Baroque churches « Valerie Caulin

Posts Tagged ‘Baroque churches’

Miag-ao Church: Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Miag-ao Church or Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church is one of the Baroque Churches in the Philippines that belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. Along with the baroque churches of Intramuros, Paoay (Ilocos Norte) and Santa Maria (Ilocos Sur), Miag-ao Church is something that we should be proud of.

I first learned about this “yellowish” church ( due to its silt and clay material) when I was processing my college admission for University of the Philippines that has a campus in Miag-ao. And for four years, this church has been my place of worship as I stayed and studied in Miag-ao for my four-year college education. And through my class in Humanities, I learned more about how brilliant its designs and architecture are as European Baroque elements were impressively interpreted by local craftsmen.

Well decorated facade of Miag-ao Church

One of the striking feature of Miag-ao Church is its facade of a man carrying a child in the middle of a forest. As explained to me and to the rest of my classmate, it was St. Christopher carrying the Infant Jesus in the midst of local trees like papaya, coconut and guava.

Statue of the Spanish King

Pope's Statue

There are also three statues in its facade, namely that of St. Thomas de Villanueva, the Pope and a Spanish king who was then the ruling monarch of Spain during its construction in the 18th century.

Left tower showing its buttresses

Like Paoay Church, it also has buttresses which defends the church from earthquakes, making these type of churches as “Earthquake baroques”. Also if you are keen enough, its two towers are not of the same proportion.

Four-storey right tower

three-storey left tower

Its right tower has four storeys while the left only has three. The towers were built under two different parish priests with the other having his own preference on how many storeys the tower should have. Before, visitors can climb its belltower but lately it is now prohibited when one Korean tourist rang the bell and caused a commotion in the whole town. Keep in mind that ringing the church’s bell still means something from mourning, weddings even to alert the people of a disaster like fire, earthquake or flood.

Church's interior

Miag-ao Church is not plainly a place of worship but served military purpose as a fortress. It sits on a hill, and you can see a nice angle of this church as you cross the bridge going Miag-ao. The church served as a watchtower against raiding Muslims or Moros who attacked coastal towns in Panay and make the captured people as slaves. Hence, the Salakayan Festival of Miag-ao.

How to get there

You can take a jeepney going to Miag-ao from the Super Market in Iloilo City ( close to Robinson’s Place) or in Mohon Terminal in Villa.

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Tags: Baroque churches, Iloilo, Miag-ao, Miag-ao Church, Miag-ao Parish Church, Sto.Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church
Posted in Churches, Iloilo, landmarks | 6 Comments »

Paoay Church of Ilocos Norte

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

paoay church

Traveling all the way up to the northern part of Luzon, to the province of Ilocos Norte is worthwhile once you gaze upon the Church of St. Agustine in the town of Paoay. More commonly known as Paoay Church, this Baroque Church belongs to the list of UNESCO Heritage Site.

Though the parish was first founded in 1593 by the Augustinians, construction only started almost 200 years later. With primitive tools in hand and technology, it was finally complete in 1896. Its bell tower is separated from the church and was used by Filipino fighters as an outlook post during the revolution against the Spaniards and during the Second World War.

paoay church

The facade of the Paoay Church is still in its original form with traces of Oriental, Gothic and Baroque architecture. Though not as intricate as those found in the facade of Miag-ao Church, in Iloilo ( another World Heritage Church), there is something special with its look. Not just due to its antiquity, but due to the different influences specially the Oriental side.

It is made of bricks ( the lower part) and coral stone( the upper part); coral stones are common materials during the Spanish era. But comparing it to old churchs specially in the Visayas, the bricks and stones were not glued with egg yolks but rather of stucco plaster and tree sap.

paoay church

The main distinction of the Paoay Church are its 24 buttresses which supports its walls three meters thick from earthquakes. The buttresses are even visible in satellite images. Though this church has suffered two massive earthquakes, the exterior and the facade were spared; damage was done to its interior. With this, columns were added to the church’s interior to support is ceiling from possible earthquakes.

paoay church

Tip:

If you are into photography, visit Paoay Church at dusk when the church gleams its orange hue.

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Tags: Baroque churches, Paoay Church, Paoay Church Ilocos, UNESCO Heritage
Posted in Churches | 3 Comments »

Pan-ay Church ( Sta. Monica Parish Church)

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

pan-ay church

The island of Panay specifically the city of Iloilo is home to centuries-old churches with the famous church in Miag-ao among others. But on the northern part of the island in the province of Capiz is another heritage church that everyone should drop by if you happen to be in Roxas City or from Boracay Island.

Built in 1774, it is one of the oldest in the Philippines with its signature Baroque architecture ( common during those times). At present, Sta. Monica Parish Church is famous for its bell. Yes, the bell of Pan-ay Church is its main attraction.

Pan-ay Church

Weighing a total of more than 10 tons, this bell was constructed way back in the early 19th century. From the 70 sacks of coins collected from the locals ( imagine the agony and so-called “Spanish cruelties), this bell is the biggest in the country, in Asia and the third in the world. The great bell is surrounded with 8 smaller bells which are also dated as early as 1822. What is more impressive is that these bells are still used until today .

The rest of the church is very striking with its designs courtesy of the Baroque architecture that it adheres.

Pan-ay Church