Guiuan Church

The Immaculate Conception Church at Guiuan was founded by Jesuits in the seventeenth century and built up in coral stone over the following decades, 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, the strongest storm ever recorded to strike land, and it took the church's roof, damaged the tower and scattered the interior. Reconstruction took years and drew on national heritage funding, and the church is in use again, with some original elements conserved and much of the rest replaced. Guiuan itself carries other history: it was the site of an enormous American naval base in 1944-45, and remnants of the airstrip and installations survive around the town. Calicoan Island and its surf are across the causeway.

What you actually see

• The coral-stone church - rebuilt after the 2013 typhoon.
• The carved door - conserved woodwork at the entrance.
• The retablos - restored altar pieces inside.
• The wartime remnants - traces of the 1944 naval base nearby.

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.

Honest expectations

Much of what stands is post-2013 reconstruction; original fabric is limited to conserved elements. Guiuan is four 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.