The Cathedral of San Sebastian (Bacolod City)

Fr. Mauridio Ferrero, O.A.R., the parish work of Bacolod (1871-1898; 1902-1910) was responsible for the striking structure of the Cathedra of San Sebastian. In 1825, the original church was constructed by Fr. Julian Gonzaga (parish priest 1818-1836). The ancient church was made of wood and galvanized roofing. It had one medium-sized bell until Fr. Roman Manuel Locsin donated a large bell and another priest, Fr. Mariano de Avila gave one when he became the parish priest in 1863 after the death of Fr. Locsin. The bell of Fr. De Avila was installed in the tower when the Cathedral was constructed in 1876, but lowered in 1969 when the towers were built. It was never returned there until 1976 when the Sugarlandia Lions Club of Bacolod constructed a special belfry where it hangs today with Fr. Ferrero’s small bell.

When Fr. Mauricio Ferrero took over in 1871, he initiated plans for the building of a bigger church made of coral stones. The plan was submitted to Bishop Mariano Cuartero of Jaro. It was on April 27, 1876 when the foundation stone was laid. Fr. Mauricio made an agreement with the politico-military governor, Roman Pastor for the use of the prisoners in the church construction. The governor agreed provided that Fr. Maurico also design and supervise the construction of a stone prison. The coral stones of the cathedral were cut from the deposits of Guimaras and brought by barge and lurches to Bacolod. The wooden parts were made from hardwood cut in Palawan.

On the eve of the feast of San Sebastian, January 19, 1882, Bishop Cuartero blessed the biggest church in the province. A pontifical mass was celebrated by the bishop the following day before a packed audience composed of government and church officials of the province and Iloilo. Parish priests and leading citizens of other towns joined the festivities.

The two towers that is present today were set up three years later. The right tower of the church was constructed first. Don Luis Ruiz de Luzurriaga, donated a huge clock that became the main keeper of the town. The left tower was constructed later. Both towers were made of aluminum sheet with hardwood framings. It was also in 1885 that the big organ was installed on a nave just above the church entrance. The organ was disassembled during the reconstruction of the church in 1969 and never returned.

In 1969, the two towers were demolished as a public hazard upon orders of the Bacolod City Engineer’s office. The rector of the cathedral, Fr. Antonio Santes raised funds to build the towers. A cathedral tower reconstruction committee engaged in fund raising activities.

The San Sebastian Cathedral was declared the cathedral church in 1933 when Bacolod became a diocese. In 1956, the second bishop of Bacolod, Bishop Manuel Yap, increased the prestige of the church when the consecrated it in solemn ceremonies after it was reconstructed. The main altar was simplified and a life-size statue of San Sebastian was enshrined. In the bosom of the Cathedral are the remains of Bishop Casimiro Lladoc, the first bishop of Bacolod and Bishop Manuel Yap, the second Bishop, as well as the remains of generous benefactors of the past decades.

The parish rectory, now the Bishop’s house was also constructed by Fr. Ferrero. The construction started on May 21, 1891 and was finished in 1894. The materials were taken from Palawan, while the coral stones were from Guimaras. Some of the bricks were locally made, masonry was mostly by Chinese artisans.

Parish of Sta. Monica (Hamtic, Antique)

The Augustinian friars founded the church of Hamtic in 1581. The parish church was buikt and chose Sta. Monica as their patron saint. It became a visita of Ibahay, Aklan. The Augustinian friars left it in 1596.

It became a parish once more in the early 1700s. Later on it became a vista once again, this time to Bugasong, Antique and became the headquarters for evangelization.

Hamtic became the first parish in Antique in 1581, the patron saint was San Guillermo. The old church was believed to be built at Maybato North and was used as fortress. It is said to be found near the Malandog tidal river which is ideal and a very much used harbor.

In the 17th century, pirates invaded Hamtic with destructive consequences. The old church was destroyed but the ruins remained.

In 1644 until 1690, the parish was under Guimbal until Fr. Hipolito Casiano, OSA refounded and constructed a new church at what is now Hamtic town with Sta. Monica as its patron saint.

what is believed to be the ruins of the old church of Hamtic inside the cemetery

San Jose Parish (San Jose, Antique)

Long before, San Jose belonged to the parish of Hamtic. Due to frequent Moro raids, the old church was rammed down by raiders and the Augustinian priests were forced to abandon the place and look for another site to relocate. The parishioners decided to move to a higher place away from the sea.

They have finally found a very suitable place, it was high, far from the sea and has an exquisite view of the mountains. The parishioners as well as some priests chose to settle and erected a village which they referred to as “Buenavista” which means beautiful site.

