Our Lady of the Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

located at Cathedral Loop adjacent to Session Road in

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and is the see of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio The Roman Catholic Diocese of Baguio (Latin: ''Dioecesis Baghiopolitana'') is a Latin Church, Latin Rite suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nueva Segovi ...

. Dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...

under the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

of Our Lady of Atonement, its distinctive exterior, twin

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

s and

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows make it a popular tourist attraction in Baguio. It served as an evacuation center under the Japanese Occupation during

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

In 1907, a Catholic mission chapel, dedicated to

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

, was established by

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

from the

Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae The CICM Missionaries officially named as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ( la, Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae) abbreviated C.I.C.M, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men established in ...

. 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 A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

, Rev Florimond Carlu. The building was completed and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...

in 1936. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement. 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.Layug, p. 76 In February 1986, antidictatorship organizers based in the Azotea Building and in Cafe Amapola on Session Road learned that the

People Power revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

had begun in Manila. Deciding that their locations were too unsafe, they encamped in the courtyard of the Baguio Cathedral, which was located on higher ground. Thus, the cathedral became the site where Baguio residents had gathered to protest the abuses of the Marcos administration - their own contribution to the largely peaceful

Features

The cathedral has a distinctive façade with a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window' ...

and twin square belfries with pyramidal roofs. 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 Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early medie ...

'', or through the adjacent campus of

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, ...

.Layug, p. 77 A mural on the cathedral grounds, carved by Baguio artist Clinton Pagao Aniversario in 2017, honors the missionaries of the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM) who first began Roman Catholic evangelical work in Mountain Province in the 1900s, and were eventually instrumental in the building of the cathedral.

Gallery

Image:Bagcath3.jpg, Looking northwest down the nave towards the sanctuary Image:Baguiocath2.jpg, An aerial view of the cathedral Baguiocath1.JPG, A view of the façade at daytime Image:Baguio Cathedral stairs.jpg, The cathedral from the stairs with the large ''

'' at the terminus of the stone stairs. Image:Baguio 2011 Atonement Plaque.jpg, Memorial plaque to the carpet bombing victims buried in the cathedral grounds.

References

External links

Official website

References

* {{Baguio Roman Catholic churches in Benguet Roman Catholic churches completed in 1936 Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Baguio Tourist attractions in Baguio Landmarks in the Philippines 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Philippines Neoclassical church buildings in the Philippines

History

Features

See also

Gallery

References

External links

References