St. Augustine's Church ( Spanish: Iglesia de San Agustín de Paoay ) is a Roman Catholic church in the municipality of Paoai in the province of Northern Ilocos in the Philippines . Built in 1710, the church is famous for its original architectural solution, including powerful buttresses on the sides and back of the building.
| Catholic Church | |
| Paoai Church | |
|---|---|
| Iglesia de San Agustín de Paoay | |
 Facade and bell tower of Paoai Church | |
| A country |  Philippines |
| Location | Paoai , Northern Ilokos |
| Denomination | roman catholic church |
| Diocese | |
| Architectural style | baroque |
| Founder | Antonio Estavillo |
| Established | 1686 year |
| Construction | 1694 - 1710 years |
| Status | parish church |
| condition | acting |
 World Heritage Site | |
| Baroque Churches of the Philippines | |
| Link | No. 677 on the World Heritage List |
| Criteria | ii, iv |
| Region | Countries of Asia and the Pacific |
| Inclusion | 1993 ( 17th session ) |
The Government of the Philippines declared Paoai Church a national cultural treasure of the Philippines in 1973, and in 1993 the church was inscribed on the World Heritage List (along with three other Baroque churches of the Philippines ).
Content
- 1 History
- 2 Architecture
- 2.1 Buttresses
- 2.2 Walls
- 2.3 Facade
- 2.4 Belfry
- 3 Restoration
- 4 Recognition of the artistic value of the church
- 5 notes
- 6 References
History
The earliest mention of the area where the church was located dates back to 1593 , and in 1686 this territory became an independent Augustinian parish [1] . The construction of the building of the current church began in 1694, a member of the Order of the Augustinians, father Antonio Estavillo. The church was completed in 1710 and re-consecrated in 1896 [2] [3] . Some parts of the church were damaged in the earthquakes of 1865 and 1885, but were later restored at the initiative of former first lady Imelda Marcos [4] .
Architecture
Paoai Church is a Filipino example of the baroque “architecture of earthquakes” [3] (the term was proposed by Alicia Coseteng) of the Spanish colonization , an interpretation of European Baroque adapted to the seismic conditions of the country due to the use of huge buttresses on the sides and on the back of the building [2] . The use of this variety of baroque was due to the fact that many earlier churches of the Philippines were destroyed due to strong earthquakes. The walls and facade of the church are made in the Javanese style, reminiscent of Borobudur [2] .
Buttresses
Among the most striking features of the Paoai Church are 24 huge buttresses [5] about 1.67 m thick [4] on the sides and on the back of the building, expanding from the outer walls. Stepped buttresses on the sides of the building may have been built for easy access to the roof [3] .
Walls
Church walls are made of large coral stones at the bottom and bricks at the upper levels [3] . The mortar used in the construction includes sand and lime with sugarcane juice, cooked with mango leaves, skin and rice straws [3] .
Facade
The facade is filled with a massive pediment , rising from the ground and slightly tilted forward. Square pilasters and string cornices divide the facade vertically and horizontally, respectively. There are no decorations on the bottom. Gothic features are also present when using cruciferous flowers , while Chinese and Far Eastern elements are visible on the triangular pediment [5] [6] . There are also battlements, niches , sockets and the coat of arms of the Order of the Augustinians [3] . The facade is made of brick at the lower level and coral stones at the upper level [7] .
Belfry
Adjoining the facade is a three-story coral bell tower , built separately from the church building on the right side and resembling a pagoda [3] [6] . The corner stone of the bell tower was laid in 1793 [4] . The bell tower is located at some distance from the church, this is provided in case of an earthquake [7] . It served as an observation post in 1898 for Filipino revolutionaries who rebelled against the Spaniards, and for Filipino partisans who fought with Japanese soldiers in World War II [5] [8] .
Restoration
The local government of Northern Ilocos calls for the reconstruction of the monastery at the church, which is currently in ruins [2] [9] .
Recognition of the Artistic Value of the Church
In accordance with Presidential Decree No. 260, Paoai Church was declared a national cultural treasure in 1973 [10] . On December 11, 1993, the church was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Church of St. Augustine in Manila , the Church of Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion in Santa Maria ( Southern Ilocos Province) and the Church of St. Thomas from Villanueva in Miagao ( Iloilo Province) [7 ] .
Notes
- ↑ Paoay Church . Heritage Conservation Society. Date of treatment November 26, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Lazaro, Freddie Retrofitting of Paoay church sought . Manila Bulletin (June 28, 2014). Date of treatment November 26, 2017. Archived November 27, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gaspar, Roger Earthquake Baroque: Paoay Church in the Ilocos (unreachable link) (1996). Date of treatment November 26, 2017. Archived November 2, 2008.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Bagaforo, Nelson Historic churches of Ilocos Norte . Sun.Star (April 20, 2011). Date of treatment November 26, 2017. Archived on October 14, 2014.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Aquino, Mike Touring the oldest churches in the Philippines . Yahoo News Philippines (May 15, 2013). Date of treatment November 26, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Villalon, Augusto 16th to 19th Century Church Architecture in the Philippines . National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Date of treatment November 26, 2017. Archived on April 28, 2015.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Baroque Churches of the Philippines . UNESCO World Heritage Site. Date of treatment June 25, 2014.
- ↑ Paoay church in Ilocos to get facelift unopened . Balita.ph (March 16, 2011). Date of treatment November 26, 2017.
- ↑ Restoration of Paoay church pushed . The Philippine Star (June 23, 2014). Date of treatment November 26, 2017.
- ↑ Presidential Decree No. 260 August 1, 1973 . The Lawphil Project . Arellano Law Foundation. Date of treatment September 5, 2014.