SIQUIJOR: A Spanish Heritage Church In Lazi

Named after St. Isidore, this century-old Spanish heritage church, recently, got a boost when it underwent a restoration. A National Historical Institute marker on its façade explained its value and historical significance in the lives of Siquijodnon

Isidore was a layman who was a devout Catholic and served his fellowmen in his native country, Spain. He was believed to have caused many notable miracles to happen, many years after his death in 1130.  

"He is said to have appeared to Alfonso of Castille and to have shown him the hidden path by which he surprised the Moors and gained the victory of Las Nevas de Tolosa, in 1212.  When King Philip III of Spain was cured of a deadly disease by touching the relics of the saint, the king replaced the old reliquary by a costly silver one." (Source: Wikipedia).

"He was born around 1070 in a village near Madrid, Spain. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XV, along with Saints Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Teresa, and Philip Neri on March 12, 1622. The cities of Madrid, Leon, Saragosa, and Seville all in Spain, also honor him as their patron saint. His saintly wife Maria Toribia, survived him for many more years.  She was also canonized as a Saint after her death. " (Source: Wikipedia).  

The fiesta of Lazi falls on the feast of St. Isidore which is May 15 every year.  He was the Patron Saint of Farmers. 

The inside of the church is just like the other Spanish churches in the Philippines with religious objects, images, and paintings hanging on the walls.  The altar is beautifully decorated and the pulpit where the Priest delivers his sermon is an elevated structure, very common among Catholic churches in the Philippines.

 If you are facing the church, on the right side, there is an open space cum park where an  Altar was built and concrete pews or benchlike chairs were arranged in such a way that an open mass can be held any time of the day.

When I visited Lazi on the breezy afternoon of May 13, the town is all set for its annual fiesta scheduled on May 14-15.  So, it is normal to see a row of stores selling souvenir products, clothes, fashion jewelry, toys, foods, balloons, herbal medicine, etcetera and so on and so forth.

Visitors from nearby islands and provinces gather at Lazi during their town fiesta.  With the volume of visitor arrivals, tourism industry, local producers and entrepreneurs in Lazi enjoy the economic boom even for just a few days.

The fiesta is a thanksgiving celebration for a productive life in the town and on the island.

How to get to Lazi?

From the port of the capital town, also called Siquijor, Lazi is about 30-minute ride by Carry, a jeepney type of public transportation.  Visitors can also hire a "habal-habal" or single scooter, rent a Carry or a tricycle, a kind of motorcycle with sidecar.  Drivers of these public transport, wait at the port for passengers.  Just spot them upon arrival.

Where to stay?

There are beach resorts/hotels with nice accommodations for groups or couples.  Ask the help of your driver or tour guide for assistance.  There are also cheap hotels for backpackers spread around the island.

Other than Lazi Church and Lazi Convent, there are so many places to see and adventure destination to experience on Siquijor Island.

For more information about these places, you can refer to "Older Post" in this blog site. Look for the titles Siquijor: A Timeless Gem.

Have a nice adventure on Siquijor Island.

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Touristang Pobre, aka Henry, is a writer since the 1990s. He was a former travel writer of What's On in the Visayas and Mindanao.  It is based in Cebu.  He was also a former columnist of the Negros Daily Bulletin before he became a travel blogger.  After retiring from the government in 2004, he spent most of his time writing a book which remained unpublished to this day.  He is the face behind Touristang Pobre - http://www.touristangpobre.blogspot.com  and Touristang Pinoy -http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Touristang-Pinoy and he is the Founder & CEO of Earthniversity - http://www.earthniversity.wordpresscom  

He is a permanent resident of the United States but called Bacolod City, Philippines, his hometown.  You can reach him through this blog.  

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Updated on March 12, 2019.
Reviewed on May 18, 2023.

Sound of Silence performed by Dana Winner 

Source: YouTube, and SVansay.

Thanks. 

Intellectual Property Notice:

All photos in this blog are the property of Touristang Pobre.