The most beautiful religious buildings Visayas

Baclayon Church, or Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church by its real name, is the second oldest stone Catholic church in the country. It was built by Jesuit priests in 1595, although some historians say it was actually built in 1717. For the record, it was built from coral rock that was cemented with the white of thousands (or even millions) of eggs! Severely damaged by the 2013 earthquake, it was only five years later that it was able to reopen.

Miagao is a small town 40 kilometers southwest of Iloilo, particularly famous for its late ^18th-century Baroque church, also known as the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva. This church was built as a fortress in 1786, and its superb façade combines Catholic and indigenous (Chinese and Filipino) motifs. It was declared a national landmark in 1973, and finally included on the Unesco World Heritage list. It is one of the region's most visited attractions.

Superb, next to Magellan's Cross, in the town center. The present structure was built in 1602 after being ravaged by fire. The original structure (1565) was made of wood. The basilica houses the Santo Niño relic, the oldest Christian treasure in the Philippines, given by Magellan in 1521 to Queen Juana. Filipinos queue up to pay homage to this statue (it's a mad rush on Sundays and during the Sinulog festival).

Built in the ^{mid-nineteenth} century, the church of San Augustine boasts the highest bell tower in eastern Negros. It must be admitted that it shines more by its history than by its beauty. Nevertheless, it has a beautiful altar covered with gold leaf and a very rare organ (the only similar one is in Bohol), which originated in Zaragoza, Spain and was completed in 1894. The locals are proud of their church because, together with its cemetery and convent, it is well preserved and is one of the important colonial era churches in the country.

It is more interesting than the San Sebastian Cathedral, which was built in 1876 and is one of the major tourist sites in Bacolod. From the outside, the chapel of the Sang Virgen barangay looks almost like all the other houses of the Santa Clara housing estate, but this modern facade houses an imposing mosaic of 2.50 meters by 6 meters, composed of nearly one hundred thousand shells with colorful tones. Very nice showcase of the local craftsmanship of the shell.

This imposing temple bears witness to the presence of a sizeable Chinese community on the island since the ^16th century. In the past, these merchants intermarried with the Spanish elite, and despite the vicissitudes of history, many of their descendants are still established on the island. Located in the Beverly Hills district - so named because it is home to the city's wealthiest residents - the temple is reached by taking a Jeepney signposted "Lahu Lahu". It is one of Cebu's most visited non-Catholic religious buildings.