A story is passed from one generation to the next how St. Joseph the Worker became the patron saint of the parish. Long ago, there was a very strong typhoon to hit Buenavista Village, which caused sea turbulence. Soon, a tidal wave was formed that was to devour the whole village. It made the people terrified until they saw a man in the midst of the storm, he face the shore with the roaring huge wave. He raised his hand, holding a staff as though commanding the sea to settle down.  And it did! The angry wave slowly settled down. When the storm was finally over, the villagers tried to look for the man, but he was nowhere to be found. The people who have witnessed the event swore the resemblance of St. Joseph the Worker in many ways. They believed it was a miracle and so the Augustinians consecrated the village as San Jose de Buenavista named after St. Joseph whim the people made their patron saint.

In 1793, San Jose became an independent Parish with Fr. Manuel  Ibañez, OSA as parish priest. In 1802, San Jose became the capital town of Antique.

Parish of San Augustine (Patnongon, Antique)

ruins of the old church which was converted to school

Patnongon, was named as San Simon in 1762 and was made a town in 1762. The church was founded by Augustinian Friars but they left the town in 1777 and it became a visita of Sibalom, it remained a visita until the 2nd quarter of the 19th century.

The church was made through force labor and was finished in 1879. It is considered to be the best church in Antique until was destroyed in during the World War II when it was made a fortress by the Japanese forces. It was partially renovated by the Mill Hill Missionaries to make way for the school

St. Augustine was considered as the patron saint because legend has it that he used to frightened the pirates away. A beared man in flowing robes holding a staff and walking along the beaches to drive all the pirates off the shore.

Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul (San Pedro, San Jose de Buenavista, Antique)

new parish and convent of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish

The Old Catholic church of the parish was built by the Augustinians during the Spanish regime. It has a shape of a Latin cross with three gates; it is 77 meters long and 14 meters wide. Its roof was made of cogon grass but according to the legend, the monkey pet of a priest burned it and since then the church has remained unfinished.

The beautiful grotto inside the ruins was made by an architect, Fr. Richard Kemperman, MHM. He beautified, inaugurated and blessed the church on February 11. 1940, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The church was neglected when the Japanese forces invaded the province of Antique. Post-war, a Eucharistic celebration is being held every February 11.

The belfry towering the old structure was built when Fr. Cornelius de Wit, MHM became parish priest in 1954. The statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette were moved to the south gate under the regency of Fr. John Daly, MHM in 1961.

In 1972, San Pedro became the farmer’s center of the Diocese. Fr. Gerard Pijnappel, MHM put up buildings on the left and right side of the church in order to house farmers when seminars and trainings were conducted.

After long been neglected, Fr. Glicerio Geremia was assigned to the parish and tried to restore the spiritual value of this historical landmark. Architect Harold Tating and his sister implemented the priest’s plan of improving the interior of the church and the grotto of our Lady of Lourdes. These were all done with the help of the Parish Pastoral Council, different organizations and generous people who conducted several fundraising activities.

The Knights of the Sacred Heart of Jesus cleared the site inside the old church and a new floor was laid together with flowers, grasses and ornamental plants donated by the parishioners. The statues of our Lady of Lourdes (place on an elevated mound) and St. Bernadette were placed back to their original position. A pond was dug with water flowing from the top of the mound and later new iron gates and illumination were provided.

ruins of the old church

In 2005, a new Via Cruses or way of the cross was installed inside the church for meditation especially during Lenten Season.

Parish of San Antonio de Abott (Tubungan, Iloilo)

Feast Day: January 17

History: A Dominican, Ensayo II felt there was a necessity to build a permanent church upon the foundation of the parish in 1810. It was an Augustinian priest, however, Fr. Luis Toro who was commissioned to undertake the construction. In order to build the church, slabs and tiles cut out of rocks and stones found on hills and rivers. They bought the marble tiles for the floor from the city. Like other churches during the Spanish era, parishioners from the poblacion and barangay were forces to work in building the church.

After four full years of hard work, the main parts of the church were finally completed in 1814 under the incumbency of Fr. Serapio Gonzalez.

A story of martyrdom also happened inside the 1810 church. It was in 1873 when a parish priest, Rev. Fr. Isidro Badrena whose desire to spread catholic faith is strong that he sacrificed his life and died a martyr’s death at Sitio Balabago, Batga, Tubungan in the hands of the Babylans led by Ramos while holding the rites of the latter. The priest was buried inside the old church.

It was in 1900, when a Filipino priest from St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary became the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Felix Gedican. But only a decade later, he was replaced with Fr. John Janssen when the parish was turned over to the Mill Hill Missionaries.

The 1810 church was burned down by the USAFEE to prevent the Japanese army from using it as a garrison when the World War II broke out in 1942.

