Loon Church

Loon Church
Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish Church Iglesia Parroquial de Nuestra Señora de la Luz
Facade of Loon Church
Loon Church Republic of the Philippines
9°47′56″N 123°47′33″E / 9.798786°N 123.792624°E / 9.798786; 123.792624Coordinates: 9°47′56″N 123°47′33″E / 9.798786°N 123.792624°E / 9.798786; 123.792624
Location	Brgy. Moto Sur and Moto Norte, Loon, Bohol
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	Diocese of Tagbilaran
History
Founded	June 22, 1753 (as Parish)
Dedication	Nuestra Señora de la Luz (Our Lady of Light)
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	National Cultural Treasure and National Historical Landmark
Architect(s)	Domingo de Escondrillas
Architectural type	Church building
Groundbreaking	1855
Completed	1864
Specifications
Materials	Coral stones
Administration
Archdiocese	Cebu
Diocese	Tagbilaran
Province	Cebu
Clergy
Archbishop	Jose S. Palma
Bishop(s)	Leonardo Y. Medroso
Priest(s)	Ruel Ramon M. Tumangday
Assistant priest(s)	Darwin Gitgano

The Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish Church (also Our Lady of Light Parish Church), commonly known as Loon Church, was a Roman Catholic Church in the municipality of Loon, Bohol, Philippines, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran. The parish was established by the Jesuits in 1753. Father Jose Garcia commissioned Domingo de Escondrillas to design the stone church (now in ruins) which was built from 1855 to 1864.

It was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.

The entire church building and convent were reduced to rubble when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and other parts of Central Visayas in October 15, 2013.

The Jesuits established the parish of Loon on June 22, 1753 under the patronage of the Our Lady of Light, locally known as Birhen sa Kasilak. It is believed that the first Jesuit church was located in the downtown area called Napo (formerly the town's center) along the sea. The center, including the church, was moved in the upper portion called Moto due to pirate raids. The church complex was built with defensive stone walls and armed with a cannonball in the 1770s. Moto and Napo were connected by a stairway called inang-angan (translated as chopped ladder) with 174 stone steps built under the term of Father Antonio Yus.

The church and convent were rebuilt in the 1780s. Another church was rebuilt in 1815 but was destroyed by the fire of 1850 and 1853 (or 1854). Father Jose Garcia constructed another church, which he planned to be the "largest and finest in the Visayas", and commissioned Domingo de Escondrillas, Director of Public Works in Cebu to design the church. Construction of the church through forced labor started in 1855 and finished in 1864.