Lucban Church

Father Juan de Plasencia and Father Diego de Oropesa de San José, known as the Apostles of Laguna and Tayabas, established the visita of Lucban in 1578 and started evangelizing the people of the town.^[1] The visita was elevated to a parish in 1595 under Father Miguel de Talavera alongside the construction of its first church made of wood, dedicated to Saint Louis of Toulouse.^[1]

The first church was ruined in 1629 and a second church was established on the present site.^[1][2] Construction of the second church, made of stone, masonry, and nipa, proceeded from 1630 to 1640 and the convent was finished in 1650.^[1] Church roofing was changed to tiles in 1683 under the supervision of Father Francisco Huerta.^[1]

Fire destroyed the building in 1733.^[2] That same year, Father Pascual Martinez began construction of a third building, the present one, which was completed in 1738.^[1] The rebuilt convent was completed in 1743.^[2] On April 4, 1945, the day American soldiers liberated Lucban during World War II, the church was partially damaged by a bomb.^[3] It was immediately reconstructed under the supervision of Monsignor Antonio Radovan.^[1]

In July 2014 Typhoon Glenda destroyed the roof over the altar, causing flooding inside the church.^[4] Under the supervision of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the church underwent a full-scale exterior restoration in 2019. It is being proposed as a diocesan shrine under the tutelage of Saint Isidro Labrador.^{[citation needed]}

The church follows the baroque design. It has a three-story facade. The second level features semi-circular windows flanked by Corinthian columns and niches containing statues of saints.^[1] The church also has an octagonal, three-story bell tower standing on a square base.^[1]

San Luis Obispo Parish Church is within the jurisdiction of the Vicariate of Saint Thomas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lucena. Presently, it is administered by Rev. Msgr. Melecio Verastigue, PC and is assisted by Rev. Fr. Reymart Karl Estrada as parochial vicar.^{[citation needed]}

Locally known as Campo Santo, the cemetery was built in 1848 during the time of Fray Manuel Sancho, OFM and Capt. Simeon de Ramos. Its construction was paused briefly until Don Casimiro Antonio de Leon decided to complete the project. In 1882, in order to control the spread of cholera and reduce the number of deaths, Don Victor Eleazar oversaw the building of a small chapel (capilla) within the cemetery complex in such a way that will prevent the people from passing by the parish church to get the priest's final blessing. The impact of cholera on the town was not as grave as was expected. Because of the building's distinct and eerie character, various horror movie shots were filmed here.^{[citation needed]}

The Diocesan Shrine of Saint Isidore the Farmer is a Roman Catholic diocesan shrine located in the parish of Saint Louis Bishop Parish in Lucban, Quezon, Philippines. The church was formally declared a diocesan shrine on May 14, 2026, during a solemn 5:00 PM Mass attended by clergy, parishioners, pilgrims, and devotees of Saint Isidore the Farmer. ^[5]

The shrine is closely associated with the town’s annual Pahiyas Festival, a colorful thanksgiving celebration held every May in honor of Saint Isidore, the patron saint of farmers.

A 6:00 AM Mass at the church marks the start of the colorful Pahiyas Festival every May 15; at 7:00 AM, a procession leaves the church carrying the images of San Isidro Labrador and Beata María de la Cabeza on a route around the town.^[6][7][8]