[1] When Juan de Salcedo came to Vigan, he renamed the town to Villa Fernandina in honor of the young son of King Philip II.

[2][3] With Salcedo is Augustinian priest Alonso de Alvarado who first attempted to Christianize the Ilocos region.

Gary Noel S. Formoso announced its temporary closure through the Cathedral's official Facebook page, with its reopening upon the advice from structural engineers on its safety for future use.

[10] A week after the earthquake, the Vigan City LGU began implementing a color coding scheme that will assess the structural integrity and safety of the city's buildings; due to extensive damage,[11] both the Cathedral and the adjacent Vigan City Bell Tower were placed under the highest level of "Code Red": the affected structures were closed and cordoned off, all functions and activities within were temporarily ceased, and the surrounding areas were placed off-limits to the general public.

[7] Located south of the cathedral is the Vigan City Bell Tower, a separate 25 metres (82 ft) bell tower with a square base and an octagonal form, with a weather vane on top in the form of a rooster, which symbolizes Saint Peter.

Located beside the cathedral is the Palacio de Arzobispado de Nueva Segovia, the only remaining Spanish colonial era Archbishop's Palace in the Philippines, and which still retains its original function as the official residence of the archbishop of Nueva Segovia (though his private quarters are housed outside);[14] the palace also houses a chapel usually open to the public, the archdiocesan archives, and an ecclesiastical museum which includes the palace's original throne room and artifacts from various churches in Ilocos Sur.