Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, located in the city of Zamboanga on the island of Mindanao, is considered one of the largest modern cathedrals in Asia.
The first Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built of wood on a concrete foundation, once stood near Pershing Square on the same site where the University of Zamboanga is today. Above its main altar was an image of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, and on both sides of it one could see images of two saints - Ignatius Loyola and Francis Javier. In 1943, during the Second World War, the cathedral was bombed by Japanese aircraft and destroyed.
The new wooden building of the cathedral was built in 1956 next to the University of Ateneo de Zamboanga. This site used to be a chapel known as the Jardin de Chino. On the left side of the facade was a full-length sculpture of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, and on the right was a bell tower. In 1998, the cathedral building was demolished as it was severely damaged by termites.
The current building of the cathedral in the form of a cross was built from 1998 to 2001. Inside, you can see the marble statue of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary by the Filipino national artist Napoleon Abueva. Along the side chapels are symbolic stained glass images of all the bishops of Mindanao from 1910 to 1984. The chapel on the ground floor is used for weekday masses. In front of it you can see the baptistery with the relics of the Blessed Virgin of Pillar, patroness of the city. And behind the baptistery is a columbarium with a copy of Michelangelo's Pieta and the image of the 12 apostles.
