In the middle of Argao’s heritage plaza stands a small coral-stone chapel with a story unlike any other. The Kapilya de Sakripisyo was built for a purpose that many might find unfamiliar today, it was where the town laid to rest stillborn children who were never baptized.
During the Spanish colonial period, tradition dictated that these children could not be buried inside consecrated church grounds. The Kapilya became the space where families could offer prayers and mark the brief presence of a life that never entered the world’s noise.
More Than Just a Structure
Its walls, made from coral stones quarried along Cebu’s coast, have stood for generations. No ornate altar, no stained-glass windows, only the bare essentials, as if to mirror the quietness of the lives it honors.
How To Get There?
Location: Argao Heritage Plaza, Argao, Cebu
By Car: From Cebu City, drive south to Argao town. The church is just near the plaza and municipal hall.
By Commute: From Cebu City, ride a southbound Ceres bus at the South Bus Terminal to Argao, then walk to church.
Visiting the Kapilya is about pausing in the middle of a busy plaza and realizing that this small, timeworn structure has carried centuries of stories without a word.
