THE HISTORICAL CHURCH (ST.

MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL) OF LAOANG

NORTHERN SAMAR

This topic entitled “THE HISTORICAL CHURCH (ST. MICHAEL THE

ARCHANGEL) OF LAOANG NORTHERN SAMAR.” The purpose of this
topic is to recognize and discover the history of the Laoang
church by asking 3 random people in Laoang, because there are
some Laoanganon people who still doesn’t yet know the history
of the Laoang church.

The Laoang church officially known as St. Michael the

archangel parish church is the center of catholic faith in the
island of Laoang. It was located at Barangay Guilaoange. This
church of Laoang was dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel
and one of the fortress churches in Northern Samar that built
by Spanish priests and local volunteers to deter the approach
of Moro invaders and defend the residents from their vicious
attacks. The original church was built in 1683 by Jesuit
missionaries who ministered to the community until their
expulsion from the Philippines in 1768.

They were replaced by Franciscan friars, who renovated the

church between 1842 and 1852 with the ultimate objective of
making it a defense structure against Moro raiders. The
church’s walls are made of cobbled stones, two meters thick,
with two side altars forming a cruciform with the baroque
retablo at its head.

Through the years, the renovations on the fabric became

apparent: entrances to the transept were modified, and an
independent structure parallel to the epistle side of the nave
was demolished to make way for an expanded convent. The church
has survived fires and earthquakes, and to this day there has
been a constant restoration.
 The church, dedicated to the town’s patron San Miguel
Arcangel, and convent were built of rubblework in 1767 or
1768. The church was erected on a promontory overlooking the
Laoang Bay, now known as Barangay Guilaoangi, which developed
as the nucleus of the pueblo. Delgado writes that in the late
18th century, a fort was built in this area below the convent
and church, but it is uncertain whether the structures were
made of wood or stone, or if the church is the same one
existing at present.

From 1848 to 1852, the church and convent were rehabilitated

after a major earthquake damaged the structures extensively
during the term of Fr Manuel Lozano, OFM. His successor, Fr
Sebastian Almonacid, OFM, undertook rehabilitation of the
damaged structures, and had the roof of both structures
renovated, although conservatively, to preserve the original
fabric. The major renovations and additions were made on the
church in ca 1855 during the term of Fr Angel Pulido, OFM. A
baptistry was added to the nave, both church and baptistry
were paved with azulejos (glazed blue tiles), the altars
regilded, and the bell tower constructed. By 1900s, this bell
tower would be ruined, and then repaired in 1926.

Long ago, the statue of St. Michael the archangel, patron

saint of Laoang was brought to the church in Brgy Rawis,
because parish priest planned to build church in Brgy Rawis
for the statue of St Michael the Archangel. But it didn’t work
because the statue spontaneously returning to the church of
Laoang. If the statue will be returned to the church in Brgy
Rawis, then by the next day they automatically seen the statue
in the church of Laoang. Means that the patron Saint prefers
to place in the Laoang church rather in Rawis Church.
 The church has a lot of history to look back and It's great
to look back the history of the St. Michael the Archangel
Parish Church.

The Church of Laoang was given a historical marker by the

National Historical Institute in 2009, and was classified as a
local historical landmark because the external architecture of
the structure was preserved, even if the original interior was
altered. In 2013, the Sub commission on Cultural Heritage of
the National Commission for Culture and the Arts visited
Laoang and identified five key locations that needed heritage
conservation, namely, the San Miguel Arcangel Parish; Almuraya
Fortress Ruins; the Muralla (wall); the Grand Canyon; and the
Pergola. Lauang Church.