The Fort of Saint Vincent Ferrer ( es, Fuerte de San Vicente Ferrer) or commonly known as Punta Cruz Watchtower ( tl, Bantayan ng Punta Cruz) is a Spanish colonial era

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

located at the western tip of the municipality of

Maribojoc Maribojoc, officially the Municipality of Maribojoc ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Maribojoc; tgl, Bayan ng Maribojoc), is a 4th class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bohol, Philippines. According ...

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

, Philippines. Also known as ''Maribojoc Watchtower'' because of its geographical location, it is located three kilometers () away from Maribojoc Church. It is known for being the "''only perfect

isosceles triangle In geometry, an isosceles triangle () is a triangle that has two sides of equal length. Sometimes it is specified as having ''exactly'' two sides of equal length, and sometimes as having ''at least'' two sides of equal length, the latter versio ...

''" tower-fort structure in the Philippines. The watchtower experienced moderate to serious damage based on a technical assessment done by the

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, ceb, Nasodnong Komisyon alang sa Budaya ug mga Arte) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. ...

after the

2013 Bohol earthquake The 2013 Bohol earthquake occurred on October 15 at in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 7.2, with epicenter of Sagbayan, and its depth of focus was . It affe ...

Description

Oriented northeast, the watchtower was used as a defense system against Moro pirates from the south. It was built under

Augustinian Recollect The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is a mendicant Catholic religious order of friars and nuns. It is a reformist offshoot from the Augustinian hermit friars and follows the same Rule of St. Augustine. History The Order was founded in 16t ...

priest Father Manuel Sanchez de Nuestra Sra. del Tremendal and was finished in 1796. Made of cut coral stones, its base is shaped as a perfect isosceles triangle connected to a short hexagonal tower on the second level. The tower is known for being the "''only perfect

''" tower-fort structure in the Philippines. It has several levels (or floors). Its ''central'' room contains a niche for religious image, in particular of Saint

Vincent Ferrer Vincent Ferrer, OP ( ca-valencia, Sant Vicent Ferrer , es, San Vicente Ferrer, it, San Vincenzo Ferreri, german: Sankt Vinzenz Ferrer, nl, Sint-Vincent Ferrer, french: Saint Vincent Ferrier; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Valencian D ...

. Wooden beams that support masonry walls are still present inside. The Spanish coat-of-arms and an inscription highlighted by reddish earth tint can be seen at the tower's entrance.

Dedication

The tower is dedicated to the secondary patron of Maribojoc, San Vicente Ferrer, as shown on the inscriptions on the tower entrance and an image of the saint inside. Adjacent to the watchtower is a wooden cross in a rock clip facing the sea. The people of Maribojoc, being under the patronage of the Holy Cross, believe that they are protected by the Holy Cross from Moro pirates.

Historical and cultural declarations

The Punta Cruz Watchtower was declared as a National Historical Landmark in February 2009. Its historical marker was unveiled by the municipality of Maribojoc and the National Historical Institute (now

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural herita ...

) in May 2009. It was also declared by the

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas}) is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines including ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological, and visu ...

as a National Cultural Treasure under the collective group of ''Bohol Watchtowers ''together with the watchtowers of

Dauis Dauis, officially the Municipality of Dauis ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Dauis; tgl, Bayan ng Dauis), is now a 2nd class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 52,492 people. The tow ...

, Panglao,

Pamilacan Pamilacan is an island barangay in the Philippines, situated south of Bohol island and surrounded by the Bohol Sea (also called Mindanao Sea). It is one of the of 17 barangays that compose the municipality of Baclayon. According to the 2015 censu ...

, Loay and

Balilihan Balilihan, officially the Municipality of Balilihan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Balilihan; tgl, Bayan ng Balilihan), is a 4th class rural municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 18,694 peopl ...

on August 29, 2011 and official marker unveiling in July 2012. Together with Fuerza de Capul in

Northern Samar Northern Samar ( war, Amihanan Samar/Norte san Samar; tl, Hilagang Samar), officially the Province of Northern Samar, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas Regions of the Philippines, regio ...

, Dauis watchtower in

, Fuerza de San Andres in

Romblon Romblon ( , ), officially the Province of Romblon, is an archipelagic Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa Regions of the Philippines, region. Its main islands include Tablas Island, Tablas, the large ...

and Fuerza de Sta. Isabel in

Taytay, Palawan Taytay, officially the Municipality of Taytay ( tgl, Bayan ng Taytay ), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 83,357 people. Since 2002, its Cathedral of St ...

, the Punta Cruz Watchtower is being considered to the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Tentative List since 2006 under the collective group of

Spanish Colonial Fortifications of the Philippines The Spanish forts of the Philippines, or ''fuerzas'', are fortification, strongholds constructed by Filipinos and Spaniards primarily for protection against local and foreign aggressors during the History of the Philippines (1521–1898), Spanish co ...

2013 Bohol earthquake

One of the largest earthquakes to hit Bohol struck the island at 8:12 AM on October 15, 2013. The center of the M7.2 earthquake was near

Sagbayan, Bohol Sagbayan, officially the Municipality of Sagbayan ( ceb, Munisipyo sa Sagbayan; tgl, Bayan ng Sagbayan), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,335 people. Sag ...

. Based on the technical assessment conducted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts after the 2013 Bohol earthquake, the watchtower experienced moderate to serious damage. It has since been restored since 2016.

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Punta Cruz Historical Watchtower on the official website of the Municipality of Maribojoc
{{National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines, state=collapsed National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines Spanish Colonial Fortifications of the Philippines Buildings and structures in Bohol Towers completed in 1796 National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines 1796 establishments in New Spain