The 18th-century Our Lady of the Assumption Parish which was left in ruins by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol in 2013 has been rehabilitated and was reopened on Tuesday.
The historic church officially opened its doors to the public starting at 6 a.m. today, in time for Dauis’ town fiesta.
According to Fr. Algerio Paña, chancellor of the Diocese of Tagbilaran, the formal turnover and blessing of the church were done on Monday in Dauis town after an almost four-year rehabilitation of the church.
Heritage experts were consulted as part of the church’s meticulous restoration which aimed at regaining the structure’s original design, said Paña.
The Our Lady of the Assumption Parish’s rehabilitation was facilitated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
The construction was carried out through a multi-million budget allotted by the national government for the restoration of the damaged historic churches in the province.
The 7.2 earthquake in 2013 also jolted and severely damaged other churches under the Diocese of Tagbilaran including the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon, one of the oldest churches in the country.
Other churches affected by the tremor were the Holy Trinity Church in Loay, Sto. Niño Parish in Cortes, the Holy Cross Parish in Maribojoc and Our Lady of Light in Loon.
So far, only a few of the said churches have completely been rehabilitated and restored to their original form.
According to Paña, reconstruction of some of the quake-stricken churches in the province would take a while to complete due to the severity of the damages.
He cited churches in Maribojoc, Loon, and the centuries-old Loboc Church as among those severely damaged by the tremor. (Allen Doydora)