For many, the Lenten season is the perfect time to visit churches. I know of friends who go places, join pilgrimage, church tours and visit the Holy Land during the Holy Week.
Several years ago, my husband and I were blessed with a rare opportunity of visiting churches in the city of Zurich. Such a memorable experience, it was! Click Kirchen in Zurich if you still haven’t read my post on that.
For this post, I’m featuring the three churches I have visited in the northern part of my own country several years ago, not during the Lenten season but on another occasion--- a side trip while doing facility visit in some government hospitals.
Paoay Church (St. Augustine Church)
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| The facade and bell tower of Paoay Church |
Paoay Church, being one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, has become a famous tourist destination. It has been declared not only as a national cultural treasure but also a world heritage site. Paoay Church is known for its pyramid-like structure and Spanish colonial earthquake baroque architecture with thick walls made of coral stones and bricks, making it stand out as the more impressive among the other famous churches in the country.
On the right of the church stands a three-storey coral stone bell tower. History tells that the bell tower served as observation post for the Katipuneros during the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards and by the Filipino guerillas during the Japanese occupation in World War II.
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| The Bell Tower |
What is most striking about this church is the 24 buttresses 5.5 feet thick at the sides and back of the church. This was thought to be a solution to possible destruction of the building during earthquakes.
Another feature of the Paoay Church is the Jardin de San Agustin, a prayer garden or sanctuary on the right side of the church.
Batac Church
Built during the Spanish era, this church has become a historical landmark in Batac, Ilocos Norte. The wall of the church has been plastered with a mixture of lime, sand, water and molasses or egg whites.
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| Batac Church (Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church) |
Vigan Cathedral
The Cathedral of Vigan is one of the country's oldest Augustinian churches. A site of several historical events including the take-over of revolutionaries, the cathedral is a stunning tribute to Baroque architecture that has been modified by the Ilocanos to survive earthquakes. It also has mix of Chinese influence in the form of carvings of lion dogs beside the outermost doors. I wasn't able to take a photo of its bell tower.
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| Vigan Cathedral (St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral) |
Well, what do you think of these churches? Have you visited other churches in Ilocos other than these three? You can share your experience in the comment box below.
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