Sorsogon Cathedral

Sorsogon Cathedral, officially known by its ecclesiastical name, the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Cathedral, is a significant Roman Catholic religious edifice located in Sorsogon City, the capital of Sorsogon province in the Philippines. It stands as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon and is dedicated to its primary patron saints, Saints Peter and Paul. The cathedral is situated in the city center, offering views of the Sorsogon Bay.

History and Construction

The history of Catholicism in the Sorsogon region began with the Franciscans' arrival in 1583. The first parish was established in Casiguran in 1600, with Bacon and Bulusan as its early visitas. The parish mission of Bacon was founded in 1617, and Sorsogon, then known as Dumanaog, became a visita. In 1628, Sorsogon was established as an independent parish under Saint Anthony of Padua, with its first church constructed from nipa and bamboo. The first stone church was inaugurated in 1660. The area experienced Moro raids in 1754. Secular priests from the Diocese of Nueva Caceres took over administration in 1680, followed by the return of the Franciscan Recollects in 1768. The parish's titular patron saints were changed to Saints Peter and Paul in 1792, and administration was ceded to the native clergy in 1800.

A devastating earthquake on March 21, 1840, leveled the church and caused numerous deaths. Sorsogon became an independent municipality under Albay province in 1864, and later, in 1894, the province of Sorsogon was formed, named after its capital town. Fr. Jorge Barlin, a notable figure who later became the first Filipino bishop, served as parish priest from 1887 to 1903.

Transformation into a Cathedral

In 1951, on June 29, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the church of Sorsogon was officially declared the cathedral of the newly founded Roman Catholic Diocese of Sorsogon. Teopisto Alberto became the diocese's first bishop. A magnitude 6.6 earthquake on July 2, 1954, destroyed the cathedral's bell tower. This event prompted Bishop Alberto to reconstruct the cathedral in the neo-Gothic architectural style in the same year. Further additions, including the transept, were constructed in 1972 under Bishop Arnulfo Arcilla. The cathedral sustained damage from typhoons Milenyo and Reming in 2006, leading to another reconstruction. The completed cathedral was inaugurated in 2011, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the Diocese of Sorsogon.