This is one of only two ‘modern churches’ in our study.
The Augustinian Friars first arrived in Oton as early as 1572 under Friar Martin Rada. According to history the first Church built by Friar Rada (date unknown) was destroyed in 1614 when Oton was attacked by Dutch Privateers who razed the church in one of their raids.
It was under the stewardship of Friar Demetrio Cobos, the parish priest from 1844 to 1854, that construction of the ‘new’ church was started. Construction, with interior decorations being made in 1882, was completed in 1883. It was officially blessed in 1891.
This was the largest church in the region at the time.
The original church was constructed in a blend of Greek and Gothic/Classical elements. It was built in the shape of a Greek cross in which all arms of the cross are of equal length. The massive and imposing altar was located at the centre of the cross.
Unfortunately, this magnificent church was completely destroyed in the 8.1 magnitude Lady Caycay earthquake which hit the area on January 24th, 1948 at around 01:48 hours.
There are only a very few reminders of that edifice on the grounds of the present church.
One is the portion of wall which now forms part of the grotto to Our Lady of Fatima on the northeast corner of the property. This is believed to have been part of one of the old church’s exterior walls.
portion of grotto wall believed to have been part of the wall of the original church which was destroyed by Lady CayCay in 1948
The other is a ‘stack’ of stone along the southwest edge of the property. This is likely coral and is possibly the surviving part of another wall of the old church.
Limestone rocks believed to have been part of a wall of the old church found along the southwest property line on Zulueta St. in Oton
When exploring the property one December morning, we noticed what has the appearance of being part of a foundation line for the original church – we have no basis on which to base our assumption other than the fact that it is immediately adjacent to the limestone blocks in the above photo and it extends more than 50 or 60 feet and with some imagination looks like it could be the curved end wall of a large church…
part of the original foundation?
The modern sanctuary is strikingly beautiful. The crucifix behind the altar is that of Christ the King and is backlit in red, giving off a magnificent effect.