Paoay Church

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. The detached bell tower is of
notable interest as the tapering layers emphasizes the oriental style, a unique structure that reflects the
design of a pagoda. The church's exterior is made of coral stone and brick, held together by a mortar
made from sugarcane juice, mango leaves, and rice straw among other ingredients. The facade of the
church also has hints of a Gothic flavor with pilasters that extend from top to bottom, creating a strong
vertical movement. While the exterior is decorated with rosettes and floral motifs that are reminiscent
of Javanese temples, the interior is rather bare and solemn in comparison. Originally painted, the
interior roof of the church today only shows an echo of the grand scenes that once graced the ceiling.
San Agustin Church in 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.as,
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. Because of the danger of natural disasters, much of the church's aesthetic had to
be sacrificed in favor of durability and functionality.

The interior of the church featured artwork dating back to the 19th century, with trompe l’oeil paintings
by Italian painters Alberoni and Dibella, but they overlie the original tempera murals. The church was
richly endowed, with a fine retablo, pulpit, lectern and choir-stalls. The church also includes oriental
details in the form of Chinese fu dogs that flank the entrance of the building. 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, as is the
decor that often takes the shape of local flora. 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.

In the side chapel of the church rests the remains of Spanish Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the founder of the
city of Manila, which is the capital city of the Philippines.