30/05/2025
MADYAW BUTUANONS!
St. Joseph Cathedral of Butuan City is one of the Phillipines’ foremost landmarks of Catholic Culture. St. Joseph’s Cathedral is widely considered as Mindanao’s first church. Jesuit missionaries started the construction of the cathedral in 1596 and blessed it in 1597 . Over the years the cathedral has borne witness to centuries of faith and history. He elevated it into a diocese Cathedral in 1967 and then later declared it a diocese shrine in 2009 marking its soared significance in the regions spiritual landscape.Aside from these events, the Cathedral is also thought to be the site of the first Easter Sunday Mass conducted in the country which occurred in 1521, this event marked a great milestone for religious history in the Philippines.    
It is no doubt that the Cathedral's architecture is a unique combination of contemporary design and tradition. The fantastically carved retablo has become the Cathedral's most esteemed modern feature. In 2010, Wilfredo Tadeo Layug, the master of ecclesiastical art, placed the brown and gilded backdrop, which further enhances the splendor of the sanctuary. The cathedral has a broad nave, lofty ceiling and religiously themed paintings which add to the calm environment perfect for meditation and prayer.   
Experiencing all the beauty the Cathedral has to offer makes heading to St. Joseph Cathedral an unparalleled cultural and spiritual journey.
