Immaculate Conception Parish Church (Jasaan)

Jasaan Church
Immaculate Conception Parish Church
Iglesia Parroquial de la Inmaculada Concepción de María (Spanish)
Church facade in 2018
Jasaan Church Location in Mindanao Show map of Mindanao mainland Jasaan Church Location in the Philippines Show map of Philippines
8°39′03″N 124°45′15″E / 8.650833°N 124.754167°E / 8.650833; 124.754167
Location	Upper Jasaan, Misamis Oriental
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	National Cultural Treasure
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Barn Style Baroque
Completed	Late 19th to early 20th century
Specifications
Length	150 feet (46 m)
Width	60 feet (18 m)
Materials	Brick and wood
Administration
Province	Ecclesiastical Province of Cagayan de Oro
Archdiocese	Cagayan de Oro
Clergy
Archbishop	Most Rev. José A. Cabantan, S.S.J.V.

Immaculate Conception Parish Church, commonly known as Jasaan Church, is a Baroque Roman Catholic church located in Poblacion, Upper Jasaan in Misamis Oriental, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro. The church was declared by the National Museum as a National Cultural Treasure in Northern Mindanao due to its artistic design and cultural values.

The church was a provincial attempt to mimic the famous San Ignacio Church of Intramuros in Manila. The Jesuit brothers Francisco Rivera and Juan Cuesta are credited with the construction of the original church.^[1]

The first church of Jasaan was built out of lime from 1723 to 1830 under the supervision of Fr. Ramos Cabas, parish priest in sitio Kabitaugan in barangay Aplaya. The first church is currently a ruins and a "cotta" or fortification is visible on the low hill near the highway. In 1859, Jasaan became the base for evangelical activities among the Manobos in Bukidnon. From Jasaan, missionaries fanned out to areas in Bukidnon now known as Malitbog, Siloo, San Luis, Linabo and Sumilao. In 1887, Father Juan Herras, a Jesuit, began the construction of the present Immaculate Conception Church. Father Gregorio Parache, S.J., was the parish priest of Jasaan at that time.^[2] It aims to mimic the famous San Ignacio Church of Intramuros in Manila.

Due to its cultural and historical value, the National Museum declared the Immaculate Conception Parish Church a National Cultural Treasure on July 31, 2001.

The church of Jasaan falls under Barn Style Baroque with originally a tri-partite partition. It spans 150 feet (46 m) long and 60 feet (18 m) wide. The brick wall on all sides about 20 feet (6.1 m) high and almost 4 feet (1.2 m) thick. The portal area leads to two semi-arched openings to the choir loft area. Vertical articulation is rendered through the shallow piers which divide the areas into three. It is further squeezed to the narrow central portion of the facade. The church is flanked by square towers to a level above the apex of the pediment. Significant church portions includes the original brick paving, neo-Gothic retablo, and ceiling woodwork (reminiscent of basket weave).^[4]

The original facade of the church has been modified after a series of renovations. The original altar of the church has been moved backward to allow a larger area for the faithful inside the church building. The original sacristy has been moved to the side.

The church has two bell towers containing four bells in total. The oldest of the four bells is dated 1807 while the largest is cast "Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepcion de Jasaan Año 1854." The old church bells of the Immaculate Conception Church of Jasaan (four of them, excluding the one that was transferred to San Agustin Cathedral at Cagayan de Oro) bore these inscriptions around its outer rim: "Para El Pueblo de Jasaan 1860".

• 
  View from the choir loft
• 
  Altar
• 
  Side façade
• 
  Church patio
• 
  Convent

• List of Cultural Properties of the Philippines in Northern Mindanao
• Lists of Cultural Properties of the Philippines
• List of Jesuit sites

• Media related to Immaculate Conception Church (Jasaan) at Wikimedia Commons
• Culture Profile"Colonial Churches
• UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Site
• Restoration of 26 Philippine Churches