San Ignacio de Loyola Church, also known as Simbahan ng Capul or Capul Church, is the 18th-century Roman Catholic and heritage church in Capul, Northern Samar, Philippines. Placed under the advocation of St. Ignatius of Loyola, it is considered to be one of the finest church-fortress edifices in the country. The church complex became known as Fuerza de Capul.
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History
The island of Capul was known as Abak and its inhabitants speak a distinct language called Inabaknon or Abaknon. It is located an hour away through boat of the nearest town of Allen. Its name was derived from Alcapulco, the trading post of then Spanish colony in Mexico as the island is found along San Bernardino Strait that was the route of the Manila-Alcapulco Galleon Trade.
Christianity began in the island when friars from Society of Jesuits arrived and founded a mission in 1596. For almost the entire 17th century, it was a stop-over for the Jesuits as they headed toward other territories to continue the works of evangelization. Only in 1697 that a priest with the name Fr. Francisco Petrus was appointed to stay permanently. In the process though, the island became the channel through which Catholicism spread in the western flank of the Samar mainland.
The Jesuits left however in 1768 and they were replaced by the Franciscans. The church was declared a parish by the Bishop of Cebu on November 8, 1864.
The first house of worship which was made of light materials was put up in 1606 and it was later put to the torch by the Moro pirates in 1615. Another church was built a year later, this time made of limestone. Yet another Moro attack occurred in 1768 where Fr. Juan Esandi was killed by the ramparts.
It also animated the push for the construction of a permanent and fortified church complex to protect the people and withstand assaults coming from the sea by the Moros. It underwent renovation by Padre Mariano Valero who also built the bell tower in 1781.
Heritage
Capul Church was declared a heritage church by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. They installed a Level II historical marker on August 5, 2011.
In 2014, it was declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines.
Architecture
The facade of Capul Church is one marked with simplicity. It is bounded by two piers and decorated by a pair of pilasters in either side of the rectilinear entrance door and a pair of slanted moldings, which by appearance can be viewed as a broken pediment. Three rectangular windows of stained glass with depictions of holy figures make up the rest of the facade. The historical marker is installed in the gospel side of the entrance. The pediment is open with spires and an acroterion that rises to a cross.
The three-bodied bell tower is separate from and in the gospel side of the church. Pierced with round and rectangular apertures, it has a quadrangular floor plan with protruding piers that culminate in finials. It is capped with a pyramidal roof of metal sheets and a cross.
The church interior consists of of a single nave and wooden boards of its symmetrically biased ceiling. Unlike the facade, its lateral walls have arch windows in addition to rectangular windows and side entrances.
Celebration
The feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, falls on the 31st of July and the town holds the Saradsad Street Dancing Competition. Every January, the town also celebrates the Sto. Niño de Capul Festival.
Mass schedule
Below is the weekly mass schedule of San Ignacio de Loyola Church in Capul, Northern Samar from June 9, 2025 to June 15, 2025. Please reach out to the church for an updated schedule. Additionally, you may also want to view mass schedules of churches in Capul.
Monday
- No mass schedule found.
Tuesday
- No mass schedule found.
Wednesday
- No mass schedule found.
Thursday
- No mass schedule found.
Friday
- No mass schedule found.
Saturday
- No mass schedule found.
Sunday
- No mass schedule found.
Church information
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Name | San Ignacio de Loyola Church in Capul, Northern Samar |
| Address | Municipality of Capul, Northern Samar 6408 |
| Country | Philippines |
| Religion | |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1596 |
| Age | 429 years |
| Status | Parish |
| Declared as parish | November 8, 1864 |
| Age as parish | 161 years |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Palo |
| Diocese | Diocese of Catarman |
| Vicariate | Vicariate of the Immaculate Conception |
| Patron | St. Ignatius of Loyola |
| Feast day | July 31 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage | Heritage Church, National Cultural Treasure |
| Style | Fortress church |
| Belfry | 1 |
| Tower | 1 |
References
- Simbahan ng Capul. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. October 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2023
- Vicente S. Labro. Ancient fortress church of Capul, Northern Samar. Philippine Daily Inquirer. August 19, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2023
- Vicarate of the Immaculate Conception. Diocese of Catarman. Retrieved January 25, 2023
- Alphonsus Luigi E. Alfonso, NCCA helps preserve heritage of Laoang and Capul, Northern Samar. Philippine Daily Inquirer. September 2, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2023
- Capul Church, Watchtowers of La Union, Gota de Leche and Lopez Ancestral House declared by National Museum of the Philippines as National Cultural Treasures (Category I) and Important Cultural Properties (Category II). National Commission for Culture and the Arts. December 8, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2024