Silay, officially City of Silay, is a third class city in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it had a total population of 120,999 people. It is part of the metropolitan area called Metro Bacolod, which includes the cities of Bacolod and Talisay. It has a sizable commercial and fishing port and is the site of the new Bacolod-Silay International Airport, which replaced the Bacolod City Domestic Airport.
Silay is often referred to as the "Paris of Negros" due to its artists, cultural shows and large collection of perfectly preserved heritage houses. More than thirty of these houses have been declared by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as part of the Silay National Historical Landmark. In 2015, the city celebrated its 58th charter anniversary.
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The San Diego Pro-cathedral, formerly known as the San Diego Parish Church or the St. Didacus Parish Church before its declaration as a pro-cathedral in 1994, is an early 20th-centurychurch in Silay City, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. It is the only pro-cathedral outside of the national capital of Manila,[1] and is unique in Negros Occidental for being the only church in the province featuring a cupola or dome.
The legend of Princess Kansilay[edit]
A local legend tells of how Silay City got its name. It is said that in the days of the datus and rajahs, there once lived a princess named Kansilay. An attack on the settlement by pirates was thwarted when the princess bravely led the people in the village's defense. The fight was furious and the princess fought like a seasoned warrior. Murals that used to grace some of the city's public buildings depict her as a fierce fighter wielding a huge talibong, a short native single-edged sword. The pirates were routed, but at the cost of the princess' life. Her paramour arrived in time to see her die. In grief, the people lovingly buried her. To their surprise, a tree grew right over her grave, the first Kansilay tree, a final gift from the brave princess.
Silay City Ancestral houses
1. BALAY NEGRENSE
One of the most well-known ancestral houses in Silay City, the Balay Negrense, was owned by a pioneering sugar cultivator in this part of the country. According to the guide, it still has around 70% of the original materials. With the entrance fee you get a guided tour of the house.
The Bernardino Jalandoni Museum, also known as the Bernardino Jalandoni House, located along Rizal Street, Silay City, in the province ofNegros Occidental, Philippines, is the original residence of the late Don Bernardino and Doña Ysabel Jalandoni. The museum is also known as the "Pink House" because of its conspicuous pink paint that easily grabs attention.
soledad and Maria Montelibano Lacson Ancestral House is a two-storey heritage house owned by the family of Montelibano Lacson sisters, Soledad and Maria, inSilay City in the province of Negros Occidental, the Philippines. Because of its cultural, architectural, and/or historical significance, it is one of the recognized and declared heritage houses of the Philippines by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
