Dipolog was formerly a barrio of Dapitan. In April 1894, the construction of the church of Dipolog began, while the first mass within the completed church was held in June 1894. The parish of Dipolog was founded on June 30, 1896, with Fr. Esteban Yepes, a Jesuit, serving as its first parish priest.The first church altar of Dipolog was designed by José Rizal while he was exiled in Dapitan. The features of the church are its wooden ceiling, wooden bas relief of the four Evangelists, massive adobe stone walls, and reredos, among others. In 1913, Dipolog formally became a separate town from Dapitan. The church became a cathedral when the Diocese of Dipolog was canonically founded in 1967. Reforms brought by the Second Vatican Council changed the church's reredo into a simple one with vertical design and a central bell tower being added to the façade.