San Sebastian Cathedral, also called Bacolod Cathedral, is the ecclesiastical seat of the Diocese of Bacolod. Considered the oldest colonial-era church in the entire diocese for it was built towards the latter part of the 19th century, it is declared a heritage church by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Located in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, it is placed under the patronage of St. Sebastian and its second patron is Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
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History
The first settlers in what is now known as the city of Bacolod were the natives called “Taga-ilog” (river-dwellers) who inhabited the floodplains of Magsungay River. With the coming of the Spanish colonizers, their land became known as San Sebastian de Magsungay, so named after the river and the patron saint under whose patronage it was placed. A chieftain was appointed in 1770.
The viciousness of attacks perpetrated by the Moro raiders pushed the villagers to transfer the center of the town away from the shoreline, and the new land was called Buklod from which the name of Bacolod was derived. And yet they moved once again to the present site of the city and the old town became known as Camingawan, which translates to empty or quiet land, or Daan Banwa that means Old Town.
The church in Bacolod was founded as a parish in 1788 and entrusted to the secular clergy. However, it had no priest assigned to tend the flock so it became a visita of Bago and then of Binalbagan. From 1802 to 1804, it had two successive priests assigned as acting parochial pastors: Fr. Eusebio Laurencio and Fr. Leon Pedro. Fr. Pedro would later on become its first parish priest in 1805.
Moreover, two churches made of light materials had existed in the town, but the project of building a place of worship made of stone was led by Fr. Julian Gonzaga, the parish priest assigned in 1817. He began collecting stone blocks from the coral gardens in Guimaras for church-building using his own money. Unfortunately, constructions works stopped upon his demise in 1836.
Fr. Mariano Avila was the last secular priest in 1871 as the Augustinian Recollects came to take the reins of the parish. Fr. Mauricio Ferrer, O.A.R., resumed the construction of the stone church in 1876 by coming up with its design and using the labor provided by prisoners, an arrangement made possible on account of an agreement with Governor Ramon Pastor in recognition of the Fr. Ferrer being the architect of the jailhouse. Its cornerstone was laid on April 27, 1876 and consecrated in a ceremony that took place on January 19, 1882.
In 1885, a pair of towers were added. The epistle steeple was kitted out with a clock donated by Jose Ruiz de Luzurriaga and the choir loft that was newly constructed had a pipe organ installed. The convent was built from red bricks gathered from the town of Silay and the coral stones that were not used for the church between 1891 and 1894. Its ceiling in the interiors were painted by Isidro Maria Lago. However, the bell towers were rebuilt with concrete and the pipe organ removed along with the painted ceiling during the 1969 renovation.
The Diocese of Bacolod was created on July 15, 1932 through a papal bull issued by Pope Pius XI and its canonical erection was on May 4, 1933 by virtue of a decretum excutioriale by Papal Delegate Guglielmo Piani, thereby transforming San Sebastian Church to a cathedral. It is a suffragan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro. Fr. Casimiro Lladoc, whose name also appears at the San Isidro Labrador Church in Binalbagan, was the first bishop of Bacolod.
Heritage
The Cathedral of Bacolod was declared a heritage church by the Philippine Historical Committee and a Level II historical marker was installed in 1952.
Architecture
The facade of the church is hemmed by twin bell towers. Built on stout piers, it is embellished with round and arch fenestration as well as decorative paired columns.
Over the main entrance and into the second tier is a stone column that forms an arch and which encloses a circular niche of the patron. Its pediment is defined by horizontal molding, and it contains three niches of holy figures. In its apex sits an acroterion and a cross with rays.
The bell towers have arch and rose windows. There is a ornamental level that connects the tower to the steeple, one that is made with blind arch compartments in each corner. The bells are contained in a cylindrical lantern supported with columns and with alternating open and closed corners. It is crowned with a cupola and vanes.
By its recessed entrance one can see the monuments of two Augustinian Recollects priests Fr. Fernando Cuenca who established many towns in Negros island and Fr. Mauricio Ferrero who was the architect and builder of the cathedral, also considered the “Father of Bacolod City.”
Celebration
The feast of St. Sebastian falls on January 20 while the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary is every second Sunday of October, coinciding the city’s famous Masskara Festival.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental from November 18, 2024 to November 24, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Bacolod City.
Monday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 12:15-1:15 NN
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Tuesday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 12:15-1:15 NN
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Wednesday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 12:15-1:15 NN
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Thursday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 12:15-1:15 NN
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Friday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 12:15-1:15 NN
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Saturday
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 12:15-1:15 NN
- 5:15-6:15 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 6:15-7:15 AM
- 7:30-8:30 AM
- 8:45-9:45 AM
- 10:00-11:00 AM
- 12:00-1:00 NN
- 1:15-2:15 PM
- 2:30-3:30 PM
- 3:45-4:45 PM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
- 6:15-7:15 PM
- 7:30-8:30 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental |
| Other Names | Bacolod Cathedral |
| Address | 1755 Rizal St., Bacolod City, 6100 Negros Occidental |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 433-0261, 433-0240 |
| sansebcathedral@yahoo.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Status | Cathedral, Parish |
| Declared as cathedral | May 4, 1933 |
| Declared as parish | 1788 |
| Age as parish | 236 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Diocese | Diocese of Bacolod |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of San Sebastian |
| Patron | St. Sebastian, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary |
| Feast day | January 20 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | 1882 |
| Age since completed | 142 years |
| Consecrated | January 19, 1882 |
| Architect | Fr. Mauricio Ferrer, O.A.R. |
| Builder | Fr. Mauricio Ferrer, O.A.R. |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Belfry | 2 |
| Tower | 2 |
Nearby Churches
- Nuestra Señora de Salvacion Parish Church in Banago, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- Our Lady of Fatima Church in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- St. Matthew Quasi-Parish in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- St. Therese of the Child Jesus Quasi Parish in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- Sto. Niño Parish Church in Lacson Street, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
References
- Diocese of Bacolod. Claretian Publication. Retrieved January 19, 2023
- Cathedral of Bacolod. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. October 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2023
- Diocese of Bacolod Philippines. Union of Catholic Asian News. Retrieved January 19, 2023
- Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis A. (December 31, 2020). Augustinian Recollect Legacy to the Church in Negros Island. Philippine Social Science Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2023
- Bacolod City Tour. Panublion. Ateneo de Manila University. Retrieved from original post on January 19, 2023
- History of Bacolod. City Government of Bacolod. Retrieved January 20, 2023
- Bacolod City. Provincial Government of Negros Occidental. Retrieved through original post January 20, 2023