ST. ISIDORE DE LABRADOR CHURCH

It was an amazing day for me when I arrived in Siquijor. The weather was fine and my stamina was good. My tour guide brought me to St. Isidore de Labrador Church, one of the oldest church in the Philippines. When we arrived, I was amazed with old structure of the church. The floor up to the ceiling was all original.

When I entered the church, I saw people waiting for the mass to be started. It was sunday that's why many people were coming to the church. I was overwhelmed with the hospitable people in Siquijor, very opposite from what many of us believed that witches lurked this area. I highly recommend to visit the place because according to my tour guide "Hindi sila sikat sa mga aswang, pero sikat sila sa mga magagandang tourist spot".

History

This church was constructed in 1884 It's the only church i saw that has wooden flooring using hardwood.The only improvement done on the church is the new benches using palo china wood.apart from that, the church design has remained as it is untouched, over the years., Folks do not want changesdone to the church.it has also a belltower. The church is located just across the old convent where the priest lives.

The church was deserted during our visit and whilst old and in need of repair it was a facinating place with plenty of character in the form of cracks, rusts, uneven colors and this reflected its 128 years of existence. 

The property is contructed from sea rocks and hardwood. When visiting the lovely peaceful island of Siquijor make sure you do the island tour visiting the local sights and include this old church on the list of places you visit.

San Isidro Labrador Parish Church is located in the southern part of the island of Siquijor in the Philippines. It is meters away from the Port of Lazi. On a nearby area going north, one can reach Cambugahay Falls while going to the south east area, about 4 kilometers, one can reach Ilihan Cave.

The Philippine National Commission by virtue of the same Presidential Decrees covering the declaration of the Lazi Convent also declares it as one of the historical, landmarks of the Philippines. Like the Lazi Convent, it now invite appreciation and admiration of visiting local and foreign tourists.

Today, the Lazi Convent still functions as the residence of priests. A huge portion of the convent was converted into a Catholic school, while a large portion of the second floor was converted into a museum containing antiquities, religious statues, paintings, and the old baptismal/marriage/death records of the Lazi town.

 For me, the church was very elegant yet simplistic facade reflects the very character of the Lazi people. No over embellishments, no grand trappings nor grand panoply, but simply elegant in itself. No wonder many tourist are coming to Siquijor just to see and discover the tourist attraction especially the St. Isidore de Labrador Church.