After the war in 1947, Fr. Andrew Jacobs built a bamboo church with salvaged galvanized iron roof inside the burned old church. However, in the 1948 earthquake, the church and the convent were destroyed. He built a new bamboo church fronting the ruins of the convent.

It was replaced with a wooden semi-permanent construction during the incumbency of Rev. Fr. Luiz Zotz in 1951. He donated much of his personal money for the construction. In 1958, the belfry was constructed and was finished two years later. Rev. Fr. Andres Sagra was able to continue several other renovations for the improvement and the restoration the grandeur that was once standing in the vast space in the middle of the plaza.

Visita Iglesia’s Top 5 Churches for Weddings

It may be grand or solemn – a family affair or the talk of the town. The motif may range from black to white – and the budget… Let us not talk about money. The aisle may be long or some may prefer it short because their beautiful new shoes are killing them. The altar may be simple or elaborate as the church may be big or just a small chapel up on the hill side. At the end of it all, it will all come down to the will you’s and I do’s.

The church hosts one of the blessed sacraments in the lives of two individuals bound to spend the rest of their lives together — the holy matrimony.

Iloilo is sorrounded with wonderful houses of worship where couples could choose where to held the momentous occasion. Visita Iglesia picks five among over a dozes beautiful churches over Metro Iloilo on where to speak your vows and start forever with the man or woman of your dreams.

St. Joseph Parish (Jaro, Iloilo City)

This beautiful modern church found in Jaro has been one of the top choices of Visita Iglesia. It is situated in the section of the city that is moderately busy. With a function room found inside the premises, reception is not a problem. The altar offers a drama that no photgrapher can refuse, a sole cross in the middle and a well-elevated altar proved to be an interesting backdrop for wedding photos.

St. Clements Church (La Paz, Iloilo City)

This white church under the Redemptorists sits in the heart  of the busy La Paz district. Not only that this church is accessible – but the altar provides a view that enchants photographers and people alike. The ventilation is good since both sides are open for air to pass freely inside the church.

San Agustin Church (Sambag, Jaro, Iloilo City)

One of the newest church to be built and already gained so much popularity because if its commendable modern design.

Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova (Miag-ao, Iloilo)

The interiors of the Miag-ao Church is as breathtaking as its façade. Found in the outskirts of the city and one of the coastal town in Iloilo, the church is one of the island’s most treasured ancient structure that has been preserved not just for tourists but for special occasions such as weddings. A wide array of beach resorts offer a great venue for an after party.

Jaro Cathedral (Jaro, Iloilo City)

This majestic structure in the center of Jaro is the only cathedral found in Iloilo City. Although the church is undergoing major renovation, the glorious aura of this citadel ramins with its long aisle and wide nave. A function hall found inside the premises can cater to your reception needs.

*administrators of this website have asked permission from the administrator of iloiloonline.blogspot.com & exploreiloilo.com (THANK YOU!)

Parish of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage (La Paz, Iloilo City)

Location          : La Paz, Iloilo

Feast Day        : May 24 (Annual district fiesta)

History            : This neo-classical church was made of stone and bricks with Greek pediments. The parish was organized in 1870 under the leadership of an Augustinian priest, Fr. Candido Gonzales. The church was composed of red bricks, stone, cement and wood. It was damaged during the Second World War and the infamous 1948 earthquake. The only thing that with stood the forces of men and nature is its façade. The convent was immediately renovated after the war ended. Major restorations were done through the years but mostly during the incumbency of Msgr. Melicio Fegarido. The inauguration of the fully restored church was done on May 24, 1995 during the celebration of the town fiesta.

Parish of St. Martin (Dumalag, Capiz)

An indication that the first church and convent were constructed between 1600 and 1720, a record of an exemption of payment for the rent was found in Manila.

Fr. Agustin Duran in 1883 constructed the present church which was a reconstruction of the previous one that was damaged.

Between 1866 and 1881, Fr. Angel Abasolo build or rebuilt the present church. The construction began with a fund of P300.00 and the expenses reached up to P50,000.00 by 1873. However, the church and convent were both destryoyed in 1875.

Measuring 70 meters long and 18 meters wide, the church is made of yellow sandstone. It has a front door and two side doors, massive buttresses supported six arched windows between columns reaching up to the roof.

The façade wall is decorated with small pilasters. At the left side of the church is a 5-story bell tower. The five bells found inside the belfry was brought by Fr. Ledesma Perez in 1881.

The interior resembles the pattern of a Latin cross. It had been retouched considerably and in the process, the magnificant paintings of Fr. Juan Carlos peeled off.

Rising up to the rectangular pediment are six rectangular pilasters that initiated a vertical movement and stressed by a slender, tapering six story octagonal bell-tower which offers elegance to the otheriwse dull surface façade.

