Description of the attraction
Baguio Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Atonement, is a Catholic church located on the Cathedral Ring near Session Road. The cathedral is known for its pale pink façade, twin spiers and traditional stained glass windows, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in Baguio City. During the occupation of the city by the Japanese in World War II, the cathedral served as an evacuation center.
The place where the cathedral stands today was called "campo" by the Ibaloi people. In 1907, Belgian missionaries established a Catholic mission here and renamed the area Mount Maria. The construction of the cathedral began in 1920 under the direction of the parish priest, brother Florimono Carlu. In 1936 the cathedral was completed and in the same year it was consecrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Atonement.
During the Second World War, an evacuation center was located in the cathedral. It was only by a miracle that the building of the temple survived during the "carpet" bombing of Baguio in 1945. The remains of thousands of victims of that war were buried on the grounds of the cathedral.
A distinctive feature of Baguio Cathedral is its pink façade with round rosette windows and square twin bell towers with hipped roofs. There is an observation deck on the territory of a huge courtyard, which overlooks the Session Road and the business center of the city. You can get inside the cathedral by climbing a stone staircase with a hundred steps.
In 2006, restoration work was carried out in the cathedral, during which a new square was erected in front of the church building, and inside a new altar for everyone to light a candle.
Interestingly, Baguio Cathedral is perhaps the only temple in the world that has its own Porta Vaga store.
