Guiuan Church

The Immaculate Conception Church at Guiuan belongs to a parish founded by Jesuits in 1595, and the coral-stone church was built in the eighteenth century, and its carved wooden main door, retablos and a shell-and-stone facade made it one of the finest colonial churches in the eastern Visayas - a declared National Cultural Treasure. In November 2013 Typhoon Yolanda made its first landfall at Guiuan, at that time the strongest storm ever recorded to strike land, and it took the church's roof and damaged the facade, though the walls stood largely intact. Restoration was completed in 2019 and the church is in use again. Calicoan Island and its surf are across the causeway.

What to look for

• The coral-stone church - rebuilt after the 2013 typhoon.
• The carved door - conserved woodwork at the entrance.
• The retablos - restored altar pieces inside.
• The old walls - the coral-stone shell that survived the typhoon.

When to go

March to June for calm weather and easier road travel; the typhoon season on this coast is severe. Weekday mornings for a quiet church.

Before you go

The roof and much of the interior are post-2013 work inside the old walls. Guiuan is about three hours from Tacloban on provincial roads. Facilities in town are basic.

Nearby

Calicoan Island's surf beaches are across the causeway; Homonhon and Suluan islands lie offshore.

Key facts