Immaculate Conception Parish Church, also called Guiuan Church or Simbahan ng Guiuan, is a National Cultural Treasure and Marian church located in the municipality of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines.
It is considered one of the most beautiful Spanish-era heritage churches and known for various shells that are embedded into the walls as decorative pieces.
When Typhoon Yolanda hit Samar in 2013, the church was severely damaged. Its restoration was initiated by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2016, and it was reopened to the public on the feast of the patroness on December 8, 2019.
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History
While the Augustinians were the first religious friars who arrived in Guiuan in 1585, it was the Jesuits who put up the church a decade later. Previously, the Jesuits came to Tigbauan (or San Joaquin in some accounts) in Iloilo. Then they travelled to Carigara and Dulag in Leyte and established a church in 1595, respectively. They came to Guiuan later that year. Afterwards, they fanned outward to Tinago (of present-day Tarangnan) and Catubig.
The church in Guituan was placed under the patroness La Purisima Concepcion and its structure was made of wood that then caught fire. Another place of worship was put up, this time made of stone, that may have been completed before 1650. The Jesuits later began to build a bigger stone church in 1718, which later was destroyed by fire and subsequently repaired.
When the Jesuits left in 1768, it was transferred to the administration of the Augustinians and then to the Franciscan friars starting in 1795. However, Fr. Miguel Pérez, OFM, was assigned only in 1804.
The Franciscans undertook church repairs such as those carried out by Fr. Pedro de Valverde and Fr. Manuel Monasterio de Valverde, OFM. Between 1844 and 1864, the roofs were replaced with baked clay tiles and the bell tower erected. Meanwhile, the convent was buillt by Fr. Arsenio Figueroa in 1872. Its ceilings were painted by GM Lucero and L. Monalola in the 1930s. Repairs were also done before the war and in the post-EDSA years (1987).
Heritage
Guiuan Church is regarded one of the best edifices showcasing Spanish colonial architecture in the country. It retained much of the original Jesuit-built structures like the exquisitely carved wooden doors that depict twelve apostles of the Christ, retablo, altars, images of saints called santo, interiors, and coral-stone walls embellished by eight types of seashells.
The complex on which its sits is also an example of a fortress-church, built so in order to defend the town from Moro raids.
Due to its significance, the church was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines on July 31, 2001.
It is also a heritage church, a status that was bestowed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines which installed a Level II historical marker on March 18, 2021.
It was also part of the list for the Jesuit-built and Baroque Churches under consideration for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Typhoon Yolanda and Restoration
On November 8, 2013, supertyphoon Yolanda made the first landfall in Guiuan that wrought widespread havoc in the town and loss of lives and livestock. It also caused extensive damage on the heritage church such as the collapse of its roof system, ceiling, retablo, and facade. In the aftermath of the storm, the fate of the church was left hanging as resources were poured to address immediate rescue and humanitarian needs.
The National Museum of the Philippines embarked on a years-long restoration project between 2016 and 2019. It was a collaborative effort that involved national agencies, religious authorities, parishioners, artisans, experts, scholars, students, Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials of the University of Melbourne, and contractor J.S. Lim Construction and Trading.
Funding was provided by the Philippine government, which allocated P112 million pesos, and by the Ambassador’s Fund for Culture of the United States Embassy that donated $300,000. Local artists were likewise tapped, namely Froilan Garabiles who took charge of decorative shells and Guy Custodio who was responsible in the restoration of the painted ceiling, among other things.
On December 8, 2019, the newly restored church was unveiled through a re-dedication rites performed by Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia.
Architecture
The church’s facade is ornamented with rectilinear and arch fenestration, rows of dentil, Corinthian columns and intricately sculpted pilasters. Its posts that bound the facade end with pointed peaks and they bear reliefs of foliage. The entrance is flanked by recessed niches of holy figures and above it is a rectangular relief.
Meanwhile, the pediment has a stone sculpture of holy figure and contains rows of leaf-like ornamentation along its edges. At its apex are inscriptions that read “1595”, “1925”, and “1964”. It is topped with a cross.
The bell tower is massive and quadrangular. It is found in the gospel flank, connected to the church through a low-rise, slant wall, and is topped with pyramidal roof.
Celebration
The feast day of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception falls on every December 8.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Guiuan, Eastern Samar from November 18, 2024 to November 24, 2024. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Guiuan.
Monday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Tuesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Wednesday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Thursday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Friday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Saturday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM
Sunday
- 5:00-6:00 AM
- 7:00-8:00 AM
- 9:00-10:00 AM
- 5:00-6:00PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | Immaculate Conception Parish Church in Guiuan, Eastern Samar |
| Other Names | Simbahan ng Guiuan, Guiuan Church |
| Address | Borongan-Guiuan Road, Guian, Eastern Samar 6809 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Founder | Society of Jesus |
| Established | 1595 |
| Age | 429 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Borongan |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of the Most Holy Rosary |
| Patron | Our Lady of Immaculate Conception |
| Feast day | December 8 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | National Cultural Treasure (July 31, 2001), Heritage Church (March 18, 2021) |
| Completed | 1718 |
| Age since completed | 306 years |
| Style | Baroque |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Diocesan Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua in Sulangan, Guiuan, Eastern Samar
- Our Lady of Salvation Church in Buabua, Salcedo, Eastern Samar
- Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Matarino, Salcedo, Eastern Samar
- San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila Church in Buenavista, Guiuan, Eastern Samar
- Santa Cruz Church in Sapao, Guiuan, Eastern Samar
- St. Francis of Assisi Church in Mercedes, Eastern Samar
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Salcedo, Eastern Samar
- St. John the Baptist Church in Homonhon, Guiuan, Eastern Samar
References
- Simbahan ng Guiuan. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. July 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Immaculate Conception Parish Church. Provincial Government of Eastern Samar. November 8, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Restoring and Conserving the Parish Church at Guiuan, Eastern Samar. University of Melbourne. September 30, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension). World Heritage Convention. UNESCO. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Roel Amazona. Century-old Guiuan church rises again 6 years after ‘Yolanda’. Philippine News Agency. December 9, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Sarwell Meniano. Guiuan Church historical marker unveiled. Philippine News Agency. March 18, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Lope Coles Robredillo, SThD. A history of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, 1595-1768. Este News. July 15, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Augusto F. Villalon. Guiuan church, a National Cultural Treasure in Samar, heavily damaged by ‘Yolanda’. Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 18, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2023
- Parishes. Diocese of Borongan. Retrieved from original post on January 24, 2023
- Diocese of Borongan. Claretian Publications. Retrieved January 23, 2023
- Alren Beronio. SLIDESHOW: Guiuan church rises again 6 years after Yolanda. ABS-CBN News. November 8, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2023
- La Iglesia y Fuerza de la Isla de Capul. Northern Samar Provincial Information. August 1, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2023
- Parishes. Diocese of Borongan. Retrieved from original post on January 27, 2023