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Siquijor's Lazi Church or the Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador and Convent | Baroque Churches in the Philippines | National Cultural Treasure

Siquijor's Lazi Church or the Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador and Convent | Baroque Churches in the Philippines | National Cultural Treasure


This article features the Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador and Convent, also known as the Lazi Church and Convent. Remarkably known for its wooden floor parquetry and massive convent, it is listed a National Historical Landmark in 1978, a National Cultural Treasure in 2001, and included in the Baroque Churches in the Philippines on World Heritage Site Tentative List in 2006.


Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador and Convent, also known as the Lazi Church and Convent SIQUIJOR


The Augustinian friars founded the church in 1857 in Lazi, Siquijor. Led by Fr. Toribio Sanchez, O.A.R., the church was completed in 1884 and the belltower in 1885. The cruciform plan of the church is oriented in an east-west direction and stretches approximately 85 meters in length. Its northeast façade is of coral stone blocks, the rest are made of coral rubbles, and the pediment is made of wood. The interior has two pulpits, features the original retablos, and has intact wooden floors. 


Lazi Convent


The Lazi Convent is known as one of the largest convents in the Philippines. Its construction started in 1887 and was blessed in 1891. 


Lazi Convent


The church convent measures forty-two meters (42m) in length and thirty-eight meters (38m) in width. Under the supervision of Augustinian Recollect Ministry, Father Toribio Sanchez in 1884, the convent was built in coral stone at the ground level and hard wood with timber and iron framework system on the second level. The Lazi convent has undergone adaptive reuse and now houses the Siquijor Heritage Museum, which exhibits religious artifacts and historical items. 


Lazi Church has molave floorwork arranged in a zigzag-like pattern


The Lazi Church has molave floorwork arranged in a zigzag-like pattern with pointing sides oriented towards the main altar and puerta mayor of the church. The same wooden floor pattern adorns the convent. 


Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador


The Parish Church of San Isidro Labrador underwent numerous interventions. Discernible are the alterations and repairs such as the use of reinforced concrete at the southern part of the church’s masonry wall. Inspections and analytical studies of the church and convent were done by the National Historical Institute in 1999. The preparation of the required Detailed Engineering Studies (DES) was funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). An architectural documentation for the repair and rehabilitation of stone arches of the Convent was done by the National Museum in 2013. A major restoration on the convent was completed on May 28, 2017. The government through the National Historical Commission of the Philippines funded the restoration project that commenced in 2018 and was completed after more than a year. The turnover ceremony of the completed restoration project was done on August 27, 2019. 


With its distinctive wooden floorwork, coral stone walls, and massive convent, the restored Lazi Church and Convent graces the region anew. Engineering studies and planned interventions were carried out, along with the collaborative efforts of the local community and national cultural agencies. These endeavors played an essential role in the conservation and preservation of our honored built heritage. 




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Credits:

Text by Ar. Bernadette B. Balaguer. Photos and architectural documentation drawings by NMP-AABHD and NHCP | NMP AABHD

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

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