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Just a few kilometers north of the capital city of Negros Occidental is the historic city of Talisay.  Talisay was originally inhabited by the Negritos, natives who led nomadic lives at the foot of scenic North Negros mountain ranges.  In 1788, families of Malay descent settled in this pristine part of Negros Island and named it Minuluan.

It was here in Minuluan that the sugar industry of Negros began when the enterprising priests led by Father Fernando Cuenca of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, arrived in Negros in 1844.  Father Cuenca was credited with the foundation of the three traditional barangays of Talisay City: Concepcion in the South that he dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, Dos Hermanas in honor of his two sisters left in Spain, and San Fernando in honor of his namesake, both barangays in the north-east.

Father Cuenca and the Spanish colonizers became guardians of Negros' economic, socio-political, and spiritual lives, with more of the Minuluan population embracing the Catholic faith in the first few years of the arrival of Father Cuenca.  The Sitio of Minuluan was decreed a town on September 10, 1850, with San Nicolas de Tolentino as its patron saint. It was then renamed Talisay after the tree that grew in abundance along the mouth of the Matab-ang River.

Talisay is deemed a historic community for prior to the turn of the century, it became a significant player in revolt against Spain through the leadership of General Aniceto Lacson. This ingenious general and erstwhile revolutionary of the North teamed up with General Juan Araneta from the South in Bago, to stage the victorious Cinco de Noviembre uprising in 1898 that saw the Spaniards capitulating without bloodshed.

Father Cuenca survived the revolution of 1898 mainly because he was loved by the people and was spared from any violence directed at Spanish priests.  And thus, Father Cuenca was one of the people who laid the foundations that led to the construction of the San Nicolas de Tolentino parish. 

The black and white checkerboard pattern of the floor is a pleasing contrast to the walls of the church and its remarkably well preserved features, a sterling example of heritage preservation.

Though the church building was still to be built to its current form by 1936, Father Cuenca was able to see the foundation laid prior to his demise in 1902. The current structure serves as witness to how the parish evolved in a steadfast manner. The church of San Nicolas de Tolentino reminds us not only of the work of Father Cuenca, but stands as a testament to the unity in faith of the people of Talisay, who saw the church built in three years’ time, from 1933 to 1936. 

One of a pair that flanks the main altar, the intricately detailed wooden retablo, rare nowadays, houses an image of the Blessed Virgin and the Child Jesus.

Rows of wrought iron chandeliers line the ceiling of the nave and the aisles, separated by a row of Corinthian pilasters and stylized flat arches

Among the churches in Negros Occidental, one stands out with a totally different look. This is not to say that this church is the most handsome of all, it is just different.

One can say this because while every other church is either made of coral stone or brick, and typically structured with the belltower being the dominant feature, the church of St. John the Baptist in Bago City has a different facade in consonance with the history of this city.  With Bago known for its role in the Negros Revolution of 1898, one is awed with how the church of St. John the Baptist was providentially shaped as a fortress.

The neo-Renaissance style facade of the St John the Baptist Church features belvederes, pilasters, and multiple arches articulated by bands of color.

From a spiritual standpoint, the church of St. John the Baptist is indeed somewhat of a fortress to the Christian faith in the south of Negros Occidental.  It can be recalled that the message of Christianity first arrived in the town of Binalbagan in 1571.  From there, one of the first missions out of Binalbagan, the first town to be established on the island of Negros, reached the settlement of Bago, some 46 kilometers to its north.  

As early as 1575, the community in Bago was placed under the evangelical visitations of Father Geronimo Marin, the Augustinian priest who had taken charge of the Christianization of the natives of Binalbagan since 1572. Father Marin, upon his arrival in the community, celebrated the feast of St. John the Baptist, who would later be accepted as the patron saint of the place. Thus the foundation of Bago and the parish is dated as June 24, 1575.

White festoons, set against grey fields, surround the tri-arched altar topped by an oriole window.

As one of the first missions under evangelical visitation, the parish in Bago became a springboard for other missions of the faith in the northern part of Negros Occidental.  It was in Bago that more settlers and immigrants from Panay Island came to establish new homes and livelihood.  This happened in the 17th century when the descendants of the more prominent names we hear of today immigrated to this town by a big river known today as Bago River.

The church also bore witness to the proclamation of the Negros Republic in November 5, 1898, by General Juan Anacleto Araneta, who together with General Aniceto Lacson of Talisay, led local forces to force the capitulation of the Spanish garrison at Bacolod thus putting an end to the Spanish sovereignty in the province.

Large arched fenestrations reveal the thick brick walls of the structure.

The church façade today is a product of many revisions from the early part of the 20th century.  Nevertheless, its squarish and fortresslike appearance is an apt representation of the strength of character and faith of the people of Bago.  This church of St. John the Baptist is a visual reminder that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

The main door of the church is flanked by two large windows, the ensemble crowned by lunettes.

St John the Baptist, the church’s patron, is shown holding a shell, a symbol of baptism.

Along the coastal road of southern Negros Occidental is a town which is aptly named after a Spanish city. Much like its Spanish namesake which had enjoyed the brief privilege of being the center of government and commerce in Spain, Valladolid in Negros Island, was considered one of the most prosperous towns of Negros Occidental.

Proof of this prosperity is the size of the convent and church built by the Recollect Missionaries in 1852, eight years before the town's establishment in 1860.

The breezy coastline of Western Negros in Valladolid made itself a haven for immigrants sailing in from across the Guimaras Strait. People coming from Guimaras, Panay, and even Cebu on the east side of Negros sailed in to settle in this town of abundant agricultural produce.

The town of Valladolid was first called “Inabuyan” until the Spanish leaders arrived and one of them named the place after his native town Valladolid in Spain. Presently bounded on the north by the town of Pulupandan, which was once part of Valladolid, on the south by the municipality of San Enrique, on the west by the Guimaras Strait and on the east by the city of La Carlota, the center of all boundaries is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

Unlike the other towns in Negros where sugarcane abounds, Valladolid has 90 percent of its arable land planted to palay. Thus, there evolved a different kind of prosperity in Valladolid. This prosperity is celebrated annually in a farmers' festival of thanksgiving and celebration of good harvest in honor of the town’s patroness, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Accurately rendered, the original Doric columns and parts of the floor offers a glimpse of previous beauty.

Construction of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe began in 1877, but only with a Baroque facade, and a basic nave under the direction of the Recollect priest, Father Carlos Ubeda. The church and convent were completed before the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in 1897. Nevertheless, more improvements had to be introduced through the years.

The gilded altar, set and elevated on a three stepped dais.

The Baroque altar houses the crucified Christ flanked by the patron, Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Juan Diego.

From its completion prior to the turn of the 20th century, the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe has undergone many renovations. In fact, more than a century after it was built, the parish church of Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to be a work-in-progress, enduring through the decades. Throughout all these, the church has remained to be one of the most beautiful among all Negros churches.

The church marker, indicating its construction in 1877.

In this time of pandemic, it is worth noting that on the northern side of the church of Our lady of Guadalupe in Valladolid, is a newly restored prayer house which was once a mortuary built to accommodate victims of a cholera epidemic in the nineteenth century.

The facade of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, clad in coral stone, is a study of beauty in symmetry