I believe the Virgen sang Barangay Chapel is one of the most beautiful churches in Negros Ocidental. In fact, I find it so beautiful I got married there. Located inside Sta. Clara Subdivision, considered as the Forbes Park of Bacolod City, the chapel is quiet, intimate and with no unwanted observers. If you’re planning to get married here, book your wedding date early since we had to book as early as April for our December wedding.
About Virgen sang Barangay Chapel
The Virgen sang Barangay Chapel was built in 1983 on a land donated by Antonio Gaston. The chapel was designed by Architect Norman Campos and features shell mosaic done by Ms. Leticia Sia Ledesma.
The centerpiece of the Virgen sang Barangay Chapel is a 9 ft x 21 ft mural mosaic of Virgen sang Barangay made of 95,000 pieces of polished shells done by Ms. Leticia Sia Ledesma. It is said that the image on the mural of the Virgen Sang Barangay floating on clouds over Negros in protection came to Ms. Ledesma in her dream. All 95,000 pieces of polished shells are in their natural color and all are gathered locally from the shores of Negros. It is said that it took 60 men 100 hours to polish the shells.
Look closely at the intricate details of the mural and you’ll surely admire the meticulous hands that painstakingly cut, polished and glued the shells. The minute images of houses, boats and trees are all made of shells.
The chapel is always part of the longest running cultural tour in the world, the Annual Cultural Tour of Negros Occidental (ACTNO) of Ramon Hofileña. If you want to know more about the story behind the chapel and other cultural places in Negros Occidental, join Mon Hofileña’s tour every December.
An imposing chandelier made of 14,000 pieces of white shells hang at the center of the chapel and glows dramatically when lighted.
The Stations of the Cross and images of saints and altar pieces are made of 30,000 shells.
History of the Image of Virgen Sang Barangay
In 1954, Antonio Gaston of Silay, the visionary founder and leader of the Barangay Sang Virgen Organization, had a word with Bacolod Bishop Manuel Yap about an idea of giving the patroness of the Barangay Sang Virgen Organization a purely Filipino look. Bishop Yap approved the idea, but getting the icon painted proved to be difficult. Works from artists from the Salesian order and from graduates of prestigious art schools were not satisfactory.
Several months later, Father Pixner sent Gaston a painting done by Crisogono Domingo, an inmate of Santa Barbara Leprosarium in Iloilo. It is not a painting on a canvass but on a lawanit board. Mr. Domingo was an ordinary house painter. It took one look from Gaston and he knew it was going to be the image of the patroness.
The icon also gained the approval of of Bishop Manuel Yap who canonically blessed and installed the image in the diocese by October 16, 1954. The Bishop acclaimed the painting to be a work of art and inspiration. The original painting was personally blessed by the Blessed Pope John Paul II at the Bishop’s Palace when he visited Bacolod City on February 20, 1981 .
Today, the replica of the Virgen sang Barangay image on a lawanit goes house to house in Barangays where family members pray the rosary for several days before transferring the image to the next house. The original image of the Virgen Sang Barangay painted by Crisogono Domingo is said to be at the Virgen Sang Barangay Shrine in Silay City.
Hi, we want to have a simple renewal of vows. would you mind sharing the contact details of Virgen Sang Barangay Chapel. thank you
I been this place very solemn chapel.