Baguio Cathedral

Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at Cathedral Loop adjacent to Session Road in Baguio, the Philippines, and is the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Atonement, its distinctive pink exterior, twin spires and stained glass windows make it a popular tourist attraction in Baguio.[1] It served as an evacuation centre under the Japanese Occupation during Second World War.

Baguio Cathedral
Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Expiación
The facade of the Baguio Cathedral, 2018
Baguio Cathedral
Republic of the Philippines
16°24′46″N 120°35′54″E
LocationBaguio
CountryPhilippines
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusCathedral
DedicationOur Lady of Atonement
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeChurch building
StyleNeo-Romanesque
Groundbreaking1920
Completed1936
Specifications
MaterialsGravel, Cement, Steel, Concrete
Administration
ArchdioceseRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia
DioceseRoman Catholic Diocese of Baguio
Clergy
ArchbishopMarlo Mendoza Peralta
Bishop(s)Victor B. Bendico

The current parish priest is Bishop Carlito Cenzon.[2]

History

In 1907, a Catholic mission chapel, dedicated to St. Patrick, was established by Belgian missionaries from the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae. The site where the cathedral currently stands was a hill referred to as Kampo by the Ibaloi people. Construction of the cathedral itself began in 1920 under the leadership of the parish priest, Rev Florimond Carlu, who renamed the hill Mount Mary. The building was completed and consecrated in 1936. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement.[3]

During the Second World War, the cathedral was an evacuation centre, and it withstood the carpet-bombing of Baguio by Allied forces during liberation on 15 March 1945. The remains of the thousands that had died in the bombardment are interred within the cathedral precinct.[4]

Features

The cathedral has a distinctive pink façade with a rose window and twin square belfries with pyramidal roofs.[4] Within its large courtyard is a viewing deck that overlooks Session Road and the downtown commercial district of Baguio.

The cathedral is accessible to pedestrians from Session Road via 104-step stone staircase that ends at a Calvary, or through the adjacent campus of Saint Louis University.[5]

gollark: You can just not do either.
gollark: It's not between those though.
gollark: It's fuzzily defined, somewhat niche as a concern anyway, and rarely actually encoded into law.
gollark: Also the rest of the government I think. Similar to the US's many mass surveillance laws.
gollark: The "investigatory powers bill" is also rather bad but many countries have the same sort of thing nowadays, so the awfulness isn't very unique.

See also
  • Roman Catholicism in the Philippines
  • Looking northwest down the nave towards the sanctuary
  • An aerial view of the cathedral
  • A view of the façade at daytime
  • The cathedral from the stairs with the large Calvary at the terminus of the stone stairs.
  • Memorial plaque to the carpet bombing victims buried in the cathedral grounds.

Notes
  1. "Baguio Catholic Cathedral". Landmarks and Scenic Sites: The City of Baguio. Archived from the original on 11 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  2. "Assigned Parish Priests".
  3. Cabreza, Vincent. "Baguio cathedral celebrates 75 years", Inquirer Northern Luzon, July 11, 2011
  4. Layug, p. 76
  5. Layug, p. 77

References
  • Layug, Benjamin Locsin (2007). A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches. Pasig, Philippines: New Day Publishers. pp. 76–77. ISBN 971-8521-10-0.
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