Navalas Church

Navalas Church, formally San Isidro Labrador Parish Church, is a 19th-century Roman Catholic church in Barangay Navalas, Buenavista, Guimaras. Built between 1880 and 1885 from coral stones in Romanesque style during the Spanish colonial period, it is the oldest surviving church in the province. Notable for its massive stone walls, wooden altar and preserved heritage character, it remains an active parish and a key cultural landmark in northern Guimaras.

Visitors can expect a historic coral-stone church set in a quiet coastal barangay surrounded by rural landscape and residential houses. The exterior shows thick stone walls, a simple facade, bell tower and arched windows. Inside is a modest nave with wooden altar, religious images of San Isidro Labrador, and historic stonework. The grounds are open for walking, photography and quiet viewing. It is an active parish, so visitors may encounter daily prayers and masses.

Constructed between 1880 and 1885 during the Spanish colonial period under the Augustinian Recollects, Navalas Church is the oldest extant Roman Catholic church in Guimaras. Built with coral stones and featuring Romanesque design, it survived the colonial and post-colonial periods and remains a rare example of 19th-century stone church architecture in Western Visayas.

The church is dedicated to San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Farmer) and serves as the spiritual center for the farming community of Navalas. It is an important religious and cultural landmark for Buenavista, hosting regular masses, fiestas and community gatherings, and is recognized locally as a heritage church representing Guimarasano faith and craftsmanship.