San Isidro Labrador Church is a heritage, colonial church located in Tubigon, Bohol, Philippines. It is also called Tubigon Church after the name of the town. It is under the patronage of St. Isidore the Laborer. Its second patroness is Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
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History
The church was founded by the Jesuits as a visita of Calape. When the Jesuits left in 1768, it was taken over by the Augustinian Recollects. Meanwhile, the town was created in 1819 from lands formerly belonging to Calape and Inabanga. Upon its declaration as a parish in 1852, it was placed under the advocation of St. Isidore the Laborer.
The exact date of the start of the construction of the church is uncertain. Fr. Felix Guillen, who was assigned between 1887 and 1893, was said to have continued its building works.
However, it was left incomplete when the Recollects left during the Philippine Revolution. The murals found in the interiors were created by artist Raymundo Francia from Cebu as late as the 1930s, around the same time that the bell tower was built.
The earthquake that occurred on November 15, 2013 destroyed the church. On May 25, 2018, restoration was completed and the church was reopened to the public.
Heritage
Tubigon Church was declared a heritage church by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and a Level II historical marker was installed on March 5, 2015.
Architecture
A four-posted arc welcomes churchgoers to a ramp leading to the churchyard. It is decorated with a pair of columns in each of its four arches, finials, and pierced walls. In its apex is a lantern that resembles the arc on top of which is a holy figure.
The church’s facade is roughly divided by stone masonry in its lower portion and contiguous, clean wall. Six decorative columns arise from the pilasters that seem to function as their plinths, and they are each topped with winged images. The two innermost ones are in kneeling position and facing toward each other, the rest face the church grounds.
Entrance is through an arch portal decorated with pilasters and an ornamental gable-shaped molding. It is flanked by alcoves containing statues, blind semicircular sunken sections, and arch windows. The upper level of the facade is truncated to a shape of a broken gable; its innermost panels are pierced with arch windows. Its pediment is without decoration except for two blind round windows.
The quadrangular bell tower is found in the epistle side. It has a pair of arch openings in each side, corbelled balustrade, and finials. It is crowned with a pyramidal roof.
Celebration
The feast of St. Isidore the Worker is held every May 15 and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary every October 7.
Services
Funeral mass is scheduled at 1:00 in the afternoon.
For weddings, pre-Cana Seminar is every fourth weekend of each month. Interviews are open every Friday at 8:00 in the morning and regular wedding rite is every Saturday at 8:00 in the morning.
Baptism is every 11:00 the morning on Sunday with the pre-Jordan seminar scheduled two hours earlier.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Isidro Labrador Church in Tubigon, Bohol from May 12, 2025 to May 18, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Tubigon.
Monday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Tuesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Wednesday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 5:15-6:15 PM
Thursday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Friday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
Saturday
- 6:00-7:00 AM
- 5:00-6:00 PM (Anticipated Mass)
Sunday
- 5:30-6:30 AM
- 8:00-9:00 AM
- 4:00-5:00 PM
- 6:00-7:00 PM
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Isidro Labrador Church in Tubigon, Bohol |
| Other Names | Tubigon Church |
| Address | Pooc Oriental, Tubigon, Bohol 6329 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Contact | 0943 408 0625 |
| stisidoretubigonparish@gmail.com | |
| www.facebook.com | |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 17th century |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | 1852 |
| Age as parish | 173 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu |
| Diocese | Diocese of Tagbilaran |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of St. Vincent Ferrer |
| Patron | St. Isidore the Laborer, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary |
| Feast day | May 15 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church |
| Completed | 1930s |
| Age since completed | 95 years |
| Builder | Fr. Felix Guillen |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Tower | 1 |
Nearby Churches
- Holy Cross Church in Cawayan, Tubigon, Bohol
- Our Lady of Fatima Chaplaincy in Marawis, Valencia, Bohol
- Our Lady of Fatima Church in Pangangan, Calape, Bohol
- Saint Augustine Church in Sagbayan, Bohol
- Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Clarin, Bohol
- Saint Vincent Ferrer Church in Calape, Bohol
- St. Isidore the Farmer Church in San Isidro, Bohol
- St. John of the Cross Church in Cahayag, Tubigon, Bohol
- St. Joseph Church in Nahawan, Clarin, Bohol
References
- Simbahan ng Tubigon. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. November 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2023
- Edgar Allan M. Sembrano. Bohol’s Spanish colonial churches now restored. Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 26, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2023
- Diocese of Tagbilaran. Claretian Publications. Retrieved January 8, 2023
- Jose, Regalado Trota (2001). Visita Iglesia Bohol: A Guide to Historic Churches. National Commission on Culture and the Arts. Manila, Philippines. ISBN 9718140166, 978-9718140161. Retrieved January 8, 2023