Dauis Church

Our Lady of the Assumption at Dauis sits at the Panglao end of the causeway from Tagbilaran, a nineteenth-century church of coral stone with an unfinished bell tower, painted ceilings and walls by Filipino artists of the early twentieth century, and a convent beside it that now houses a heritage centre and a restaurant run as a livelihood project. Its odd feature is a well at the foot of the main altar, inside the church, which yields fresh water despite standing metres from the sea - a phenomenon with a straightforward hydrological explanation and a local tradition attached to it about a siege and a miracle, and whose water pilgrims still collect. The church was damaged in the 2013 Bohol earthquake and has been repaired. Being minutes from Tagbilaran and on the way to Panglao's beaches, it is an easy stop, usually combined with Hinagdanan Cave nearby.

What you actually see

• The painted interior - ceiling and wall work by early-1900s artists.
• The altar well - fresh water inside the church by the sea.
• The unfinished tower - the truncated belfry outside.
• The convent centre - heritage rooms and the livelihood restaurant.

When to go

November to May. Weekday mornings for quiet; weekends are busy with Masses and weddings on the Panglao route.

Honest expectations

It is a working parish and closes to sightseeing during services. Parts have been repaired after the 2013 earthquake. The well is a small feature, not a spectacle.

Nearby

Hinagdanan Cave, Alona Beach and Panglao's coast are all within twenty minutes; Tagbilaran is across the causeway.