The Church of Saint Thomas of Villanova, commonly known as the Miagao Church, is the Roman Catholic parish church of the town of Miagao in Iloilo Province. Completed in 1797, the church is famous for the artistic sculptural relief carved on its facade. In 1993, the church was designated as one best examples of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines and included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
The Miagao Church stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao centuries ago, anchored in a strong foundation of Christian faith. As most travelers would agree, the Miagao Church is one of the country’s architectural gems because of its unique and imposing designs, ornaments and motifs.
San Agustin Church
Paoay Church
St. Augustine Church, or more popularly called Paoay Church, in Ilocos Norte is one of the the oldest churches in the Philippines and is among the major attractions of Ilocos Norte.
Built of coral blocks and stucco-plastered bricks, the architecture is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental. Construction of the church was started in 1704 and completed in 1894. A few meters away is the coralstone belltower which served as observation post of the “Katipuneros” during the Philippine Revolution, Paoay Church is included in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Santa Maria Church
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion), commonly known as the Santa Maria Church is the parish church of Santa Maria in Ilocos Sur province, Philippines. The church was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993 as part of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, a collection of four Baroque Spanish-era church,
The Santa Maria Church is an attraction to both tourists and Catholics in Ilocos Sur. It is not only a reminiscent of the four centuries of Spanish domination of that area but also a unique structure with a diversified architectural design of bricks and mortar. It was built on top of a hill not only as a lookout and a citadel but as a religious center during the early administration of the region by both the friars and soldiers of Spain.
Miagao Church
Pediment featuring St. Christopher carrying Child Jesus on his back
Façade of Miagao Church
Image of St. Henry of Bavaria
Pediment featuring St. Christopher carrying Child Jesus on his back
San Augustin is the oldest church in the Philippines, originally built in 1571. The current building is the fourth version and was built just 17 years after the first one. In between, the church was once destroyed by Chinese pirates and twice by fire. It’s probably not a huge surprise, seeing as the first church was made with bamboo and the other ones with wood. This current structure, started in 1587 is much stronger and was built with much more resilient materials – stone, for instance. It has survived for more than 400 years through several wars and plenty of natural disasters.
The church came about initially through a system to make life easier for the missionaries, where they ‘persuaded’ the local people to live in large communities. There was a phrase for this. It was “bajo de campana” in Spanish or, in English, “living under the bell”. What it was referring to was the rule that the locals had to live close enough to the church to hear the bell ring. The bell was an important part of life and, as well as telling the time, was used to organise events and services.
San Agustin Church was one of four Philippine churches constructed during the Spanish colonial period to be designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, under the collective title Baroque Churches of the Philippines.It was named a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1976.