Lazi Convent: A National Landmark on Siquijor Island

Lazi Convent Underwent a Facelift

The Lazi Convent on Siquijor Island is the oldest and biggest of its kind in Asia. It withstood earthquakes and countless other natural calamities. Although signs of wear and tear gradually took a toll on the historic structure.

The Lazi Convent on the southern edge of Siquijor Island was built using strong materials. In fact, it withstood countless storms and natural calamities for more than a century. But then, just like any structure, the convent can also suffer from wear and tear no matter how strong they were built.

Because of the deteriorating condition of the said building, the Philippine National Government deemed it necessary to restore the historic structure for posterity. It ordered the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to coordinate with the church officials for the project to begin.

And so, the restoration project soon began in the second half of 2016.

The “Before and After” Look of Lazi Convent

Construction of Lazi Convent began in 1884 through the initiative of the Spanish friars. Fray Toribio Sanchez, a member of the Augustinian Recollect, personally supervised the effort.

The Convent was a spacious two-story building. It measured 42 meters by 38 meters. Its form was L-shape. Its façade faced the San Isidro Labrador (or St. Isidore Labradore) Church in the east. The ground floor of the convent was made of square-cut coral stone masonry. While its second floor was made of hardwood. The steep hipped roof was made of corrugated galvanized iron on a timber framework.

Finally, the convent was completed in 1891. It was a massive structure, as shown in the photo below.

 

This is a portion of the second-floor area of Lazi Convent. The floor is always kept shiny as far as I can remember. As a child, I used to come up here often since the resident parish priest then was our family friend. (Photo credit to Dumaguete.com)

Lazi Convent is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Dumaguete. And so NHCP coordinated with the said religious district for the restoration effort. NHCP Executive Director Ludovico Badoy and the archdiocese spokesperson Monsignor Julius Perpetuo Heruela worked hand-in-hand on the project.

After an eight-month work, NHCP finally turned over the restored Lazi Convent to the Archdiocese of Dumaguete in June 2017.

This is now the new look of Lazi Convent. (Photo credit to the Philippine Information Agency) Director Badoy said some of the highlights of the restoration effort covered the convent’s windows, flooring, ceilings, and roof.

The Next Steps

The parish priests of Lazi now makes the new convent their official home. But since they found their residence too big for them, the priests agree to turn a section of the convent into something beneficial to the public. Thus, the idea of a museum.

And, that is where the Siquijor Heritage Museum steps in. The museum has since displayed several religious artifacts and historical pieces. Some of the items to expect here including the following:

• bells
• some saints carved in wood
• an old friar’s diary
• robes
• Mass instruments
• varied 19th-century pieces

If, for some reason, you come to Siquijor, do include visiting Lazi Convent. Exploring it is way better than looking at the photos.