Lobo Church

Lobo Church
Saint Michael the Archangel Parish Church
Simbahan ni San Miguel sa Lobo (Filipino)
The church in November 2024
Lobo Church Location in Luzon Lobo Church Location in the Philippines
13°38′54″N 121°12′35″E
Location	P. Burgos St., Poblacion, Lobo, Batangas
Country	Philippines
Denomination	Catholic
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1873 (1873)
Dedication	Saint Michael the Archangel
Consecrated	1987
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Style	Neo-classic
Groundbreaking	1980 (1980)
Completed	1986 (1986)
Specifications
Materials	Concrete
Administration
Archdiocese	Lipa
Deanery	Immaculate Conception
Parish	St. Michael the Archangel

The Saint Michael the Archangel Parish Church, or Lobo Church, is a Neo-classic parish church in the municipality of Lobo, Batangas in the Philippines. The church is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Lipa. The parish is dedicated to Saint Michael and its feast day is celebrated every May 8. The church was founded in 1873 while the current building was built in 1980 to 1986.

History

Church marker installed at the entrance of the church

In March 1871, Lobo, a visita under the jurisdiction of Taysan, and its residents requested the Governor-General for the visita to be an independent town and its parish due to reasons of long walking distance and difficult travel to the mother town. On September 27, 1871, the visita with the barrios of Masagitsit, Tayuman, Bignay, Malapad na Parang, Mabilog na Bundok, Malabrigo, and Sabana was made into a town. Still, the request to the parish was temporarily suspended until the church, the convent, and a school were adequately built.

On November 20, 1872, the King of Spain approved the request to build the parish and on February 4, 1873, the Governor, Viceroy of the Philippine Islands, enacted the king's order, formally founding the parish. The parish started as a tuklong made from bamboo and cogon in 1874, then it was built into a church and a convent made of wood and bamboo in 1886, initiated by Fr. Isidro Gamboa. The parish was administered by Augustinian Recollect Friars until 1902.

When the Diocese of Lipa was made in 1910, the parish was given to a Belgian priest, Fr. Raymundo Esquinet, along with the parishes of San Jose, Ibaan, Bauan, Taysan, Cuenca, and Tombol. In 1915, the parish was given to the OSJ missionaries along with Taysan's parish, Nuestra Señora de la Merced Parish Church. The parish was under the guidance of the congregation until 1917.

In 1979, the church was renovated into a concrete building but was destroyed by Typhoon Yeyeng in 1981. A temporary chapel was made to continue parish activities. Five years later, the parish church was completely rebuilt and was blessed in 1987.

External links

• Media related to Lobo Church at Wikimedia Commons
• Lobo Church on Facebook