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If you love historical ancestral houses and attractions. This is your chance to visit this place. It located beside of Gaston's Ancestral House and managed by Father Gaston, itself. The Chapel of Cartwheels is one of the tourist attraction in the Municipality of Manapla.

According to the Gaston Family, the chapel built during the hacienda days of the 60’s.

According to them, the chapel is made from the natural materials. From the exterior Facade made from farm implements such as old cartwheels, bamboo shingles roofing to the seats and the altar itself are made from natural materials. Except for the natural materials, the broken pieces of glass in different colors to be front of the altar. Since religious statues are made out of wood, the altar is a big, centuries-old boulder.

You saw something that looked a "salakot," or a traditional large hat, within the farm that the Gaston family owns.

Cartwheels were the first thing that came to Mr. Gaston's mind when he was planning to use them to construct the chapel since he was aware of how well the locals could relate to such a basic, commonly used item. He further added that the cartwheel represents the Holy Trinity, with the central spoke representing God the Father, the spokes around it representing Jesus Christ, who guides people to God, and the outer ring representing the Holy Spirit, who makes sure they don't get lost on their journey there.

Masses are still being held in the chapel that is attended by the families of farm workers in the hacienda. The chapel is open to welcome the guests and tourists who visit the town.

The Gaston Compound includes the Chapel of Cartwheels. If you happen to be there, be sure to stop by the Gaston Mansion. There are beautiful gardens, a fountain, and a pond inside the grounds as well. Before, a damaged shoe house served as a playground.

The vibes here makes you feel like you're in the past.

How to Get There?

Manapla is 44.7 kilometers from Bacolod. Going to Manapla is approximately 1-hour drive from Bacolod City by public utility vehicles (bus or double-tires) that take off from Bacolod North Terminal. You can hire taxis, vans and buses for hire are available from Bacolod. After you drop in Manapla, Ride a tricycle and the entrance you will pay 40 pesos. After that, you can enjoy the entire place.

The Chapel of Cartwheels at Hacienda Rosalia in Manapla, province of Negros Occidental, continues serving the tourist today. You can visit and indulge yourself from the unique structure of the chapel.

My experience when I went to this place was like going back in time. The structure of the Chapel looks beautiful, the wall and the seats are made of wood. But when my friends and I went, we couldn't go to the guest house because there was an event, so we only went around the chapel. Maybe next time we can visit again and we can go and see the beauty of the house itself.

I can recommend more historical landmarks and tourism attractions. If you want more Negros Occidental showcase locations, leave a comment below.

Thank you for reading and see you in my next blog! 😊