Santa Cruz Parish Church, also known as Holy Cross Parish Church and Maribojoc Church, is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the municipality of Maribojoc,

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

, Philippines, under the

Diocese of Tagbilaran The Diocese of Tagbilaran is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, headquartered in Tagbilaran, Bohol. It is one of two dioceses in the province of Bohol, the other being the Diocese of Tal ...

. The parish was first established by the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in 1767 or 1768 with Father Juan Soriano, SJ as its first parish priest. The

Augustinian Recollects The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is a mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. It is a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follows the same Rule of St. Augustine. They have also been known as the "D ...

later administered the community until 1898. The church was built in 1852 under Father Manuel Plaza and completed in 1872. In 2005, it was designated by the diocese as the Diocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer. It was also declared a National Cultural Treasure by the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines () is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines, including Ethnography, ethnographic, Anthropology, anthropological, Archaeology, archaeological, an ...

and a National Historical Landmark by the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP; ) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management ...

. When a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and other parts of

Central Visayas Central Visayas (; or ) is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. With only two Provinces of the Philippines, provinces: Cebu and Bohol, as well as three Cities of the Phi ...

in 2013, the entire building crumbled to the ground, leaving only the image of the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

standing. It was reopened in 2021.

Location

Just like the other towns of Bohol, the church and convent of Maribojoc were located on the "uptown", a portion of the town that is usually elevated compared to the rest of the town, called "downtown". The back of the church faced downtown and the sea. The uptown and downtown portions of Maribojoc were connected by a stone stairway finished in 1842. Instead of a plaza in front of the church, a ravine and the plaza were located on either side.

Church history

The

started evangelizing the town of Maribojoc (originally ''Malabojoc'') as a mission station in the early 1600s. It was built in the settlement along the Abatan River at Viga, now part of

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de An ...

, including a church built by Father Gabriel Sánchez. The parish was founded in 1767 or 1768. With the canonical erection of the Holy Cross Parish, Father Juan Soriano, SJ, was installed as its first parish priest. When the Jesuits left Maribojoc in 1768, the

administered to the spiritual needs of the town until 1898. Father Julian de Santa Ana, from the Recollects, served as the second parish priest. In 1794 and 1880, the towns of

Cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

and

established their own parish, separate from Maribojoc. The first church was constructed in a muddy area of the town proper from 1798 and was finished after 18 years under forced labor (''polos y servicios'') in 1816. To build the church, parishioners were instructed to bring not less than 4 pounds of rock from the sea every time they attended.

The church, made of coral stones under the Recollects, was built in 1852 under the auspices of Father Manuel Plaza, who served as parish priest from 1843 to 1859, then continued under Father Fernando Rubio. After twenty years, the church was finished in 1872. Father José Sánchez also built part of Maribojoc church and its

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

. The church was spared during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and natural calamities. In 2009, the National Historical Institute (NHI), now

, installed a historical marker in the presence of Tagbilaran Bishop Most Reverend Leonardo Medroso and

Ambeth Ocampo Ambeth Raymundo Ocampo is a Filipino public historian, academic, cultural administrator, journalist, author, and independent curator. He is best known for his definitive writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal and on topics in Ph ...

, chairman of NHI. The church was declared a National Cultural Treasure on May 5, 2010.National Museum of the Philippines. (2010). ''Annual Report 2010.'' Its marker was unveiled on July 22, 2012, at the Old Provincial Building of Bohol in Tagbilaran. Although the church survived previous natural calamities and wars, it did not survive the 2013 Bohol earthquake.

2013 earthquake and restoration

On October 15, 2013, a strong earthquake heavily damaged the church and several other churches designated as National Cultural Treasures. Major damage was observed at the churches of Maribojoc and

Loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British English, British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family (biolog ...

. Both churches were left in rubble, having been totally destroyed. At Maribojoc Church only the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that remained standing in front of the church. The Diocese of Tagbilaran restored Maribojoc Church and all other churches destroyed by the earthquake. The church's edifice and the paintings in the ceiling were restored. The church reopened on December 12, 2021,

Gaudete Sunday Gaudete Sunday ( ) is the third Sunday of Advent in the liturgical calendar of Western Christianity, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, Lutheran churches, and other mainline Protestant churches. It can fall on any date fr ...

Architecture

The church of Maribojoc resembled a cross or

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

with a low, four-sided pyramidical roof and octagonal

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

.Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage. (2014). ''Survey Report on the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Republic of the Philippines. ''Tokyo, Japan. Walls were consistently divided into thick and thin portions designed with finely cut coral stones on the sides. Belltower of Maribojoc Church

Façade

Its façade was simply decorated by narrow

pilaster In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

s and

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development and growth *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ec ...

s of saints. A

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

of the church's secondary patron, San Vicente Ferrer, was prominently located on the center of the facade. A string of finely cut coral stones, molded into flowers, could be seen on the lower

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

of the facade. Beside the façade was an extension of a bulky

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

Bell tower

The

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

of Maribojoc had seven bells and two windows with clock faces. One of the clocks, installed on October 15, 1893, during the term of Father Lucas Martínez, had an inscription of "José Altonaga", indicating that it came from a well-known company in Manila during the late 19th century. On that same day,

lightning rod A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it is most likely to strike the rod and be conducted ...

s costing

₱ The Philippine peso sign (₱) is the currency symbol used for the Philippine peso, the official currency of the Philippines. The symbol resembles a Latin script, Latin letter P with two horizontal strokes. It differs from the currency symbol u ...

