Foundation

It was on October 8, 1864 that Cordova was made an independent town and parish by a diocesan decree under the advocation of San Roque. The parish have been administered for some time by the Recollect fathers.

Construction of the Church

The first church and convent were destroyed by the typhoon of November 25, 1877. Fr. Jose Baztan was the one responsible for the reconstruction of the church made of mortar with pebbles and tabique pampango or wooden harigues . Fr. Baztan, a very holy priest who had always dreamed of volunteering for the China mission, was assassinated at the plaza of Opon by Cebuano insurgents on April 4, 1898. They threw his cadaver into the sea.

Fr. Pedro Medina built the convent of masonry and wood in 1891. Both church and convent maintain their original form, except for a few restorations made recently.

Style of the Church

Made of timber instead of stone, the church is decorated simply. The faįade is divided into three sections by four floated Corinthian columns which end up in pointed pediments. The semi-circular arched arcade makes a good combination with the Gothic side windows.