St. Paul the Apostle Parish

Overview

St. Paul the Apostle Parish stands on elevated ground beside the Inabanga riverbanks in Poblacion, Inabanga, Bohol. The parish traces its origins to 1596, when Jesuit missionaries founded a mission here — part of the same wave of evangelisation that established the mission at Talibon under the Colegio de San Ildefonso in Cebu.

Location

The church sits on a raised area overlooking the Inabanga River in Poblacion, Inabanga, in the northern part of Bohol. It is accessible from Tagbilaran City via the Loay interior road or the coastal highway.

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, take a bus or van heading north toward Inabanga (approximately 1.5–2 hours). Alight at the Inabanga town centre; the church is in Poblacion near the riverbank.

Practical Info

[TO ENRICH: mass schedule, visiting hours, contact information]

What to Expect

The church interior is modern in character, with concrete construction introduced by secular priest Fr. Quiterio Sarigumba in 1931. Despite the contemporary setting, two items survive from earlier periods: an exquisite wooden tabernacle believed to date from Jesuit times, and murals painted by the Garces brothers in the style of Canuto Avila and Ray Francia.

Historical timeline:

• 1596 — Jesuit mission founded in Inabanga
• 1768 — Administration passed to the Recollects following Jesuit expulsion
• 1881 — Earlier stone church constructed; subsequently reported to be in poor condition, along with the adjoining convento
• 1898 — Recollect administration ended
• 1899 — New stone church completed
• 1902 — Church burnt by American forces in retaliation for the attack on the garrison at Tubigon, Bohol
• 1931 — Present concrete church completed under Fr. Quiterio Sarigumba

Notes

The burning of the 1899 church by American forces in 1902 is a significant episode in the local record of the Philippine-American War on Bohol. The wooden tabernacle and Garces murals are the most historically significant interior elements remaining.