| Guiuan Church | |
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Iglesia Parroquial de la Inmaculada Concepción (Spanish) | |
 Guiuan Church in 2022 | |
.svg)  Guiuan Church Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines | |
| 11°01′53″N125°43′22″E / 11.031369°N 125.722898°E /11.031369; 125.722898 | |
| Location | Guiuan, Eastern Samar |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founder(s) | Jesuits |
| Dedication | Immaculate Conception |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | National Cultural Treasure |
| Architectural type | Church building |
| Style | Baroque |
| Completed |
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| Demolished | 2013 (Typhoon Haiyan) |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Palo |
| Diocese | Borongan |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | John F. Du |
| Bishop(s) | Crispin Barrete Varquez |
Immaculate Conception Parish Church, commonly known asGuiuan Church, is aRoman Catholicchurch in the municipality ofGuiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines, within the jurisdiction of theDiocese of Borongan.
The church is classified as aNational Cultural Treasure by theNational Museum of the Philippines. It was formerly nominated to theUNESCOWorld HeritageSites of the Philippines under two categories, theBaroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension) and the Jesuit Churches of the Philippines.
The church, built in the 18th century, was significantly damaged whenTyphoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda) made landfall in Guiuan and struck other parts ofCentral Visayas on November 8, 2013. While the church's roof was destroyed and thefaçade damaged, the church's walls were largely left intact. Restoration of the damaged church was completed in 2019.
Guiuan (also spelled asGuiguan) was founded by theJesuits in 1595. It was handed over to theAugustinians upon instructions from the Spanish colonial government due to theJesuits Suppression in 1768. It was then transferred to theFranciscans in 1795 but due to lack of priests, Father Miguel Pérez, the first Franciscan priest of Guiuan was only assigned in 1804.[1] The original church of Guiuan was made ofwood and destroyed byfire.[2]
The presentstone church was dedicated to theVirgin Mary under the title of theImmaculate Conception and was built by the early Jesuits in 1718[3] and was renovated by adding atransept andbaptistery during the term of Father Manuel Valverde and Pedro Monasterio in 1844.[4][5] Abell 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.[5] On November 8, 2013, the church along with other buildings and structures in Guiuan was severely damaged due toTyphoon Haiyan,[6] which madelandfall in the town.[7] While the roof was destroyed and the façade was damaged, the church's stone walls remain unscathed, as do the floors and the crypts.
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TheNational Museum of the Philippines named Guiuan Church aNational Cultural Treasure in 2001.[8] As a nominee for the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Philippines, it is grouped withMaragondon Church,Baclayon Church andLoboc Church for theJesuit Churches of the Philippines[9] and withBoljoon Church,Loboc Church,Tumauini Church andLazi Church for theBaroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension) nomination.[10] However, due to its total destruction, it was then removed from the roster of nominated sites.[11]
On March 18, 2021, as part of the2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines marking the 500th anniversary of the arrival of theMagellan–Elcano circumnavigation to the Philippines, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled a historical marker commemorating the church.[12]
Guiuan Church is nestled inside afort. It is well known for its extensiveshell ornamentation in its interiors.[6] Studies revealed that at least eight types of seashells were used. Before its destruction, it still has two elaborately carved doors out of the original three doors. The main door on the entrance has exquisite carvings of theTwelve Apostles while a side door has carved representations ofangels.[5]Former First LadyImelda Marcos was interested in purchasing the church's door for₱1,000,000 using government funds siphoned by her husband, Ferdinand Marcos.[13][better source needed]
Due to Typhoon Haiyan, all of its originalretablo, roof (dated 1700s) and other church relics were damaged.[6][14] Only the stone walls andbell tower remained standing.[15] Restoration of the church was under the supervision of theNational Museum of the Philippines.[16] Funds for the reconstruction of the church amounting to$300,000 were given by the Embassy of the United States in the Philippines[17] and ₱112 million from the National Museum of the Philippines.[18] Restoration of the church was completed in 2019.[18][19]
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