San Pablo Cathedral (Laguna)
Roman Catholic cathedral in Laguna, Philippines
The Cathedral Parish of Saint Paul the First Hermit, commonly known as San Pablo Cathedral, is the see of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo located in San Pablo City, Philippines. Its titular is Saint Paul the First Hermit and its feast is celebrated every January 15.
History
16th to 18th centuries
Spanish captain Juan de Salcedo first arrived in the upland village of Sampaloc in 1571. The area's name was officially changed to San Pablo de los Montes in 1586, in honor of Paul the First Hermit. That same year, San Pablo became an independent parish, and the first church made of wood was constructed under the auspices of Augustinian priest Mateo Mendoza.
From 1618 to 1629, a second church was constructed from stone by Hernando Cabrera. In 1680 Juan Labo laid the foundations for the current church. This building was started in 1714 and completed in 1721 by Francisco Juan de Elorreaga. The Franciscans later administered the parish of San Pablo (which was then part of the province of Batangas) on April 4, 1794, with Andres Cabrera as parish priest. Cabrera added the brick-stone wall and built a stone cemetery in 1796.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “San Pablo Cathedral (Laguna)” as roman Catholic cathedral in Laguna, Philippines. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as roman Catholic cathedral in Laguna, Philippines. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18209984. Authority coordinates are 14.070, 121.327. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1571, 1586, 1618 and 1629.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “San Pablo Cathedral (Laguna)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow San Pablo Cathedral (Laguna) primary sources, San Pablo Cathedral (Laguna) archive and Pablo research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
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This entry incorporates text from “San Pablo Cathedral (Laguna)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.