Philippine Churches: San Diego Pro-cathedral

The statuesque San Diego Cathedral

October 5, 2010

Silay City, Negros Occidental

This is one of my favorites. It's huge, grand and beautiful. Located in the center of Silay City, this church is named in honor of Didacus of Alcalá, the Franciscan saint more commonly known in the Philippines as San Diego de Alcalá.

The church interior

The church was built through the funds donated by sugar baron Don Jose Ledesma. The architectural design was done by Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi.

The facade

According to Wikipedia, the San Diego Pro-cathedral, formerly known as the San Diego Parish Church or the St. Didacus Parish Church before its declaration as a pro-cathedral in 1994, is an early 20th century church . It is the only pro-cathedral outside of the national capital of Manila, and is unique in Negros Occidental for being the only church in the province featuring a cupola or dome. A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.

marked in one of the pillars near the front door of the church