Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of San Sebastian, built in 1876-1885, is today one of the most beautiful churches in the city of Bacolod and the entire island of Negros. Despite the fact that the parish in Bacolod was founded in 1788, for a long time there was no permanent priest and prayer temple in the city. The believers visited a small wooden chapel built of bamboo and nipa.
In 1817, Father Julian Gonzaga was appointed parish priest, who erected a small wooden church with a metal roof just west of where the cathedral stands today. In 1825, he began to collect corals from the bottom of the Guimaras Strait in order to build a stone church. Unfortunately, Gonzaga was not destined to wait for his dream to come true - he died in 1836.
It was only in 1876 that the construction of a stone church in Bacolod began under the leadership of the priest Mauricio Ferrero of the Augustinian Order of the Recollects. Interestingly, Ferrero was the architect not only of the future cathedral and the priest's residence, but also of the city prison - in exchange for this service, the provincial governor ordered part of the prisoners to be sent to build a new church. In 1882, the solemn consecration of the church took place, but the twin bell towers were completed only in 1885. They gave the church its characteristic Western European look. In the same year, the local philanthropist José Ruiz de Lusuryaga donated a huge clock for the right bell tower, the choir was completed and the organ was installed. And in 1932, the church received the status of a cathedral, since a diocese was created in Bacolod.
Later, in 1969, restoration work had to be carried out in the cathedral: the worn-out old bell towers became dangerous and were replaced with concrete ones, the silver altar and paintings on the ceiling were also removed.
Inside the cathedral there is a portico consisting of three arches of the same size. On the side of the main entrance is a statue of the church builder, Father Ferrero. The interior of the cathedral is very simple, if not austere, but very pleasant. Moreover, beauty is created not so much by ornaments and decorations as by modulation of arches and columns. In the courtyard of the cathedral, you can see the bell, which was removed from the belfry in 1976. And nearby there is a monastery built at the end of the 19th century from coral stones. Today it houses the bishop's residence.
