The Jesuit House of 1730 is for the adventuresome. Even in Cebu, few know of the existence of this house located between Zulueta and Binakayan Sts. Permission is needed to see the house presently owned by the Sy family, owners of HoTong hardware. Though not open to the public, with advanced notice the house can be visited. But visitors be warned that it is now a warehouse, and will require some walking over cables, reinforcing bars and other construction material. The house can be dusty and the air stale.

The house was once the residence of the Jesuit superior in Cebu. To coordinate work in their Visayan missions, the first Jesuit mission superior, Antonio Sedeño opened a residence in Cebu in 1595. The site of the 16^th century residence is uncertain. This residence which is still standing is believed to have been built in 1730. A relief plaque inside the residence bears this date. The Jesuits were in possession of this house until 1768 when they were expelled from the Philippines. Upon their expulsion, Jesuit properties were put on public auction. A Spanish family, the Alvarez, acquired the house. The house passed through various owners until the Sy family acquired the residence. At one time, the residence became an exclusive club for Cebu’s elite.

Early in this century, the existence of the house was first documented by Fr. William Repetti, S.J., seismologist and archivist of the Jesuits. He noted its existence in a book he published in 1936. In the book, a reproduction of an old painting of the house indicated that a tower stood beside it, probably built as a watchtower for seafaring raiders.

Heritage Features: The whole compound is surrounded by a wall made of cut coral. The wall is divided by short piers on which are relieves bearing the monogram IHS, meaning Jesus. The original gate to the residence is along the side road named Binakayan. The gate’s lintel is decorated with monograms of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. These bas relieves in soft coral have unfortunately eroded because of wind and rain and also because vehicles have scarped the wall along the very narrow Binakayan road. To protect the monograms on the gate, the Sy family has installed a metal gate and a roof over the gate. To see the monograms on the lintel permission is needed as the steel gate is locked.

Entrance to the compound is through a new opening at Zulueta. Inside the compound are two structures. The structure closest to Zulueta bears traces of renovation. It is a bipartite building, the lower story of coral and the upper of wood. The stairway leading to the first house is of 20^th-century vintage. The roof of the house is supported by stout unhewn tree trunks decorated with corbels.

This house is connected by a bridge to a second house. Like the convento of Santo Niño the second house is all of cut coral. Stout unhewn timbers support a heavy tile roof. The roof line curves outward in the same manner as Chinese style roofs. Iron grilles bar the windows of the second story. The house is no longer divided as it may have looked in the 18^th century. Divisions into rooms are of 20^th century vintage. The main door of the house is permanently locked and the decorative banister and newel post of the stairway is gone. Oral tradition has it that the Alvarez family brought the banister and newel post to a new house they were building in Bohol. Both banister and post were similar in design to those found in the convento of Santo Niño.