900 were installed. It also had a separate entrance on the ground floor, possibly for easy access during changing shifts of watchmen. The largest of its seven bells was dedicated to San Vicente in the 1870s. When Father Pedro Quiterio was assigned to Maribojoc, he ordered the repair of the clock in the bell tower in December 1933.

Interior

The interior exhibited a contrast of bare

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

walls against the paintings drawn on the metal ceilings leading to the main altar and . The ceiling paintings were known to be works of Raymundo Francia, as shown by his signature on one corner of the

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

in the 1930s. An acknowledgment on the initiative of the ''San Tarcisio Martir Maribojoc Catholic Association 'Comité de Obras' ''could also be seen painted before the crossing. Several paintings by Francia on metal had deteriorated even before the total destruction of the church by earthquake in 2013. The Francia paintings were never touched up nor repainted. The new church dome (or ''cimborrio'') was constructed in June 1889. Ray Francia was again commissioned to do mural works on the cimborrio by painting the Epistles of

The Four Apostles ''The Four Apostles'' by is a Renaissance style diptych painting created by Albrecht Dürer in 1526.''Gardner's Art through the Ages: A Global History, Fourteenth Edition, Volume II'' by Fred S. Kleiner, 2013 (p. 652) This work, which includes ...

, namely the saints

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, Matthew,

Luke Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...

and

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

Retablo

Maribojoc had five intricately carved

s in the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

and

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s. Striking features of the retablo were the presence of arches,

crocket A crocket (or croquet) is a small, independent decorative element common in Gothic architecture. The name derives from the diminutive of the Old French ''croc'', meaning "hook", due to the resemblance of a crocket to a bishop's Shepherd's crook, ...

Mudéjar Mudéjar were Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period following the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for Mudéjar art, which was greatly influenced by Islamic art, but produced typically by Christian craftsmen for C ...

stars and the profusion of carving. The whole retablo was probably completed on January 7, 1934, as a project of the during the term of Father Quiterio Sarigumba (P.Q.S.) as seen on the inscription in the upper reaches of the central retablo. An older retablo, built from 1616 to 1692, predated the church. The image of Santa Cruz, the town's patron, was located in a small shrine on top of another containing the wooden statue of San Vicente Ferrer, the town's secondary patron, on the central niche of the retablo-mayor. Above the central niche was the image of the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

. On both sides, above the two other niches on the main altar, were paintings of the allegories of the Finding and Veneration of the True Cross. The rest of the retablos in the transept contained images of saints.

Choir loft

Connected to the

choir loft A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church (building), church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the Sanctuary#Sanctuary as area a ...

was a small area where a large organ with metal pipes could be seen. The organ, which still needed restoration at the time of the earthquake, was last played in 1975. Estimated to have been built by Spanish pipe organ makers between the 17th and 19th centuries, the Maribojoc organ was one of the remaining 14 Spanish era pipe organs, three of which were in Bohol. Also located in the choir loft was a

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

for choral books. On the ceiling, a

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

of the sacrament of baptism depicted Father Quiterio Sarigumba as the officiating priest. Father Sarigumba, also known as the "builder priest", was known for having repaired portions of Jagna Church and the addition of new facades to the churches of Inabanga and Panglao. A passage to the

was located in the choir loft. Maribojoc Church sacristy and convent

Sacristy and convent

The

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

was located behind the sanctuary. Another passageway lead from the sanctuary to the church convent. Unlike other churches, the convent of Maribojoc, built under the second term of Father Fernando Rubio, was attached to the back of the church and parallel to the epistle transept, forming a continuous "I" pattern instead of the usual "L" pattern. The convent was a traditional bahay-na-bato, with its ground floor made of stone and the second floor made of contemporary materials. Parts of the convent were used as the St. Vincent Institute, a school and the church museum, which housed liturgical objects, old canonical books (''Bautizos, Defuociones, Casamientos, Actas''), relics of St. Vincent Ferrer and another relic of the Holy Cross brought by Father Soriano, SJ from

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. Another stone stairway at the back of the convent, finished in 1864, connected the downtown to the port and led to an octagonal tower.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* * * (old) {{Roman Catholic churches in Bohol Roman Catholic churches in Bohol 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Philippines 1767 establishments in the Philippines Roman Catholic churches completed in 1872 1872 establishments in the Philippines Demolished buildings and structures in the Philippines Buildings and structures demolished in 2013 2013 disestablishments in the Philippines National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines Baroque Revival church buildings Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran 19th-century religious buildings and structures in the Philippines Jubilee churches in the Philippines