Butuan

Altar of St. Joseph Cathedral  | read this item

The Cathedral of St. Joseph is considered as one of the main churches in the historic city of Butuan in the Philippines; the other one is Sto. Niño Shrine located in Libertad. On May 19, 2009, Rev. Father Siegfred Dosdos read the Decree of Establishment of St. Joseph Cathedral as a Diocesan Shrine during Pontifical Fiesta Mass. The declaration of the Saint Joseph Cathedral was approved by His Excellency Juan de Dios Mataflorida Pueblos, Catholic Bishop of Butuan and Parish [...]

Bequibel Shell Museum  | read this item

One of the less explored tourist spots in the historic city of Butuan, the Bequibel Shell Museum houses a mound of domestic refuse containing shells and animal bones, marking the site of a prehistoric settlement. This spot may not be as important to the excursionists compared to the anthropologists who studies prehistoric people and their culture. A midden is the trash of prehistoric people. It is the repository of unwritten events and activities of past human actions. There are two [...]

Rizal Park in Butuan  | read this item

Known as one of the most peaceful and cleanest places in the Philippines, Butuan is one of the best places to live in the country. It boasts itself as one of the cities with most historical value. The local government and the people exerts relentless efforts in preserving the rich chronicle of Butuan and continues to maintain its cleanliness to entice more tourists. When in Butuan, one of the best locations to spend a leisurely walk with someone you love [...]

Balangay Shrine  | read this item

The Balangay Site Museum is a field unit of the National Museum, similar to Butuan Museum which located near the City Hall and Golden Tara replica. It keeps the remnants of the earliest watercraft called “Balanghai” (and now more popularly known as the “Butuan Boat”) and other cultural materials associated with the boat like human and animal remains, coffins, pots, jewelries, hunting goods, ceramics and other items used for subsistence. The Balangays are large, wooden plank-built and edge-pegged boats. This [...]

Golden Tara  | read this item

The Golden Tara of Butuan, also known as the Icon of a Storied Past (the pre-colonial times of Butuan), is a gold figurine of a “Tara” (or escort goddess from the Buddhist Pantheon). It was found by a Manobo native along the Wawa River in Central Agusan in 1917. This artifact was subsequently acquired by the American in 1922 and bought by the wife of Governor General Leonard Wood. It is now housed in the Field Museum of Natural History [...]

Balanghai (Balangay, Butan) Boat Replica  | read this item

That Easter Week of March 29, 1521 as Magellan’s Boat neared that island, two Balanghai Boats approached the ship, with the larger one stood the Chief of the Island of Mazzaua. That was how Pigaffeta the Chronicler of Magellan wrote into his record book 500 years ago. On July 1976, Antique hunters hit on and discovered the remain of a large wooden boat. It was the first relics of the Balanghai Boat discovered. C-14 carbon dating established that the relics [...]

Butuan Museum  | read this item

One of the main reasons why local and foreign tourists visit Butuan in the southern part of the Philippines is to see a glimpse of the rich history of the country. And one of the best places to see such historical collections is at the Butuan Museum, also known as the National Museum. The Butuan Museum was established following the inadvertent detection of archaeological materials by the City Engineering Office of Butuan City in 1974 while draining the water confined [...]

Sto Nino Shrine, Butuan  | read this item

Founded in 1986, the Sto Niño Diocesan Shrine in Butuan is one of the churches found in the historic city where many believed Magellan first landed. It is located in Maharlika Highway, Libertad in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte in the Philippines and widely known today as the Sto Niño Shrine and/or Sto Niño Parish. Declared a Diocesan Shrine in 2000, the Sto. Niño Church enshrines an image of the Holy Child (Sto. Niño) that Magellan first brought to Butuan [...]