Puerto Princesa Cathedral

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral stands on the rise above Puerto Princesa's old port, painted in the pale blue and white that makes it the most recognisable building in the city - a neo-Gothic design with twin spires, completed in the mid-twentieth century on a site used for worship since the town's founding in the 1870s. It is not old by Philippine church standards and it makes no claim to architectural importance, but it anchors the centre: the plaza in front, the Mendoza Park and the baywalk are all within a few minutes, and the cathedral is where the city's Feast of the Immaculate Conception in December centres. For most visitors Puerto Princesa is a transit point on the way to the underground river, Honda Bay or El Nido, and the cathedral is the thing you see between arriving and leaving. The interior is plain, bright and airy, and the terrace outside gives a view down toward the water.

History

The first Mass in Puerto Princesa was said on this site on 10 March 1872 by the Augustinian Recollect Fray Ezequiél Moreno, now a saint, six days after the Spanish expedition arrived, and he founded the town and parish under the Immaculate Conception. The church was rebuilt several times, and the present cathedral was completed in 1961; a marker honouring Moreno was unveiled on 8 December 2014 (Wikipedia, Puerto Princesa Cathedral).

What's there

• The blue facade - twin spires above the old port.
• The plain interior - bright and simple inside.
• The terrace - the view down toward the bay.
• The central plaza - the city square in front.

When to go

November to May for dry weather. Mornings are quiet; December brings the city fiesta and the church's own feast.

Before you go

It is a mid-twentieth-century building, not a colonial one, and takes half an hour. It is a working cathedral with services. There is little else in the immediate block beyond the plaza.

Nearby

The baywalk, Mendoza Park and Puerto Princesa's restaurants are minutes away; Honda Bay and the underground river are day trips.

Key facts