Baclayon Church
| Baclayon Church | |
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| La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria Parish Church Iglesia Parroquial de La Purísima Concepción de la Virgen María |
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Facade of Baclayon Church
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.svg)
 Baclayon Church
Location in the Philippines
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| 9°37′22″N 123°54′44″E / 9.622787°N 123.912254°ECoordinates: 9°37′22″N 123°54′44″E / 9.622787°N 123.912254°E | |
| Location | Baclayon, Bohol |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) |
| Website | Diocese of Tagbilaran |
| History | |
| Founded | 1596 1717 (as Parish) |
| Founder(s) | Fr. Juan de Torres, SJ and Fr. Gabriel Sanchez, SJ |
| Dedication | Immaculate Conception |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active (partially destroyed by earthquake) |
| Heritage designation | National Cultural Treasure |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Completed | 1727 |
| Demolished | 2013 (due to earthquake) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Coral stones |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Cebu |
| Diocese | Tagbilaran |
| Province | Cebu |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Jose S. Palma |
| Bishop(s) | Leonardo Y. Medroso |
| Priest(s) | Vicente Mathias M. Nunag, III |
| Assistant priest(s) | Felipe B. Digal |
La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria Parish Church (also The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary Parish Church), commonly known as Baclayon Church, is a Roman Catholic Church in the municipality of Baclayon, Bohol, Philippines within the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran. Baclayon was founded by the Jesuit priest Juan de Torres and Gabriel Sánchez in 1596, and became the oldest Christian settlement in Bohol. It was elevated as a parish in 1717 and the present coral stone church was completed in 1727. The Augustinian Recollects succeeded the Jesuits in 1768 and heavily renovated the church since then.
The church was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines and a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Together with the churches of Maragondon, Loboc and Guiuan, the Baclayon Church was formerly included for the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List of the Philippines since 1993 under the collective group of Jesuit Churches of the Philippines. When a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and other parts of Central Visayas in 2013, the church building sustained major damage.
The Jesuits, the first evangelizers of the Baclayon, planted the first seed of Christianity in Bohol upon the request of Doña Catalina de Bolaños, mother of the encomendero of Bohol island, Pedro de Gamboa to Father Antonio Sedeno, mission superior of Leyte and Samar. In November 17, 1596, the first Jesuits, Father Juan de Torres, SJ and Father Gabriel Sánchez, SJ , came to Baclayon. At that time, a Catholic chapel is already existing inside the encomienda.
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