Anything Under the Sun
Jaro Cathedral
Once again, on February 2, thousands of pilgrims from all over the land will troop to Jaro Cathedral for the feast of Our Lady of the Candles, the Patroness of West Visayas.
The Cathedral which is undergoing restoration at present was constructed starting 1869 almost immediately after the erection of the Diocese of Jaro on May 27, 1865 by Papal Bill Oui ab initio issued by Pope Pius IX. Incidentally, during the diocese's formal inauguration, the highest church authority in the Philippines present, was the Secretary of the Archbishop of Manila, Fr. Jose Burgos – one of the martyr priests.
The Cathedral was constructed under the supervision of the first bishop of Jaro, Msgr. Mariano Cuartero and supervised by a former Jaro captain, Manuel Arguelles who spent much of his money for the cathedral and its tower. It was inaugurated on February 2, 1874. For this, he was privileged of being buried inside the church at the altar of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was also gifted with a reliquary of several relics of saints.
One of the two unique features of the Cathedral, two rows of statues of male saints (eleven apostles and St. Paul) on its sides attached to massive stone columns with the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul nearest to the altar.
The other is its belfry being separated from the church. In fact, it was constructed on the other side of the road at the plaza. This belfry was so high that it was the lookout of the revolucionarios during the Philippine Revolution watching the movements of the American ships in Iloilo Strait.
The church is also historic it being where the only Philippine National Hero – Graciano Lopez Jaena was baptized. On its front door, a plaque attests to this.
Its convent is also historic, it being the seat of the "Estados Federal de Bisayas" whose president is General Roque Lopez – a native of Jaro during the Philippine Revolution.
The image of Our Lady of Candles was crowned by Pope John Paul II in 1981 – the only Marian image in the Philippines crowned by a Pope. The next year (1982) Pope John Paul II declared Our Lady of the Candles as the Patroness of the Western Visayas.