Matilda Bradford Memorial Church

Official Name: Matilde Bradford Memorial Church[1]

Classification Status: National Historical Landmark[1]

Town or City: Cebu

Year Declared: 2013

Description:
Design
The Bradford Memorial Chapel is managed by the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. It is constructed in a cruciform shape[2] and located along Osmeña Boulevard, beside the Visayas Community Medical Center. Behind it, a new, bigger church was built.[2]

History
The Presbyterian Church of the United States acquired the property for the church in a remote area of Cebu, with construction beginning in 1912 and completing on October 26, 1913. It was donated by Dwight H. Day's wife and named after her mother, Matilda L. Bradford. The surrounding structures, including dormitories and residences, were destroyed in World War II.

The church served Protestant adherents in the province, offering services in Cebuano and Chinese with interpreters. It later provided relief to leprosy-afflicted individuals who chose to stay in Cebu.

In 1948, the community established the Student Christian Center, later renamed Cebu Christian School and now the Philippine Christian Gospel School. Despite plans for demolition in the 1980s, the church remains due to council opposition.

A fundraising campaign in 2013 supported church renovations for its centennial anniversary. Conservation work on the Magellan Monument and repainting of the Lapulapu sculpture took place in preparation for the 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines, with the mast permanently flying the Philippine flag from January 17, 2021.

National historical landmark
In 1983, the Cebu City Council designated it as a historical landmark. A year later, it received national recognition as a historical landmark from the National Historical Commission, making it the sole Protestant church in Cebu with this distinction. In 2014, an official historical marker was unveiled.[2]

Source:
1. https://ncca.gov.ph/philippine-registry-cultural-property-precup/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Memorial_Chapel