Surviving centuries: Negros
Oriental's churches By Michelle Eve A. de Guzman
01 April 2008
Any
place can be very much defined by its sense of history, and
how better to get its feel than to check out its churches.
Traditionally, the spiritual refuge and source of inspiration
for residents, these are also rich depositories of the small
municipality or city’s past; as you enter its doors,
most of which are wooden and old, get acquainted with the
smells of its pews and saints, and look up at its ceilings
that has withstood decades.
For Negros Oriental, we have Dumaguete’s Sta. Catalina
de Alexandria Cathedral and belfry tower, and Bacong’s
San Agustin Colonial Church complex, as well as the poetically
beautiful old churches of Sibulan, Zamboanguita and Dauin.
Dumaguete
Originally built in 1754, the Sta. Catalina de Alexandria
Cathedral is the oldest stone church in Negros, with a congregation
that fills up an estimated seating capacity of 3,000 and spills
into the streets.
Currently
headed by Rector Fr Julius Perpetuo Heruela, it is the
host of a lot of June and December weddings, as well
as frequent mass weddings. If you are interested in
getting married here, a marriage license from the local
civil register, pre-cana, baptismal and confirmation
certificates, the bride’s permit from the parish
of origin, three Sundays publication of banns, an interview
and signed promises of parties for mixed marriages are
needed.
With packed Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday masses, you can get the impression
of these worshippers’ sense of belonging there.
One of the five priests himself, Fr Ferdinand Ferraren,
said that when he stands near the altar table, he feels
comfortable and relaxed and becomes one with the crowd.
However, it is worthy to note that what makes the Cathedral
special is its famous Belfry Tower, Dumaguete’s oldest
landmark. Renovated from a watch tower to a bell tower in
1811, it figures into the city’s interesting etymology.
In a July 28, 2006 article from heritageconservation.wordpress.com,
it was said that the belfry tower was used to warn the inhabitants
(by ringing the bells) of the then small fishing village of
impending raids by marauding pirates from the south of the
islands during the 19th Century.
“From its top can be seen the island of Mindanao on
the horizon (now obscured by trees and buildings).These raids
were so rampant in the area during those times that this little
fishing village came to be known as ‘Dumagit’
or ‘Dagit’ which means kidnap in the local Cebuano
language. The Spanish authorities later adopted and hispanized
the name to ‘Dumaguete’,” stated the article.
The belfry is a four-storey ovoid tower supported by three
buttresses. Located near, but separated from the Cathedral,
it is made of coral and lime with brick facings, and has arched
and diamond-shaped windows.
Bacong
Based on
documents from the Provincial Tourism Office, Bacong, the
first municipality south of Dumaguete noted for bravery during
the Moro pirates’ marauding days, got its name when
they fought the enemy with their battlecry, “Bacon,
Bacon”, meaning “Arise, get up!”
This hometown of revolutionary hero Pantaleon Villegas, better
known as Leon Kilat, boasts of its San Agustin Colonial Church
complex, known for its altar and pipe organ. Kilat used to
be an acolyte there.
With its first mass celebrated on August 28, 1883, it is one
of 26 colonial churches declared by the National Museum as
National Cultural Treasures in November 2001. The National
Commission for Culture and the Arts put the church and complex
up for restoration.
San Agustin Church’s altars, embellished with gold-leaf,
are the oldest in the province. A certain Fr Leandro Arrue
was responsible for interior adornments, the pavements, the
paintings, and the completion of the main and lateral altars.
It is said that through his encouragement, parishioners acquired
chandeliers, the marble fountain for the baptistery and holy
water fountains at the entrances. Not content with that, Fr
Arrue also laid down the foundation of what now stands as
the tallest belfry in the province.
Meanwhile, the church’s famous pipe organ, built by
the House of Roque de Zaragosa in Spain, was installed in
May 1894. It is said that there only two of its kind still
surviving. The other one in Bohol is said to be in even worse
state.
According to the Panublion Heritage Site, this sandstone church
with sedate classical lines is one of the few remaining colonial
churches in Negros. Its use of dark sandstone is unusual in
the Visayas, where coral is the preferred building material.
Sibulan
Every fiesta,
thousands of Sibulanos and visitors from near and far, take
part in the celebration, with the Sibulan Parish Church at
the center of it all.
According to the June 2007 Sibulan Mirror issue, the
fiesta for their patron saint Anthony de Padua gathered thousands
of people, who followed the mass from outside the church.
Founded in 1856, the municipality of Sibulan, right next to
Dumaguete, got its name from its springs where Sibulanos used
to fetched their water.
Zamboanguita
Made of
cobblestones, the Zamboanguita Church can be located in a
town which derived its name from a close neighbor across the
sea. Zamboanguita or little Zamboanga was established in 1866,
and truly little with only a modest total of ten barangays.
Dauin
Dauin's colonial Church of San Nicolas also merges with history
as ruins of two dome-shaped watchtowers, used also to warn
against pirates, remain fronting it. It is regarded as one
of Negros Oriental's oldest.
