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Have you found of a structure as old as the buildings in the Vigan? Have you thought that such kind exists in Negros Oriental, Philippines?

Well, it won’t be impossible to find a creation similar to it, right in Leon Kilat’s place, in the town of Bacong, some 8 kilometers away from the capital of the province. It is the town’s century-old convent and church. Here, you can find the historic church, century-old convent, astonishing bell tower and the famous pipe organ of Zaragoza.

Now, let me share to you its history as I walked around the compound to search for pieces of facts that led me to the discovery of the place.

Tale of the church and the convent

I found on the walls that the century-old convent was constructed by the Spanish Augustinian Recollect Friars who served the Southern Negros Missions in 1849. In 1965, the parish was taken over by the diocesan priests and in 1967, they used the edifice as administration building and classrooms of the parochial school—Holy Family High School. Restoration of this century-old building started on 1999 when the parish marked its 150th Foundation Anniversary.

This parish landmark shall be a perpetual reminder of the sincere gratitude of Bacong Parish to all foreign and local sponsors and parishioners who generously provided the initial funding for the restoration of this century-old convent.

February 22, 2003 was the completion of the restoration and the blessing of the building. The century-old convent was named Holy Family Formation Center which was inaugurated by bishop Rev. John F. Du, Bishop of Dumaguete, and priest Msgr. Merlin Logronio.
The restoration of the century-old convent was initiated by the parishioners of St. Augustine of Hippo Parish with Ret. Rev. Msgr. Julito B. Cortes as the parish priest.

In 2001, Rev. Fr. Jacques De Boccard, a Swiss diocesan priest and generous benefactor to the Diocese of Dumaguete, inspired by the project, took over, funded and guided the major aspects of the restoration through his personal research and consultation with architects and experts from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts and from the Office of the Secretary of Tourism.

Story of Bacong

Aside from the details of both sacred structures, I also found these facts about the history of Bacong itself.

As I entrenched in a stone inside the convent, the Municipality of Bacong was civilly separated from the town of Dumaguete in 1838. However, it continued to be dependent on Dumaguete especially in ecclesiastical concerns up to the year 1849, during the official foundation year of the Parish. On June 4 of the same year, Fr. Joaquin Soriano, the first Curate was assigned. He sat up provisional constructs which allowed his certain case in living and exercise liturgical functions with some decency. He likewise started construction of permanent edifices.

On June 1856, Fr. Soriano started the construction of the Parochial Convent with strong materials. He left the project almost furnished in September of 1859, when he had to entrust the parish to Rev. Fr. Miguel Alvarez, OAR.

In March of 1866, Fr. Leandro Arrue laid the cornerstone of the Parish Church. He worked on this with great enthusiasm until January of 1968 when he was relieved by Fr. Sebastian Lezor, Fr. Arrue. However, he was given back to ministry of Bacong in June of 1882 during the second term of his pastoral assignment where he finished the exterior parts of the church, completely. The first mass was celebrated in the new church on August 28, 1883, during the feast day of Saint Augustine of Hippo. The date officially became the feast of the town and St. Augustine was the patron of it.

Fr. Leandro Arrue was very much absorbed in the internal beautification of Bacong Church when he received notice of having been presented by his Majesty, King Alfonso XII, to be the Bishop of Jaro, Iloilo, and endorsed by his Holiness Pope Leo XIII in a consistory held on March 27, 1885. Fr. Arrue, however, chose to continue charge of this Parish. He continued the work on the interior beautification and furnishing on the Church. It was during his administration that Bacong started to really grow as a Parish, and to celebrate Christian liturgy in its entire splendor. Fr. Arrue was also responsible in adornment of the interior part of the wall, the finishing of the pavement, the painting inside the Church, the completion of the Main Altar, as well as lateral altars.

The foundation of bell tower and pipe organ

Fr. Arrue as good as he was, was the one responsible for laying the establishment of the Bell Tower. However, illness overtook him after a long and zealous ministry in this Parish that he requested to be transferred somewhere else. The task of continuing and finishing the bell tower project fell upon Rev. Lorenzo Cordon and Rev. Jorge Carcavilla. On March 28, 1894, during the pastorship of Rev. Fr. Carcavilla, the Spanish Pipe Organ made in Zaragoza, Spain and donated by the Parishioners, was installed in the Church.

Accounts during the first visit

On my first visit to this unique place, I perceived not only the most preserved beauty but also, of what makes it special for one’s comfort.

Once you’re there, you are surrounded with the melody and calmness of nature. You’re like walking on the aisle leading to the Savior. You are away from the noisy and busy city living style. You are washed from worries and pains. You can reflect and reconcile, have peace of mind, and confer quality time with the important person among all, your most-loved, self.

At the entrance, the wide wooden door and the structure of the old reddish tiny cements welcome you, while turning the eyes’ direction to the top will show you the two small windows in both sides. Beside it is the 4-layer bell tower. Pine trees of equal heights are lining up in front of the main door. The priest’s house is on the other side, surrounded with trees.

The entrance will allure you to get inside the old and huge church, and once you’re there, you’ll be greatly amazed with its interior where you will as well be astounded with the white ceiling, stained glass windows, a palpate where the priest used to preach his homily, a portray of all the mysteries in the rosary, and a wood-made table in the altar.

You can also find the mosaics of four saints in the New Testament—St. Matthew, St. John, St. Mark, and St. Luke at the ceiling near the main altar. While on the back terrace, a percussion instrument called Cielo and the Zaragoza bamboo organ are positioned.

If you want to breathe fresh air, you can lie on the grass surface or at the bench outside facing the Lourdes Grotto, while at the left peripheral vision is the sea which adds coolness to the place.
You can as well get inside the divinity chapel where there’s no other voice present except the echo of your conversation with Him, revealing the experiences which made you whole or made you tend to give up in life.

Inside the room, you’ll be taking a serious look with the stone “cross” formation surrounded with silence and coolness of the place with its fully air-conditioned euphoria.
You can also visit their century old convent on the north direction which exhibits the tablet of history of the place, the persons behind the restoration and preservation of it,
the heads of the church before, and the officials of the past decades.

So if you want to be alone, staying at the Bacong church and convent compound is best for you. Here, you’ll have quality time with your self and you can speak out your emotion. Experience an easy life spending half of your day at this heavenly bliss.