Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

The Augustinian Recollect began the Christianization of the town of Valladolid (Inabuyan in olden times) and they founded the church in 1852. Valladolid was a prosperous community and it became a town in 1860. Fr. Carlos Ubeda, OAR began construction of the stone church in 1877. The outbreak of the Philippine Revolution halted its construction. However, there are other accounts stating that the church and its convent were completed before 1897.

The church which is made up of stones quarried from corral gardens in surrounding seas has a façade with three arched doors and rectangular and round windows. It has two quadrilateral bell towers found at both ends of the facade.

When Belle (my wife) and I conducted our day tour of the stone churches in Negros Occidental South of Bacolod, this church was the third and last church we visited although we saw it ahead of time while traveling by bus to the first stone church we visited which is in La Carlota City. Next, we went south to Hinigaran for the second stone church before we got back to this church in Valladolid. We did this tour by means of bus-hopping.

Fronting the town plaza that hardly merit any attention from the municipal government, this church is a saving grace. Gazing at it right after we dismounted from the Ceres bus in the bus stop near the church gate, the Spanish era charm of the church dominated by its coral stones evokes in me a feeling of regret for a town that once was so prosperous to afford the construction of this wonderful edifice. Building a stone church in those times requires a fortune and it takes the contribution of wealthy parishioners to mount such a project under the leadership of an enterprising cura parroco.

When Belle and I entered the church by its main door, we noticed a couple of men taking a nap on the pews. Later while we kept on marveling at the beauty and artistry of the church interior, a group of three teenagers, all girls, entered the church to sit and devote their time on their cellular phones. A short while later, another young group, a bigger one and comprised of boys, also loitered inside the church with all its portals open to the public.

These town people freely enjoying the comfort of the church speaks about the welcoming atmosphere of the church. Their nonchalance, however, runs counter to our feelings of awe for the delicate wood carvings of religious scenes, the pillars, the arched windows, the red bricks covering the thick walls, the painted ceiling, the lavishly sculpted retablo with its array of saints, and many things you mostly expect from an old church which is continually improved and embellished by something new. Belle ranks the magnificence of its interior equal to that in La Carlota City.

We found in the southern side of the church what I suspected as the ruins of a convent. Was the old convent then regarded as the most beautiful in the province destroyed?

Unlike the Hinigaran stone church, the Valladolid church has a historical marker although this was provided only by the provincial government, not by the more prestigious National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Another marker was supplied by the parish itself.

The old church was picture perfect for me. We went there to get the baptismal record of my aunt. The parish office staff are very accommodating and friendly. The office is open monday to Sunday except on Tuesday.

A place of worship.. The Telma of the Blessed Virgin is said to be Miraculous and has survived fire back then..Our Lady of Guadalupe Church just have undergo a total restoration. it's so glorious .

This is the church i want to visit, it is located at Valladolid. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

It like visiting pass. Because of its beauty outside. The inside is still under renovation, but the altar is a beauty to behold. I could say that it is still one of the old churches that maintain its exterior beauty.

A historical Spanish church.

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My hometown church.historic and self meditating.

Very good

A cultural site worth to visit

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This is my home

Church