National Heritage Month: Negros Heritage Churches

I love to travel. Whenever I'm off somewhere, I try to include visiting old churches in my itinerary. Call it a love affair with old churches, there's something spiritual that happens every time I step in a house of prayer. I like observing old churches because it gives me a glimpse of heritage and culture- the story and history of the place embodied on it. On this blog, I will share with you the rich heritage churches of Negros Occidental.

As we are on pandemic and we are on limited travel, the Negros Season of Culture will take us to a virtual tour of the heritage churches in Negros Occidental in celebration of the National Heritage Month. Catch the videos every Wednesday and Saturday this month of May at their Facebook page. This is a series of video documentaries and feature stories on 19^th Century Roman Catholic churches in the province of Negros Occidental. A total of seven churches will be featured.

The video documentaries and feature stories will be individually launched on the website of Negros Season of Culture starting Sunday, May 1, 2021.

Church	Launch Date
Santa Maria Magdalena Church of Hinigaran	01 May 2021
Our Lady of Peace Church of La Carlota	05 May 2021
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church of Valladolid	08 May 2021
San Sebastian Cathedral of Bacolod	12 May 2021
San Isidro Labrador of Binalbagan	15 May 2021
St. John the Baptist Church of Bago	19 May 2021
San Nicolas de Tolentino Church of Talisay	22 May 2021

Sta. Maria Magdalena Church of Hinigaran

This Spanish colonial church in Negros is considered one of the oldest in the country. Back in 1848, there was no place in Hinigaran where priests can celebrate mass so Rev. Fr. Jose Maria Pavon, an Augustinian Priest from Spain who was commissioned to set up the parish of the area, built a temporary church made of nipa. After several years, with the joint efforts of the parish priests and the community, a permanent structure was erected.

The facade and walls were made from stones, corals and bricks. Stories had it that residents had to bring twenty five eggs a day- these were mixed with lime, coral and bricks that formed the foundation and walls of the church.

An antique image of St. Mary Magdalene, brought from Spain by early missionaries, was placed on top of the main doorway and can still be viewed this day.

Our Lady of Peace Church of La Carlota

La Carlota Church or Our lady of Peace parish church is a hundred year old church made by red Silay bricks and coral stones from nearby Guimaras Island. Back in 1870, the then chapel was only made of bamboo and cogon grass. Fr. Eustaqio Cascarro was its first priest. Fr. Torres, who served the parish from 1877 spearheaded the stone structure construction of the church and paid homage to Our Lady of Peace. It has the distinction as one of the very few churches of Romanesque architectural design in the region.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church of Valladolid

via

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe was built between 1851-1852 by the Recollect Missionaries. It is reputed to be one of the biggest in the province - a testament that Valladolid is one of the most progressive pueblos in the island during the Spanish era.

San Sebastian Cathedral of Bacolod

via

This cathedral is named in honor of San Sebastian. The stone church construction began in 1876 under the leadership of Fr. Mauricio Ferrero. It was made from coral stones from Guimaras and hardwood from trees of Palawan. Luis Fernando de Luna (1777-1779), a corregidor, donated a relic of the Saint for the growing mission, and the village came to be known as San Sebastian de Magsungay.

San Isidro Labrador of Binalbagan