Dapitan's devotion to Señor Santiago

St. James Cathedral

The St. James Church and Catholic Rectory stand at the very heart of the city center and represent a lasting heritage and symbol of the Christianization of the region and locality. Erected well before Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, St. James Church has withstood the test of time and remains as a lasting relic to the cultural and historical developments that unraveled in this city throughout the centuries.

Named after the city's patron saint, St. James the Greater, and thus sharing the same feast day as the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, the church and the parish have played a central role in the religious and cultural life of Dapitanons.

As the early Spanish settlement in Dapitan was modeled after the pueblo, the church stands along the southeastern corner of the town plaza.

Right across the main entrance of the church is the renowned relief map of Mindanao that was among the many civic projects that Rizal completed during his exile in Dapitan.

Viva Señor Santiago!

Every 25th of July, the entire city of Dapitan breaks out in devotion and pageantry as they celebrate the feast day of St. James the Greater, patron saint of Dapitan since its Christianization by the Spanish Jesuits in the 1600s.

The celebration of the feast day of St. James the Greater in Dapitan is arguably the highlight of the religious and social calendar of Dapitanons. With shouts of "Viva Señor Santiago!" ringing through the streets of Dapitan, revelers parade their street dancing routines as a way of proclaiming their devotion to St. James. Heading the procession of revelers and devotees is a baroque statue of Señor Santiago on a carriage bedecked with flowers.

The flavor and symbolism of the present-day Kinabayo celebrations of the Feast of St. James, while somewhat removed from the role that the saint is said to have played in the legendary Battle of Clavijo (often erroneously referred to even by older Dapitanons as the Battle of Covadonga) during the reconquest of Spain from the Moors in the 8th century, is an annual pageantry that should not be missed. Hundreds of participants re-enact the Battle of Clavijo where St. James was said to have appeared "in the field, in his own proper person, armed with a sword of dazzling splendour, and mounted on a white horse..." and thus gave the Christian forces under King Ramiro enough valour to rout the Moorish army.

Though the religious aspect of the fiesta is still evident in much of the festivities, many of the events that occur during the 25th of July have become somewhat secular and are geared more toward giving Dapitanons a good an excuse as any to celebrate as a community and invite others to experience the warmth and hospitality that the city is known for.

If you are an avid photographer, come visit Dapitan during the week of the fiesta and you certainly would not run out of colorful subjects to photograph. And if you do come during Kinabayo, please share with us your best images so that we could showcase these in our gallery (with proper attribution of course).