Baclayon Church in Bohol is one of the oldest
churches in the Philippines made of coral stone. It is also known as the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
The first
Spanish missionaries or doctrineros in the region, Fr. Juan de Torres and Fr.
Gabriel Sanchez, first settled in Baclayon in 1595. Shortly after their
arrival, a visita was erected on the spot.
Although
Baclayon was the first seat of the Spanish Jesuit missionaries, fear of Moro
marauders soon forced them to move their headquarters more inland, to Loboc.
It was only
in 1717 that Baclayon became a parish, and construction of a new church
commenced. Some 200 native forced laborers constructed the church from coral
stones, which they took from the sea, cut into square blocks, and piled on to
each other.
They used
bamboo to move and lift the stones in position, and used the white of a million
eggs as to cement them together. The current building was completed in 1727.
The church obtained a large bell in 1835.
In the
Baclayon church is a dungeon, which was used to punish natives violated the
rules of the Roman Catholic church.
It is one of
the best preserved Jesuit build churches in the region, although in the 19th
century, the Augustinian Recollects added a modern facade and a number of stone
buildings that now surround the church.
A major
tourist attraction of this church is the image of Padre Pio, or Saint Pio,
which is imprinted on one of the pillars of the church.
Padre Pio was
born on May 25, 1887 in Italy. He had poor health but despite that, he was able
to finish his studies due to strong will and soon enough, ordained as a priest
in the year 1910. It was on September
20, 1918, that his simple life as a priest changed when he became the first
stigmatized priest in history. All 5 wounds of Jesus appeared on his body,
marking his deep love for God and the Eucharist and beginning his life of
apostolic activity for the many that flock to his confessionals.
After a
devotee found the image on the photos of tourists taking pictures against the
wall, Ramon Rodriguez, who had been healed through the intercession of Padre
Pio of his half-blindness, called on Fr. Antonio Pompilio, an Italian priest to
evaluate and confirm the image.
Right next to
the church is the old convent, which also houses a small museum with
centuries-old religious relics, artifacts and other antiquities, dating back to
the 16th century.
Included in
the collection are an ivory statue of the crucified Christ looking towards
heaven; a statue of the Blessed Virgin, said to be presented by Queen Catherine
of Aragon; relics of St. Ignatius of Loyola, old gold embroidered ecclesiastical
vestments, books with carabao skin covers, and librettos of church music
written in Latin on sheep skins.
Here you can also find the cuadro paintings made by the Filipino painter Liberato Gatchalian in 1859.
Baclayon Church started the trend in Bohol of establishing parish museums. The amount of
liturgical material preserved in Baclayon is impressive. The church inventory
books have helped in dating some pieces.
In Baclayon cantorals (large
handwritten music books) was found the Misa Baclayana, a musical setting for
the Mass which has been revived and is part of the repertoire of the LobocChildren's choir. Permission from the parish is needed to see the museum, which
is generally locked for security reasons.
In 1835, a large bell was installed and in the 19th century, the Augustinian Recollects added the front facade of the church with its three arches and a number of stone buildings which now surrounds the church. All these are still standing at present making it the most preserved church in Bohol.
The church
may have avoided getting totally destroyed during the Second World War, but it remains
vulnerable from forces of nature. The occasional typhoons made it impossible
for caretakers to protect its walls from moss patches. Moreover, the coral stone walls are
susceptible to breaking when exposed to mists.
There were
supposedly several attempts to repaint the church ceilings but no one knew of
any preservation technique that would protect the original paintings. Another probable sentiment is that the church may not be able to afford the professional fees of restorers like those in Italy.
Be that as it
may, Baclayon Church has been a significant aspect of Philippine history, not just
in its attempts to propagate Christianity in the archipelago, but in serving as
the political backbone of Spanish colonial rule, when Church and State were
regarded as one.
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