Boljoon Church: A Southern Cebu Bastion of Faith

The Boljoon Church is one of the oldest existing stone-built churches. It is located at the southern part of Cebu.

The Spaniards built the church in the year 1599 with a blend of baroque and rococo styles. No wonder up to now, it still gives a sense of Philippine colonial past. The first buildings within the church complex were probably ruined during the Muslim raid of 1782 that destroyed almost the entire town.

Silver bells

The church has a rectangular belfry which was built in 1701. It has fort windows used to show cannons to defend against Moro invaders. The sound of its bells could be heard in the municipalities of Oslob and Alcoy. But in 1802, it was stolen by a certain Muslim group and it sank along the seas due to its massive weight.

Aside from being a religious establishment, the church was also known as a fortified structure due to constant attacks from Muslim pirates during olden times. Sadly, Boljoon's population during that time hardly increased because it was open to slave raids. So, a chain of watchtowers were constructed which ran along the shoreline from Punta Tanong ( Santander) to Manhage and later extended up to Carcar, for total length of 96 kilometers.

Obviously, it's quite long that even a 30-minute drive won't bring you to the end of the line. Impressed, the Governor-general sent the necessary artillery equipment for this fortress.

The church may seem old but they too have installed a telegraphic system useful as a form of constant communication among towns in cases of impending raids.

Today, Boljoon's residents pay homage to their patron, Patrocinio de Maria.

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