKyh8o5UepKn3SgJqDdydepLTc1mFg3W3TBiZ5dq.jpg) The lighting candle station where you can pray peacefully. ![IMG20240820115053.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EopstgiWmp4dyjEHK59FipH8vMikiB3erovMwpWvgdZk42cJXD1qmHmMr4PBUZp7DTn.jpg) I also saw this rosary hanging, The rosary is more than a prayer. > The word “Rosary” means a chain of roses and the roses are prayers. The Rosary Prayer tells us about the life of Jesus and his Mother, Mary. ![IMG20240820114957.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpEHHpgt9DsCxXBfBwGE3mWCbNPRZGr8SpA1hkrnZyNQuQJFFxK3iHu9Q5ud3XNZ2y1.jpg) Besides the Lighting Candle and the parish they also had the grotto of Blessed Mama Mary ![IMG_20240824_145814.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/23yd64yYpcNMQQR1nUw8QM1uWiFD6AT4HZ5FNLXKdzBWPwtjRpPnrg2thQAh5Gr8ANvbS.jpg) Their Church Facade was so gorgeous and the entire church was so peaceful you could hear any noise from outside aside from the chirping of the birds. ![IMG20240820115526.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EoK3sZ5t1Hivmq3YsaNVu48pNFhKU6TMAGArPV4mCh7DhtZuPXBvTupwotxHBsh8ZGe.jpg) These windows are made of glass, which reflects the sunlight and gives the church light during the day. ![IMG20240820115452.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpnCqihWkFwwW9Trt6Wjep8BUbaFyGTDR7zUqmDEpjUBynii7V8NmKrE6x57GpS1pcj.jpg) The Church Chairs. ![IMG20240820115358.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpJYaQApBog7xN9HwpiTvhasoMwbGULP1ZbUJcEfTwisgVqUVtPLkvWrWTRwJ4qS6si.jpg) The church Aisle ![IMG_20240820_122619.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EoptNtSScvb9nLz9jSXxZU2Rna2QdKjFVfngTqNSu8fzgLm9cARzp9B8TkaLo5VNBVV.jpg) The ceiling gives an ancient style of design ![IMG20240820115659.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpGRfVrrTpbbRfqer6Qqdh1m9n9mqd3L1r5p1Nq3qirq3zKJLtKhoe2vyTrioK5cSMr.jpg) They also had this terrace, but it was locked at that moment. I can get a closer look at the terrace. It is a closer look at the side of the Parish They also had a stage where some youth and devotees of the parish do their celebration. ![IMG20240820115823.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EpGQkimLfQSSHGnnPBqhXt95cJC3izuaveDxkwEv5NTMbyN7cetULgEhjjk6c6dLkN1.jpg) Being a devotee of the Roman Catholic church, it was an honour and a privilege to have prayed in this uniquely beautiful church. I hope you guys can visit it as well. # **Celebration** Parish Church holds the feast of St. Thomas of Villanueva, known as the Father of the Poor, on the 22nd of September annually. ![IMG20240820115251.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/ace26/EppMghFDKNPYGtM9gdZpfFrnupdAgHbZMgUwqSwr3hk3kn67vuyV3MseJ4Tiz6hnebM.jpg) ---- That's it for Today, hope you all have a peaceful day, I be waiting in the comment section for your thoughts about this blog Please don't forget to click the 3 dot and reblog my post and heart it to upvote this blog thank you and may God bless you all, see you on my next arch blog 😉. [//]:# (!worldmappin 10.27990 lat 123.85464 long d3scr)

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