The San Diego Pro-Cathedral

Originally built in 1776, the San Diego Pro-Cathedral is located in Silay City, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. It is the only church in the Philippines, outside of Manila, with a dome.

The church has gone through a couple reconstructions. The original materials used in 1776 composed of bamboo and nipa palm. Stronger materials, like stone, were added in 1841, and the final reconstruction — which contributes to the cathedral’s current appearance — began in 1925 when Don Jose R. Ledesma commissioned Italian architect Lucio Bernasconi to design the church.

Bernasconi used churches in Italy as a model for the San Diego Pro-Cathedral.