Virgin Mary Parish -Baclayon, Bohol

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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 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.
In 1717, Baclayon was elevated as a parish. The present stone church constructed under the Jesuits was finished in 1727. When the Jesuits were expelled in the country in 1768, the Augustinian Recollects immediately succeeded them in the late part of the same year in administering the spiritual needs of the people of Baclayon. Renovations on the church was done during the administration of Father Pedro de la Encarnación, OAR (1839–1854), Father Antonio Úbeda, OAR (1856–1859, 1861–1868) and Father José María Cabañas, OAR (1870–1898). The church was saved from destruction that might be brought by American soldiers in exchange for food and water in 1901

The church entrance is flanked by an arcade leading to the narthex. The entrance to the choir loft and the carosa for the images of saints is found on the right and left side of the narthex respectively. Since the floor inside is lower than the ground outside, a new floor made of wood (particularly molave) was installed in 1852 which was later replaced by brick tiles from 1874 to 1875.

Reddish paintings on wooden panels commissioned by Father Antonio Ubeda from 1856 to 1859 can be found inside the church. These are the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost on the doorway; and two portraits of the Doctors of the Church. A third portrait belonging to the set of Doctors of the Church is on the church museum while the fourth portrait is lost. The paintings Agony in the Garden and Crowning of Thorns, also commissioned by Father Úbeda, is currently housed at the San Agustin Museum in Intramuros, Manila. The works of art are done by Liberato Gachalian.

Murals, mostly replaced by monochromatic tin sheets, were also present on the church's ceilings. Though most ceiling paintings were unpreserved, an original work of Max Aya-ay in 1957 can still be seen on portions of the crossing. The walls were originally adorned with wooden images of Stations of the Cross commissioned by Father Ubeda in 1859 which were later replaced by European-made images.

One of the largest earthquakes to hit Bohol struck the island at 8:12 AM on October 15, 2013. The center of the M7.2 earthquake was near Sagbayan, Bohol. Centuries-old churches in Bohol, including seven churches on Baclayon, Dauis, Dimiao, Loay, Loboc, Loon and Maribojoc, declared as National Cultural Treasures, were damaged. The church of Baclayon sustained major damage with its collapsed portico and bell tower.
The Diocese of Tagbilaran plans to restore the Church of Baclayon and all other churches destroyed by the earthquake. Together with government agencies, pre-restoration works are currently on-going.

CHURCH RESTORATION – The restoration of quake-ruined centuries-old Baclayon Church starts, giving material momentum to Bohol’s recovery effort in heritage aspect. The provincial government  with the national government in securing fund and assisting the religious sector in rebuilding or restoration of antiquated churches toppled by the strong tremor. The National Historical institute and National Museum responded to the effort. The Baclayon Church is just one of the several icons of Boholano faith totally or partially destroyed by the 7.2 magnitude major ground shake. The reconstruction of the priceless monuments of religious culture has highlighted Bohol as the country’s learning center for heritage restoration and preservation, according to the Bohol governor who is seen as a poster boy of Filipino resilience to calamity.

1. Old Churches in the Philippines