Loboc Church

San Pedro Apóstol at Loboc stands on the bank of the Loboc River, a Jesuit foundation from the 1600s rebuilt and extended over the following centuries into one of the oldest and most decorated churches in Bohol, with a painted ceiling, carved retablos and a separate bell tower. In October 2013 a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Bohol and badly damaged it - the facade and the bell tower partly collapsed, and the same quake destroyed or damaged churches across the province. What has happened since is the reason to come now: the church was rebuilt over years using the original coral stones, recovered, catalogued and reset, in one of the largest heritage reconstruction efforts undertaken in the country, and it reopened in the 2020s. The result is a restored building that is honest about being restored. Loboc itself is known for its river cruises, its children's choir and the road toward the Chocolate Hills.

History

Father Juan de Torres came to the community on the Loboc River in late 1596, and Loboc became a parish in 1602; its first wooden church was lost to fire in 1638, a larger church followed in 1670, and the coral stone church was finished in 1734. The Augustinian Recollects took over in November 1768, the church was declared a National Historical Landmark on 12 December 1998, and after the 2013 earthquake it was restored and reopened on 16 May 2021 (Wikipedia, Loboc Church).

The main sights

• The rebuilt church - reconstructed from its own recovered stones.
• The painted ceiling - restored decorative work in the nave.
• The bell tower - the separate tower by the river.
• The riverside setting - the Loboc running past the town.

When to go

November to May. Weekday mornings are quiet; the church is a working parish with regular services and weddings.

Good to know

This is a reconstruction after the 2013 earthquake, not surviving original fabric throughout. Work on the complex has continued in phases. The river cruise boats bring crowds through the town at lunchtime.

Nearby

The Loboc River cruises leave from town; the Chocolate Hills and the tarsier sanctuary are up the road.

Key facts