Siquijor's Spanish-era heritage is concentrated in a small number of coral-stone churches, bell towers and watchtowers from the late 1700s to the late 1800s. The most prominent are the Saint Francis of Assisi church complex in Siquijor town and the church and convent in Lazi. Other towns are reported to keep belfries and a watchtower.
\n\nAccording to the provincial tourism office, Siquijor was the island's first parish. The historical marker at the church dates its founding to 1 February 1783 under diocesan (secular) priests, with Saint Francis of Assisi as patron, while a history by an Augustinian Recollect scholar gives 1781. Augustinian Recollect friars took over in the early 1790s (the marker says 1793, the Recollect history 1794) and went on to establish the parishes of Larena, Lazi, San Juan and Maria. The island's older churches therefore share a common religious-order history, even though they were built decades apart.
\n\nThe marker dates the construction of the stone church to 1795 to 1831. The building is made of coral stone and has been renovated several times. It stands close to the Siquijor port, and travel writers often describe it as one of the first landmarks visitors see on arrival.
\nA bell tower stands a short distance from the church on raised ground, and the provincial tourism office says it once served as a watchtower. The marker adds that the convent was built like a fort against frequent raids by sea pirates.
\n\nThe San Isidro Labrador church in Lazi (completed 1884) and its convent (1887 to 1891) are the island's other major Spanish-era complex. The National Museum declared the complex a National Cultural Treasure in 2001, and it is also a National Historical Landmark.
\n\nHeritage summaries of the province also name these structures in other towns:
\nBuilding dates for these structures are not given here.
\n\nAcross the Philippines, coastal towns in the Spanish period faced raids by seaborne raiders, commonly called Moro raids. Spanish authorities and local communities responded by building watchtowers and forts, and the raids were eventually subdued by naval expeditions between 1848 and 1891. A history of the Augustinian Recollects on Siquijor records raids on the island in the early 1800s, including twenty islanders taken captive in 1818. In that setting, bell towers and watchtowers served as lookouts, and the provincial tourism office and the church marker describe the Saint Francis bell tower and convent in this role.
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