Dauis Church: A Wellspring of Living Water

Panglao Island is a popular destination among the tourists visiting Bohol. It offers nice beaches and the island's environment is lovely indeed. 

Not known to many, Panglao Island keeps a gem other than the beaches it is famous for. The gem I am referring to is the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, also known as the Dauis Church.     

The newly renovated facade of Dauis Church.

National historical marker at Dauis Church.

The sublime altar of the church.

The church is a storied one because of Mama Mary's Well found near the church's altar. It was said that during the Japanese occupation of Panglao, the people sought refuge inside the church. The Japanese poisoned all the water sources so that the people there will die slowly of thirst. The people pleaded to the Blessed Virgin, and it was then that a well was discovered in front of the altar. The water from the well kept the people alive until the Japanese left. This miracle was attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that they named the well "Mama Mary's Well."

Another mystery about the well is that it produces fresh water even though it is surrounded by saltwater as the church is very proximate to the sea. 

Signage of Mama Mary's Well

Mama Mary's Well, a source of invigorating fresh water.

Works of art also abound inside the church such as the finely carved pulpit, and the beautifully painted ceiling frescoes.  

A beautiful pulpit.

Fresco at the ceiling depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ceiling fresco at another wing depicting also the Blessed Mother.

Exquisite ceiling fresco above the main altar.

The ornately designed ceiling of the church.

An elaborate ceiling fresco.

A ceiling fresco depicting the apparition of Jesus to 
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

The church surroundings is also very nice. Within the church complex, you can also find the Spanish era built convent which was palatial by the standards of that time.  

The convent within the church complex.

National historical marker of Dauis Church Complex.

Another interesting edifice within the church complex is the Dauis Watchtower. It was built by Fray Santiago del Corazon de Jesus, probably in 1774. 

The Dauis Watchtower probably built in 1774.

The Dauis Church Complex is truly awesome. The edifices there withstood the test of time and its natural beauty endures forever.