Monday, May 30, 2011

Silay City: San Diego de Alcala Pro-Cathedral [MWT]

@ mirandablue
One of Silay City's landmarks is a 20th century church formerly known as St. Didacus Parish in honor of its patron saint, Didacus of Alcala, a Franciscan saint more commonly known in the Philippines as San Diego de Alcala.  This church is right across the plaza and beside the city hall.

This church was declared as pro-cathedral in 1994, the only pro-cathedral outside Metro Manila.  It was renamed San Diego de Alcala Pro-Cathedral.

@ mirandablue
The Silay parish was established in 1776.  The first church was built with light materials of bamboo and nipa.  With natural calamities such as typhoons, and insurrection against the Spanish, I'm sure the first church was destroyed and reconstructed a number of times.  By 1841, the parish priest initiated construction of a more permanent structure made of stone and wood but it was never completed.  During the Spanish-American war, parts of the stone church were destroyed and was left in a state of disrepair.  The remnants of the old church are well-preserved behind this church.  I remember spending summer afternoons in the courtyard of the old church when I was kid.  My aunt was then living about half a block away.

@ mirandablue
In 1925, construction of a bigger church started after one of Silay's wealthy sugar barons, Don Jose Ledesma, donated a substantial amount to build it.  He even commissioned an Italian architect, Lucio Bernasconi, to design the church.  Bernasconi lifted inspirations from his native Italy and designed the church in the shape of a Latin cross like most ecclesiastical Romanesque architecture in Europe.  It has simple columns and a cupola rising 40 meters above the nave.  Being the only church in the province with a cupola makes San Diego de Alcala Pro-Cathedral unique.

@ mirandablue


@ mirandablue
I could still hear the echo of bells ringing at Angelus.  We were usually by the fountain at the plaza across the church, and every 6 pm, the bells rang as a call to prayer.  Then as dictated by tradition, children would then kiss the right hand of their elders.

@ mirandablue
The feast of San Diego de Alcala is celebrated every November 13th.


@ mirandablue


My contribution to My World-Tuesday

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm no architecture graduate but i know how to appreciate lines and structures. this church's dome and interiors are fantastic!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

love the domes.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful building!
I love it, perfect angle for the first photo... :)

eastcoastlife said...

What a beautiful church! the interior is so spacious... and I love the domes.

Fotokarusellen said...

Thank you for an very informative post. When all these beautiful images comes along, there is only one thing to say. Great work!

Sylvia K said...

Such a gorgeous cathedral, love the dome and your photos are superb as always! A beautiful and informative post for the day! Thank you! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Sylvia

Karen said...

A beautiful church and an interesting history!

Tania said...

What a great and big church. So many beautiful details. Great photos and post!

forgetmenot said...

What a beautiful church. When I am traveling, I always try to see the churches in the area. Beautiful, interesting, and full of history. Mickie :)

Sivinden said...

Great pictures of a beautiful building!

Barb said...

Wonderful facts and great architectural photos of the church. I love this tradition: "as dictated by tradition, children would then kiss the right hand of their elders."

tinyskillet said...

Great photos, what a beautiful church and architecture! I love the angles and your photos and the info.

magiceye said...

beautiful captures of a lovely church!!


the jambul on my post is indeed the duhat plum!

Fjällripan said...

What a beautiful church. I
really like to visit churches,
old buildings/houses etc.
Have a nice day :)

stardust said...

Beautiful church with dome, blue and white color, and rich history. I'm interested in the original structure, what it looked built with bamboo and nipa.

LifeRamblings said...

that's a beautiful church. gorgeous facade and the interior looks wonderful.

Anonymous said...

What marvellous architecture.

Marites said...

this is really such a beautiful church and well-built too. beautiful shots! My world entry is here.

EG CameraGirl said...

Both the exterior and interior are magnificent!

snowwhite said...

Thank you, its history is very dramatic and interesting. I was impressed with magnificent doom. "Children would then kiss the right hand of their elders" is a beautiful tradition. It is so good!

Arija said...

A beautiful church and post. I am all to keeping traditions.

Anonymous said...

Such a beautiful church and interesting history. I love the architecture, especially the bell tower.