We’ve made a few adjustments and changes to our story on the Sta Barbara Church, the Cradle of the Revolution in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
In 1617, the Augustinians arrived to minister to the faithful in the community then known as Catmon, now known as Santa Barbara. The name Catmon was chosen because of the proliferation of Catmon trees in the area. Unfortunately, over the years the Catmon trees have all but disappeared and there is only one (1) left to be found adjacent to the current Municipal Policy Station and Victory Square.
The Village of Catmon was located on a rich and fertile plain which was fed by the Tigum and Aganan Rivers. It became quite prosperous by producing rice, corn, sugar, mango and tobacco. It was a Visita (Chapel) od the Jaro Vicarate. It was only in 1760 that the settlement became a Pueblo (town) and the church an independent parish. Its Patron Saint was Santa Barbara and the parish priest was the Augustinian Friar Juan Ferrer.
It was not until Friar Francisco Aguerria arrived in 1845 that construction of the present church was started. The start of the church’s construction coincided with the establishment of the road network in the region. The roads were being built to link Cabatuan. Maasin, Janiuay, Leon and Alimodian.