El Pardo was once a town formed through the merger of Bulacao, Inayawan, and Basak by decree of the Governor General on March 10, 1863. Today it is a barangay in Cebu City known by its official name Poblacion Pardo and is bounded by Brgys. Bulacao, Kinasang-an, and Cogon Pardo.

As a parish, El Pardo or just plain Pardo, traces its history as a visita of San Nicolás, separating as an independent parish on April 10, 1866 with Fray Meliton Talegon as the first parish priest. The parish honors Sto. Tomás de Villanueva as its patron saint. A bell inscribed with the words SE HIZO ESTA CAMP. EL AÑO 1810, Siendo Mntro de Este Pueblo d. S. Nicolas Fr. Manuel Cordero is Pardo’s link with its mother parish.

Construction of the present-day church to replace a previous one made of light materials was started by Fray Manuel Ybeas, who was parish priest from 1873 to 1893. The church was designed by Domingo de Escondrillas, a Spanish engineer-architect who also designed several other edifices in Cebu. According to the Augustinian historian Pedro Galende, OSA, the architect designed the church in the Latin-Byzantine Order as there was no other church in the towns of the district with such a design.

The church fabric is made of finely-cut coral stones covering walls of thick coral rubble mixed with lime mortar and evinces a massive fortress-like façade. A single towering belfry integrated with the façade at the middle portion pierces the sky and dominates the skyline of this former town. Entrance to the church is through a porte-cochère. A little above it is the symbol of the Order of St. Augustine which is emblazoned in low-relief.

Horizontal lines divide the façade into several horizontal segments. Two large cylindrical structures, which end up above in a domed parapet-like space, flank both sides of the façade. Entrance to this parapet-like space is through a small portal at the access leading to the top of the belfry. The topmost part of the belfry itself is a balustered balcony offering breathtaking views of the city and beyond.

The interiors of the church have been modernized although there are still a number of elements that are part of the original. There are five altar reredos, including the one at the main altar, with each reredos containing an image of a particular devotion. The main altar reredos, with a ciborium or canopy, contains an image of Sto. Tomás de Villanueva as amidst four panels painted with religious images.

The nearby rectory, though quite modern in look from the outside, still retains some of its original form in the interiors. It is a bipartite structure of stone and wood. A spacious lobby and receiving area at the second level is embellished with painted ceilings, carved decorative screens, among others. (ACFS)

Photos below: Details of the facade.