Guiuan Church
| Guiuan Church | |
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| Immaculate Conception Parish Church Iglesia Parroquial de la Inmaculada Concepción |
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Façade and bell tower of Guiuan Church
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.svg)
 Guiuan Church
Republic of the Philippines
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| 11°01′53″N 125°43′22″E / 11.031369°N 125.722898°ECoordinates: 11°01′53″N 125°43′22″E / 11.031369°N 125.722898°E | |
| Location | Guiuan, Eastern Samar |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Jesuits |
| Dedication | Immaculate Conception |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | National Cultural Treasure |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Baroque |
| Completed | 1844 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Palo |
| Metropolis | Borongan |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | John F. Du |
| Bishop(s) | Crispin Barrete Varquez |
The Immaculate Conception Parish Church (Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de la Inmaculada Concepción), commonly known as Guiuan Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Borongan.
The church is classified as a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. It was formerly nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Philippines under two categories, the Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension) and the Jesuit Churches of the Philippines.
It was totally destroyed when Typhoon Haiyan (locally named as Yolanda) made landfall in Guiuan and struck other parts of Central Visayas on November 8, 2013.
Guiuan (also spelled as Guiguan) was founded by the Jesuits in 1595. It was handed over to the Augustinians upon instructions from the Spanish colonial government due to the Jesuits Suppression in 1768. It was then transferred to the Franciscans in 1795 but due to lack of priests, Father Miguel Pérez, the first Franciscan priest of Guiuan was only assigned in 1804. The original church of Guiuan was made of wood and destroyed by fire.
The present stone church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception and was built by the early Jesuits and was renovated by adding a transept and baptistery during the term of Father Manuel Valverde and Pedro Monasterio in 1844. A bell tower on top fort was built in 1854. Another convent was built by Father Arsenio Figueroa in 1872. The church was refurbished in 1935 and the sanctuary was renovated in 1987. On November 8, 2013, the church along with other buildings and structures in Guiuan was severely damaged due to Typhoon Haiyan. While the roof was destroyed and the facade was damaged, the church's stone walls remain unscathed, as do the floors and the crypts.
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