The facade of the church.

Talisay was once a barrio of San Nicolas, specifically a hacienda of the Augustinian friars, one of the two estates along with Banilad that they owned by the middle of the eighteenth century. The settlement eventually grew until it separated from its matriz, San Nicolas, and became an independent parish under the advocation of Sta. Teresa de Ávila on August 16, 1836 through Royal Approval dated April 25 of the same year. The first parish priest was Father Juan Soriano, an Augustinian.

The church was built by Father Soriano in 1836 and was finished in 1848. Made of finely-cut coral stones, the church was originally cruciform with one main nave and short semi-round transepts. During the U.S. aerial bombings following the Talisay landing of the Americal Division on March 26, 1945, the church was heavily damaged. It was eventually restored in 1950 during the term of Father Teofilo Camomot.

The original wall of the gospel side of what used to be the exterior of the church.

The design of the church is Graeco-Roman. Twin massive-looking bell towers capped with red domes flank the recessed façade. The Habsburg symbol, a double-headed eagle, is emblazoned in low-relief in one of the belltowers. A foyer supported by columns and with a balustraded porch above it leads to the main entrance. The interiors of the church especially the presbytery and the transepts are heavily embellished. There are a total of five altars including the main altar, each gilded and containing a statue of a particular devotion. A large round chandelier hangs at the crossing.

The church was recently remodelled with the addition of wings flanking both sides of the main nave. The original stone walls however were not torn down to give way to the expansion and from inside the new wings one can still appreciate the design of the former arched windows and the side entrances.

A view of the main nave from the choir loft.

A pair of hand prints with the inscriptions “MSGR. JOE T. 08-08-08” can be found in one of the walls near the transept, perhaps to commemorate the date the expansion of the church was completed and the parish priest who initiated it, Monsignor Jose Tajanlangit. (ACFS)