Philippine Cathedrals I Visited
The Philippines was converted to Catholicism on April 14, 1521, when the priests of Magellan baptized around 800 Cebuanos on that first Sunday mass. Since then, the seeds of the Catholic faith grew in the hearts of the Filipinos along with the Spanish settlement in the Philippines. In 1579, the Diocese of Manila, the country’s oldest diocese, was established, and in 1595, was elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese. In August 14, 1595, two additional dioceses were established: the Diocese of Caceres and the Diocese of Cebu (my home province).
Since that fateful first Mass in April 1521, the Catholic Church in the Philippines flourished into 16 Archdioceses and 62 Dioceses. As of August 04, 2023, there are 96 Cathedrals in the country. As true-blue Filipino, I was able to visit a couple of Cathedrals in my home country. Here are the pictures of some of them.
Bacolod
In May 2022, just before the Philippine Presidential election, I decided to go on a solo trip for 3 days to Bacolod. The hostel that I booked happened to be just a couple of blocks away from the Cathedral, which is why I also got to join the Holy Mass there for a couple of days. That was the first time that I got to join a Mass that I totally don’t understand (Hiligaynon). The language might seem unintelligible for me, but my heart is at home.
Cebu
Cebu, the Queen City of the South, is known for many things. Whether you’re an adventure seeker or shopaholic, there’s something here for tourists. But for me, a true-blue Cebuana, my heart is really drawn to the Sinulog festivities and Sunday Masses at the Cathedral. The whitewashed facade of the Church paired with the lights make the structure glow and stand out in an otherwise dark night.
Dumaguete
Iligan
Maasin
Manila
San Carlos
