Basco, Batanes Etymology

Jack Maico
Apr 15
2 min read

The town is named after Capitán General José Basco, who led the pacification and conquest of the islands during his term as governor-general.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basco,_Batanes

Special credits: https://upload.wikimedia.org/.../Batanes_Protected...

Church in Town: 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as Santo Domingo de Guzman Parish Church and Basco Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Basco, Northern Batan Island, Batanes, Philippines.

Because Batanes was named Provincia de la Concepcion in religious records at the time of its establishment, the first church was dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of Batanes Prelature.[1] It is speculated that the image of the Immaculate Conception was brought to Batanes during the 1783 expedition. As a parish church, it bears the name Santo Domingo Church, in honor of the patron saint of the capital of Batanes, which is Basco, while it was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception as a cathedral.

With the establishment of Basco town on June 26, 1783, came the evangelical mission headed by Dominican Fathers Bartholome Artiguez and Baltazar Calderon. The first church was built in Basco town and was made of cogon and wood.

Around 1795, due to frequent fires and typhoons that destroyed buildings, stone churches were started to be built, made possible by imported masons, stone cutters, and carpenters from Cagayan. People began to use lime not just as a condiment for betel nut chew, but for constructing walls in combination with sand and stone. During this time, the construction of the stone church of Basco took place, with Fr. Nicolas Castaño designing the façade in 1812 and the convent in 1814.

The church has undergone renovations in response to disasters. It was burned and reconstructed at around 1860 to 1863, and was refurbished in 1950.[4] The church was badly damaged in the earthquake of July 2000. Under Bishop Jose Salazar, O.P, the cathedral was rebuilt in its original form, which was completed in 2011.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basco_Cathedral

https://www.marc7travels.com/.../got81-dios-mamajes...

𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

In 1783, the Spanish claimed Batanes as part of the Philippines under the rule of Governor-General José Basco y Vargas. Batanes was ruled as part of the Provincia de Cagayan. The Bashi Channel was increasingly used by English East India Company ships and the Spanish authorities brought the islands under their direct administration to prevent them falling under British control. The Ivatan remained on their idjang castle-fortresses for some time. In 1790, Governor Guerrero[clarification needed] decreed that Ivatans were to live in the lowlands and leave their remote idjang. In response, the mangpus, or indigenous Ivatan leaders, headed by the Ivatan hero Aman Dangat, revolted against the Spanish invaders.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐨: