When Spain colonized our country they did not only impacted every aspect of our life but they also etched into us a Christian heritage of faith that even after 500 years has left an indelible mark in our pages of history. Proof can be seen in the number of old/heritage churches in the country, most especially true in Negros, at the forefront of provinces where traces of colonization lives on.
Negros is one of my favorite provinces because of the rich history you can find everywhere you look. I love old things and at Negros old things abound. I love how Negros just gives off that old and rich mythical past vibes. That’s why I made a promise to myself that I will go back there every year to discover more but then COVID happened. I hate how COVID restricted our movement and prevent us to explore and live freely.
Most of us have been longing to go back to travel but fear of the infection threatens our adventurous spirit. I salute all those courageous enough to still seek for adventure and travel. We don’t know how long we are going to be in this situation but hopefully the arrival of vaccines give us the hope that someday soon everything will go back to normal.
But while we’re waiting for normalcy to return, a group of people in Negros is holding a project to commemorate or celebrate the 2021 National Heritage Month this May. This project is produced by the Negros Season of Culture and thus included in the calendar of events of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.
Under Presidential Proclamation No. 439, it designates May as National Heritage Month. For this years theme its all about the Victory and Humanity: Upholding Filipino Heritage and Identity, celebrating the 500 years of Spanish influence in Filipino socio-political, economic, and religious life.
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts is charged to create and execute policies governing the promotion of Philippine culture. It organizes several events within the year, one of which is the National Heritage Month celebrated in May. And in celebrating the National Heritage Month in May, a series of video documentaries showcasing the heritage churches of Negros will be showcased.
If you love Negros Heritage Churches and love to visit one but can’t because of the pandemic, this series of video documentaries will be a treat and it will feature stories on 19th Century Roman Catholic churches in the province of Negros Occidental. A total of seven churches will be featured.
As told earlier, the project is produced by the Negros Season of Culture.
A little bit of history, although Christianity was introduced to the island of Negros just shortly after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in the Philippines in 1565, it took three centuries for churches to be built. This can be attributed to the spiritual administration of Negros where the island was passed on from one religious order to the next, starting with the Augustinians in 1566, to the Recollects in 1622, to the Jesuits in 1638, to the Dominicans in 1769, and then back to the Recollects in 1848.
Much of this was owed to difficulty in converting the locals to Christianity. The few missionaries who were deployed by the orders had to seek them out from up in heavily forested mountains, bring them down to coastal settlements, only for the recruits to return to their dwellings.
Starting May 1 this year, video documentaries and feature stories of the churches will be individually launched on the website of Negros Season of Culture. Here are the churches and the date of the launch.
Santa Maria Magdalena Church of Hinigaran, 01 May 2021
Our Lady of Peace Church of La Carlota, 05 May 2021
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church of Valladolid, 08 May 2021
San Sebastian Cathedral of Bacolod, 12 May 2021
San Isidro Labrador of Binalbagan, 15 May 2021
St. John the Baptist Church of Bago, 19 May 2021
Sa Nicolas de Tolentino Church of Talisay, 22 May 2021
Isn’t this exciting? Even in the comfort of your own home, you can witness the unique heritage of Negros to the world.
