Kalibo Cathedral (Cathedral of St. John the Baptist)

Kalibo Cathedral, officially known as Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was constructed in 1804 after moving from it's original location in Barrio Laguinbanwa in Numancia.

It was said to be reconstructed from 1993 to 1997 following the 7.1 earthquake that hit the province. New brick can be seen on the walls of the church but there still remnants of old bricks in some of the places.

Even though Kalibo celebrates the Ati-Atihan as an honor to the Sto. Nino, its principal patron is really St. John the Baptist. A feast is celebrated in his honor every 24th of June.

Kalibo Cathedral is home to one of the shrines in Aklan, the Shrine of Sto. Nino. The shrine draws a lot of believers every January wanting to join the celebration in his honor. I've never seen the actual shrine because we went there during a mass. 

No time to explore after the mass because the locals are rushing inside to get a seat. I was actually surprised when they did that because I'm used to people who waited outside the church until the people get out before coming in. I’m just glad I was able to sna a few shots before the start of the mass. 

The mass is in Aklanon and I was able to understand just a few words. But most of his homily I didn't understand. That's why sometimes when I'm in another province and they speak a different dialect, I don't want to attend a mass. I can't really understand the priest's homily.  

 

Wherever you are in Kalibo and wanting to see the church, it's very easy to locate. Just take a tricycle and tell the driver to take you there. It's located just beside the Museo it Akean and opposite the Pastrana Park. It's about 10 minutes walk from Kalibo Hotel and 5 minutes walk from the town proper.