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San Agustin Church Manila Luzon Spanish Conquest Intramuros Philippines

The document provides details about four important Spanish colonial churches in the Philippines: 1) San Agustin Church in Manila, built in 1571, was the first church constructed in the Philippines after the Spanish conquest. It survived World War II and is located in Intramuros. 2) Paoay Church features an "Earthquake Baroque" architectural style with 14 buttresses and was completed in the late 18th century. 3) Miagao Church stands on the highest point in its town and served as a lookout against raids, exemplifying "Fortress Baroque" style. 4) Unlike other town churches, Santa Maria Church in Ilocos Sur is located on a hill for defensive

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Mariella Jaluag Eruela
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146 views5 pages

San Agustin Church Manila Luzon Spanish Conquest Intramuros Philippines

The document provides details about four important Spanish colonial churches in the Philippines: 1) San Agustin Church in Manila, built in 1571, was the first church constructed in the Philippines after the Spanish conquest. It survived World War II and is located in Intramuros. 2) Paoay Church features an "Earthquake Baroque" architectural style with 14 buttresses and was completed in the late 18th century. 3) Miagao Church stands on the highest point in its town and served as a lookout against raids, exemplifying "Fortress Baroque" style. 4) Unlike other town churches, Santa Maria Church in Ilocos Sur is located on a hill for defensive

Uploaded by

Mariella Jaluag Eruela
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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San Agustin Church in Manila[edit]

San Agustin Church (Manila)

The San Agustin Church in Manila, also known as The Church of the Immaculate Conception of San
Agustín was the first church built on the island of Luzon in 1571, immediately after the Spanish
conquest of Manila. A site within the district of Intramuros was assigned to the Augustinian Order,
the first to evangelize in the Philippines. In 1587 the impermanent earliest building in wood and palm
fronds was replaced by a stone church and monastery in stone, the latter becoming the Augustinian
mother house in the Philippines.
It was the only structure in Intramuros to survive the Liberation of Manila in 1945. Miag-ao became
an independent parish in 1731, when a simple church and convento were built. However, destruction
of the town by Muslim pirates in 1741 and 1754 led to the town being rebuilt in a more secure
location. The new church, constructed in 1787-97, was built as a fortress, to withstand further
incursions. It was, however, damaged severely by fire during the revolution against Spain in 1898
and in the Second World War. Two bell towers were added in 1854, but the northern one cracked in
the 1880 earthquake and had to be demolished. In the interior of the church the wall paintings date
from the 19th century, but they overlie the original tempera murals.
As a result, the church was richly endowed, with a fine retablo, pulpit, lectern and choir-stalls. Of
special interest is the series of crypto-collateral chapels lining both sides of the nave. The walls
separating them act as buttresses. The stone barrel vault, dome, and arched vestibule are all unique
in the Philippines. A monastery complex was formerly linked to the church by a series of cloisters,
arcades, courtyards and gardens, but all except one building were destroyed in 1945.
Paoay Church

Paoay Church[edit]
The Paoay Church, also known as the Church of San Agustín, is located in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. It is
the most outstanding example in the Philippines of an Earthquake Baroque style architecture.
Fourteen buttresses are ranged along the lines of a giant volute supporting a smaller one and
surmounted by pyramidal finials. A pair of buttresses at the midpoint of each nave wall have
stairways for access to the roof. The lower part of the apse and most of the walls are constructed of
coral stone blocks, the upper levels being finished in brick, but this order is reversed on the facade.
The massive coral stone bell tower, which was added half a century after the church was completed,
stands at some distance from the church, again as a protection against damage during earthquakes.
Miagao Church[edit]

Miagao Church

The Miagao Church, also known as the Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, stands on the highest
point in the town of Miagao, Iloilo. The church's towers served as lookouts against Muslim raids and
it is the finest surviving example of 'Fortress Baroque'. The sumptuous facade epitomizes the Filipino
transfiguration of western decorative elements, with the figure of St Christopher on the pediment
dressed in native clothes, carrying the Christ Child on his back, and holding on to a coconut palm for
support. The entire riotously decorated facade is flanked by massive tapering bell towers of unequal
heights.
Santa Maria Church

Santa Maria Church[edit]


The Santa Maria Church is located in the municipality of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur. Unlike other town
churches in the Philippines, which conform to the Spanish tradition of sitting them on the central
plaza, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria with its convento are on a hill
surrounded by a defensive wall. Also unusual are the sitting of the convento parallel to the facade of
the church and that of the separate bell tower (characteristic of Philippine-Hispanic architecture) at
the midpoint of the nave wall. This was dictated by the hill on which it is located.
The brick church follows the standard Philippine layout, with a monumental facade masking a
straight roof-line covering a long rectangular building. It is alleged to be built on a solid raft as a
precaution against earthquake damage. The walls are devoid of ornament but have delicately carved
side entrances and strong buttresses
Miagao was formerly a visita of Oton until 1580, Tigbauan until 1592, San Joaquin until 1703 and
Guimbal until 1731.[2]It became an independent parish of the Augustinians in 1731 under the
advocacy of Saint Thomas of Villanova.[1] With the establishment of the parish, a church
and convento was built in a land near the sea called Ubos. Father Fernando Camporredondo served
as the town's first parish priest in 1734. When the town experienced frequent Moro invasion in 1741
and 1754, the town moved to a more secure place. From there, a new church was constructed in
1787 through forced labor under the supervision of Fray Francisco Gonzales, parish priest and
Spanish gobernadorcillo Domingo Libo-on.[3] It was built on the highest point of the town to guard
from invaders called Tacas. After ten years, the church was completed in 1797. It was designed to
have thick walls to serve as protection from invaders. It was severely damaged during the Spanish
revolution in 1898 but was later rebuilt, fire in 1910, the second World War and earthquake in
1948.[3] The present day Miagao church is the third church built since its establishment in 1731.[4] To
preserve the church, it underwent restoration in 1960 and completed in 1962. It was declared a
national shrine by Presidential Decree No. 260

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