Charming Chapels of Negros : Chapel of the Angry Christ / St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church

The St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church in Victorias City is more famously known as the “Chapel of the Angry Christ,” because of its attention-grabbing mural “The Last Judgment” by Alfonso Ossorio. Built to minister to the spiritual needs of Victorias Milling Company workers and their families, the chapel is a focal point of community life and beloved by its congregation, who look beyond their first impressions of the painting to find solace and warmth.


The angular lines and geometric silhouette of the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church in Victorias City mark it as one of the earliest examples of modernist architecture in Asia. The structure was designed by architect Antonin Raymond. The chapel’s exterior walls are clad in broken-glass mosaics by Adelaide de Bethune depicting episodes from the lives of Christ and St. Joseph.


The St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church in Victorias City is a multi-layered artwork. The modernist architecture houses the Alfonso Ossorio mural “The Last Judgment,” as well as wooden sculptures by Benjamin Valenciano, and brasswork decoration by Arcadio Anore on the altar and pulpits.


The central figure of the Alfonso Ossorio mural in the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Church in Victorias City is Christ himself with arms outstretched, his sacred heart aflame, crushing a snake underfoot. This unconventional depiction, with its hot colors and aggressive pose, have led many people to refer to it as an “Angry Christ.”




Text By: Vicente Garcia Groyon
Photos By: John Kimwell Laluma
Video By: Grilled Cheese Studios