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BOOK: PHILIPPINE HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE: SPANISH COLONIAL PHILIPPINES: 728.80599 T84 Church of San Agustin Paoay .

Ilocos Norte The Church of Paoay is a huge barn-like structure with intimations of a Borobodur temple rather than a Christian church.. There is massiveness, movement, integration and, above all, a forceful sweep of illusion that says a great deal about Filipino ingenuity. The result is an outstanding and undeniably Filipino type of architecture typically Filipino. A Philippine baroque church, the church of Paoay was started in 1699 by the Augustunian priest, Fr. Antonio Estavilla. It was completed in 1710 and rededicated in 1896. The curvaceous lateral buttresses are a visual spectacle. They line the sides of the church, each gigantic buttress cascading from the finials down to the ground, enhanced by colossal volute ornamentation. Equally imposing is the faade that looks like a massive pediment growing from the ground. The faade is divided vertically by square pilasters that extend from the ground all the way to the top of the pediment. Horizontally, it is divided by stringed cornices that extend all the way to the sides of the church and wrap around each buttress, highlighting the massive side supports. At the apex is a niche, while the otherwise stark lime-mortar plaster finish is embellished with crenellations, niches, rosettes and the Augustinian coat of arms. The walls are one braza (1.67 meters) thick, constructed of stones called de capaza and bricks fused with lime mortar. Large coral stones were used at the lower level of the walls, while bricks and smaller stones were used at the upper levels. Portions of the church have already been destabilized by countless earthquakes and typhoons. To date, the faade slightly leans forward. Cracks have already formed at the connection of the walls to the buttresses. The present interior is bare and empty, although still supported by molave posts. According to a testimony written on January 14, 1710 by a guest: This church had decorations that no other church in the country could have dreamed of three-storey altar full of wooden statues, half of actual size, oil paintings of buen pincelgilded retablos27 oil paintings supported by wooden frames of gold Sadly, what is now left is a cavernous maze of wood trusses with exposed and rusting corrugated iron roof sheets. The original bell tower of wood was 3.5 meters high with three bells. The present bell tower, constructed much later in 1793, is made of coral stones and lime powder with molasses as binder. The Paoay bell tower was occupied by the Katipuneros in 1899 and used as an observation post by the Filipino guerillas during World War II. In 1993, the Church of San Agustin in Paoay was inscribed as one of the four baroque churches of the Philippines in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. The citation notes that the church possesses exceptional universal value that deserves protection for the benefit of all humanity.

Church of Saint Philomene Alcala . Cagayan Built 1881 Prior to the fall of the Spanish regime to the American colonizers, Gregorio Aglipay, then a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, was proclaimed as the ecclesiastical governor of Cagayan in the Church of Saint Philomene in Alcala. Eventually, he left the Catholic Church and as an act of rebellion founded the Philippine Independent Church. Most of the structures built in the Cagayan Valley region are of red clay bricks. The Alcala church is an excellent example of an all-brick structure constructed during the late Spanish colonial period. Located in the Diocese of Nueva Segovia, the church was built under the supervision of Fray Casimiro Gonzales. Almost 30 meters wide, the faade of the church is in perfect proportion to the 15 meter height of the pediment. The alignment of the bricks is so contrived that the deep shadows created amplify the design of the church. The proportions and the overall design of the faade speak of a builder with high aesthetic sensibility. The lower half of the faade features four pairs of pilasters with stark but elegant capitals flanking three arched portals. Recessed alcoves originally for bas-reliefs of saints are found between the pilasters. A horizontal ledge molding separates the lower half of the faade from the upper half. The top part of the parapet wall is a pediment with a lone arched window located above the main entry, flanked by paired pilasters. The 2-meter thick exterior walls of the church are lined with rows of pilasters that alternate with the arched openings. The casement windows fitted with colored glass panes are placed on the inner part of the wall. The truss roof system and interior columns are made of wood which are in the process of being repaired. The convent, sited perpendicular to the church, is also designed in bricks, in harmony with the church. However, the present convent is a reconstruction. The brick bell tower on the right side of the church is rather insignificant compared to the church and convent. The superior-quality bricks used were produced by Fabrica Vicente Llopiz and some other kilns in Vigan. The old folks in the town of Alcala claim that these bricks were soaked in pulot (molasses) prior to use in construction to render them waterproof. The red clay bricks used in the church are examples of the master craftsmanship of the brick-makers in the region.

Tumauini Church . Church of San Matias Tumauini . Isabela Construction started 10 June 1705 and completed circa 1805 The church in Tumauini, Isabela, dedicated to its patron saint San Matias, is one of the National Heritage Monuments of the Philippines. This baroque-inspired church of the Spanish colonial period is constructed almost entirely out of finely crafted red clay bricks. The ornate church proper is built on a rectangular plan complemented by a singular cylindrical bell tower of unusual prettiness. The wall of the tapered wedding cake bell tower is constructed of plain bricks plastered with lime mortar and decorated with garlands of flowers in fired clay. The ruins of the convent also show the artistry in bricks. The equally exquisite curvilinear low brick wall around the quadrangle site of the church completes the ensemble. When all the buildings were intact, the complex must have been an awesome spectacle in the midst of the lush greenery of Isabela. The focal point of the ground faade is the circular pediment enhanced by the colored glass window encircled by molded bricks in garlands, creating a breathtaking floral effect. Arched niches are recessed into the brick surface and contain statues of saints. Even the enshrined saints are of fired clay. Smaller images of saints are in basrelief on the brick itself. The lower portion of the faade is also lined with recessed niches with statues of saints. The whole church is festooned with endless garlands of fired clay rosettes, sunbursts and dentils. Brick insets swirl in reckless abandon on the main faade. Two brick insets bear the years 1783 and 1784. The interior is an equally awesome masterpiece of brickwork artistry. Circular windows on each side of the altar create an ethereal lighting effect. The brick walls are highlighted by bas-relief clay pieces in circular and spiral patterns. A set of brick columns beneath ornate capitals flanks both sides of the sanctuary. The back of the altar is topped by a semicircular motif reminiscent of the open tail of a peacock. The unbridled fired clay embellishments bespeak the Filipinos love for decorations and festivities. The church of Tumauini is a passionate testament to the artistry of Filipino craftsmen. The church was constructed at the request of the people of Tumauini for an yglesia de piedra, which was endorsed by the vicar, Fray Domingo Forto, O.P. The bell tower was completed in 1805. Fray Forto wrote of a good mason named Castillejos from Lalloc who helped greatly in the construction. The church must have been very well built that it survived the earthquake of 1863 that demolished the convent. The church was not spared, however, from the destruction wrought by World War II. The scars from the deep wounds inflicted by the senseless was cannot be erased by restoration. A portion of

the roof was bombed and partially destroyed by the American forces; again, the people of Tumauini initiated the restoration of the church to its original glory.

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