baclayon church in bohol

Baclayon Church is the oldest church in Bohol, dating back to 1596. Its present structure, however, as it stands, started in 1727. The church has been run by Jesuits and Agustinians, with Frs. Sanchez and Torres as the very first parish priests.

The term "baclay" means to walk - as the church is located a short distance from the coast. Its patroness is the Immaculate Conception and it is a coral stone church. Some parts of structure are made up of hard wood - like the molave, narra, kamagong - and not even termites can destroy the wood.

Photos are allowed in the church itself, but not in the museum. The museum was quite interesting. There's a good collection of vestments, other items used for the mass dating back centuries. There are images with heads and hands made of ivory, with some parts of the images stolen - given the value of the ivory.

There was an image of St. Blaise (patron for the throat) which was stolen and returned to the museum 2 years after. It was returned by a buyer, all the way from Metro Manila. There were big hymnals, in Latin - with the cover and the pages made of animal skins and with the ink used taken from plant sap.