Maribojoc Church

Maribojoc Church, also known as Santa Cruz Parish Church or Holy Cross Parish Church, was a Roman Catholic Church in the municipality of Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran. The parish was first established by the Jesuits in 1767 or 1768 with Father Juan Soriano, SJ as its first parish priest. The Augustinian Recollects later administered the community until 1898.The church was built in 1852 under Father Manuel Plaza and completed in 1872. In 2005, it was designated by the diocese as the Diocesan Shrine of San Vicente Ferrer. It was also declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines and a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.When a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and other parts of Central Visayas in 2013, the entire building crumbled to the ground, leaving only the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus standing.LocationJust like the other towns of Bohol, the church and convent of Maribojoc were located on the "uptown", a portion of the town that is usually elevated compared to the rest of the town, called "downtown". The back of the church faced downtown and the sea. The uptown and downtown portions of Maribojoc were connected by a stone stairway finished in 1842. Instead of a plaza in front of the church, a ravine and the plaza were located on either side.