BACLAYON CHURCH

Baclayon Church is the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon town. The Baclayon Church is considered to be the oldest stone church in the Philippines. 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. 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 mauraders soon forced them to move their headquarters more inland, to Loboc. Only in 1717, Baclayon became a parish, and construction of a new church commenced. The church was constructed from coral stones. The laborers used bamboo to move and lift the stones in position, and used the white of a million eggs as to cement the stones together. The current building was completed in 1727. The church obtained a large bell in 1835. Beside the church is the Baclayon Museum that holds remarkable collection of religious art, ecclesiastical vestments and other priceless 16th century relics and artifacts. The Baclayon Church is about 7 kilometers from Tagbilaran City.