Qualla: Arevalo Church https://qualla.com/arevalo-church en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:37 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/w/9/z/h/arevalo-church-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Arevalo Church https://qualla.com/arevalo-church Arevalo Church: Introduction https://qualla.com/arevalo-church/ Photo credit Johngaje92, CC BY-SA 4.0. Most Philippine churches anchor the edge of their town plaza. Arevalo Church sits squarely in the middle of it. This simple inversion of convention, a building positioned at the heart rather than the margin, says something about the role this church has played in the life of Iloilo City's Arevalo district since the parish was first established in 1582. Fr. Diego Velasquez was appointed the first parish priest that year, and by the late 16th century, Arevalo had eclipsed the older settlement of Oton to become the administrative and religious center for Spanish officials on Panay Island. The church that stands today is the product of multiple rebuildings, but the image it shelters is far older than any of its walls.

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Image: Johngaje92 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/9/z/h/arevalo-church-wp/w9zh-arevalo-church-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Arevalo Church: The Third Oldest Child https://qualla.com/arevalo-church/ Photo credit Archdiocesan shrine of sto niño de Arevalo, CC0. Inside Arevalo Church resides the Santo Nino de Arevalo, the third oldest image of the Holy Child in the Philippines. The inscription above the facade's niche reads '1581 St. Nino de Arevalo,' marking the year the image was brought to the town, a year before the parish itself was...

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Image: Archdiocesan shrine of sto niño de Arevalo | CC0

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/9/z/h/arevalo-church-wp/w9zh-arevalo-church-the-third-oldest-child.mp3 0:06 2 full Arevalo Church: Three Orders and a Shortage of Friars https://qualla.com/arevalo-church/ Photo credit MarkusMark, CC BY-SA 3.0. The early history of Arevalo's parish reads like a relay race of religious orders. The Augustinians took over in 1584, appointing Fr. Juan Montoya as parish priest. Three years later, a shortage of friars forced them to leave, and the parish was handed to the Jesuits, who eventua...

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Image: MarkusMark | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/9/z/h/arevalo-church-wp/w9zh-arevalo-church-three-orders-and-a-shortage-of-friars.mp3 0:06 3 full Arevalo Church: A Tower Built for Sound https://qualla.com/arevalo-church/ Photo credit Johngaje92, CC BY-SA 4.0. The church's bell tower dominates the Arevalo skyline. It is a massive four-bodied structure positioned on the gospel side of the building, its quadrangular base supporting two levels of octagonal belfries pierced with arch openings. The lower belfry is larger than the one above ...

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Image: Johngaje92 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/9/z/h/arevalo-church-wp/w9zh-arevalo-church-a-tower-built-for-sound.mp3 0:06 4 full Arevalo Church: The Plaza at the Center https://qualla.com/arevalo-church/ Photo credit Johngaje92, CC BY-SA 4.0. The decision to place the church at the center of the plaza rather than at its edge created a different kind of public space. Instead of fronting onto a gathering area, the church is surrounded by it. A statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands in the plaza as an additional foca...

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Image: Johngaje92 | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/9/z/h/arevalo-church-wp/w9zh-arevalo-church-the-plaza-at-the-center.mp3 0:06 5 full