Sta. Monica Parish (Pan-ay, Capiz)

The famous Baroque Church of Pan-ay Capiz was probably built around 1700 and reconstructed  in 1714 and 1875.

According to Fr. Lopez, the population of Pan-ay alone could not possibly afford the building until an agreement with the alcalde mayor made it possible with a donation of P288.00 from the community treasury.

Another reconstruction took place under the incumbency of Fr. Miguel Murguia in 1744. The church was heavily damaged due to a typhoon on January 17, 1875 and again renovated in 1884 by Fr. Jose.

The citadel , a big structure made of sandstone, measuring up to 70 meters long and 25 meters wide by 18 meters high. It follows the pattern of the latin cross with a large central altar and four lateral ones, each of which has a gorgeously decorated and retables made of hardwood covered with gold, it is adorned with a variety of polychromed statues of high artistic quality.

Artisans as far from Manila, according to the clapards, designed the Baroque decorations, settin the main altar in silver. Jose Bergamo or Sarhento Itak, the town’s greatest sculptor, did most of the retablos, bass relief and other religious images. The church was completed in 1771.

Unlike its elaborate Baroque interior, the exterior is simply embellished with pillars and horizontal ledges with life-size statues of the Augustinian saints St. Thomas de Villanova and Monica flanked in a niche. The five-story belfry is the house of the very large bell cast in the 19^th century from the donation of 70-sack coins of the townfolk. It measures seven feet in diameter, five feet in height and weighs 10,400 kilograms. The people of the town referred to it Dakong Lingganay or Big Bell.

The bell was cast by Don Juan Reina who settled in JM Basa St, Iloilo City sinnce 1898 and established his blacksmith and casting shop. Fr. Jose Beloso sent for him when the belfry was being constructed. With a few basic tools, Reina set up a temporary shop at the foot of the town and hurried up with the casting of the bell. The moment the bell was tried during the Angelus, the sound was too loud that it could be heard in every nearby town. After he was paid by the parish priest, he returned to Iloilo. The bell cracked in a month’s time. From that time, the bell sounded more like a frying pan than a bell. The priest summoned the blacksmith furiously and demanded he should recast the bell for free. Don Juan, who had the temper of a baturro (countrymen from Aragon) would have none if it. No less stubborn, Fr. Beloso, appealed to Bishop Cuartero, after a heated discussion with the blacksmith, sent a circular to all priests in the island, prohibitng them fron contracting any job to Don Juan.

In the very strange manner, the deadlock was broken. Bishop Cuartero would spend long sleepless nights duue to a chronic toothache. Iron ically, the only dentist who could help him is no less than Don Juan, the blacksmith. He was sent for and the bishop meekly submitted himself to have his tooth pulled out.

The blacksmith was delighted in this great opportunity. As he got ready to apply the hook, he asked the bishop in genuine insolence, “Your excellency, is there any job for a bell caster?” and came the reply of the bishop, “Of course Don Juan, there is.” A big pull and the tooth went out. After this moment, it was not longer difficult for the blacksmith to find work.

The insciption in the bells states: Soy la voz de Dios que Ilevarey ensalzare desde el principio hasta el fin de este pueblo de Panay para que los fieles de Jesus vengan e esta casa de Dion a recibit las gracias celestiales (I am God’s voice which I shall echo and praise from one end to the other of the town of Panay, so that the faithful followers of Christ may may come to this house of God to receive heavenly graces.) The bell was cast in this town by Don Juan Reina to the glory of God and the Virgin Consolation while Fr. Jose Beloso was the parish priest of the town of Panay, 21^st of December, 1878. Another bell reads: Josepus (sic) Beloso fecit and laudem Sanetissimi Tritatos, B.M. Consolationis Huius oppido de Panay patrona et advocada. Anno domini 1867. It weights 183 arrobas. The small bell dated 1721.

The typhoon of March 5, 1874 destroyed the roof of the church and another typhoon in January 1875 toppled the transept. It was repaired by Fr. Lesmes Perez in 1895. On the other thand, the destroyed convent was never been rebuilt.

The fortress have been called an excellent example of the Filipino Colonial Baroque style that has blended well with the neo-classic influence. The imposing façade is massive and solid in appearance, with the blending of its lines and volume. Shallow paired pilasters with narrow groobes in between divide the façade into rectangular carving portraying the Agustinian emblem. The second level has an ornate niche and a rose window complemented by a relief sculpture at the center of the pediment above it. The vertical movement of the pilasters counterfoiled by the sharp projectibf architrave and curvelinear indulation of the pediment. The dark open spaces of the entrance and the windows create a closer relationship between light and shadow. The finials shaped as pineapple on the top most part of the pediment wall add to the local exotic color of the church. The neoclassic look blends excellently with the Baroque influences.

Next Page »