Baroque Churches of the Philippines (Extension)

The Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio de Maria in Boljoon is one of many beautiful colonial churches in the south of Cebu. I made a "visita iglesia" down the south-east coast back in December 2017, and Boljoon was my final stop. When I made the final turn around Ili Rock, I was greeted by the fantastic view of the former pueblo of Boljoon, nestled in its scenic bay and narrow coastal plain with a backdrop of forested mountains.

The first thing that jumps out is the church, as I had seen many times before, but this time, I stopped the car and got down. The facade is noticeably simpler than those of the churches I had visited earlier, but don't let that fool you: this may hide what is by far the best preserved colonial church interior in the Visayas.

I enter thorugh the side via the museum entrance. A guide was provided, and he proceeded to tell an in-depth story of the church's history and present elements. He even went up to the choir to take photos using the geometric designs of the screen. The entrance, however, is free for the church. Overall, the administration is doing a great job keeping the church preserved and making tourist visits easy and educational with good guides.

Entering the church, the most instantly striking thing is the ceiling, intricately painted with flowing designs by native artists from around a century ago. The paintings are vivid, but not too bright to …

Five properties are nominated as extension to the existing four Baroque Churches of the Philippines. I was able to visit one under the tentative list ¨C the church complex of Boljoon, Cebu.

As stated on its nomination file, the Boljoon church complex prides itself for retaining original features ¨C the main church body, bell tower, cemetery, a school building, walls/gates and the convent which now houses an archeological museum. A few years back, skeletons and relics (Chinese plates and jewelry) were unearthed on the church grounds and this discovery lead experts to believe that the area could have been an ancient burial ground.

Local tourism bureau introduces Boljoon heritage walking tours. The tour features the church complex itself, a few heritage houses, a Gabaldon school, an old bridge and a watchtower ¨C personally, I think the last is yet another interesting theme: historians noted a certain Augustinian friar, Julian Bermejo who built a series of watchtowers for raids coming from the Moro south. These towers dot along the southern stretch of the province (about 90 kms) and need restoration and/or maintenance.