The Clarin Ancestral House is the residence of the Clarin family, a prominent family of politicians from Loay,

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It ...

, Philippines. It is arguably the most visited of all ancestral houses in Bohol, along with the President Carlos P. Garcia Heritage House in

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people. Encompassing a la ...

Location

The house is located in the municipality of Loay, around 18 kilometers from

, along Kanipaan Road. It is easily located because it is a short walk across the Tagbilaran East Road from the Loay Municipal Hall. It is also a short distance from the Most Holy Trinity Parish of Loay. The house dates back to the year 1844.

Structure and interior

It is traditional Filipino

Bahay na Bato ''Bahay na bato'' (Tagalog, literally "house of stone", also known in Visayan as ''balay na bato'' or ''balay nga bato; in Spanish as Casa Filipino'') is a type of building originating during the Philippines' Spanish colonial period. It is an ...

with long slanting roofs covered in nipa leaves. The house has a coral stone foundation, rough-hewn wooden posts, wooden walls and floors of wide hardwood planks and a receiving hall with a high vaulted ceiling. It is made up of two floors: the living quarters being on the upper floor. The upper floor has large and wide windows made up of capiz shells which let the sunshine in if closed. There are about half a dozen four-poster antique wooden beds reflecting the austere Boholano aesthetic. Currently, a souvenir shop and a cafe, Cafe Olegario, is located in the first floor of the house to accommodate tourists and visitors. The cafe serves native Boholano delicacies.

The Clarin family

The Clarin Ancestral House is the residence of Don Aniceto Velez Clarin, a former governor of Bohol. His two sons, Jose Aniceto Butalid Clarin became the first senator of the Eleventh Senatorial District. The 11th Senatorial District was composed of the provinces of Bohol, Misamis, and Surigao under the Jones Law passed by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

; and Olegario Clarin, also became a senator from 1946-1951. A family of politicians, many followed in the footsteps of their predecessors and became Mayors and congressmen in Bohol. Descendants now own and maintain the ancestral house.

Declaration as Heritage House

The Clarin Ancestral House was declared as a Heritage House by the

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

(NHI) pursuant to NHI Board Resolution 8 S. 1998. The 170-year-old house is now a museum housing family collections and memorabilia dating back to the American period.

References

Bibliography