Posted on 18.10.2012 and completed on 03.08.2013
As I said here with reference to the Philippines, "from Spaniards have remained Christianity and the name". Regarding the Christianizing of the native population, it began with the arrival of Magellan in 1521, and the Spaniards proved to be very effective, so that today Philippines is one of two predominantly Roman Catholicnations in Asia (the other being East Timor), about 93% of the population being Christian. Of course that in parallel with the conversion of the Indigenous tribes were built many churches, "in the European style", but not a few of them suffered major destructions due to earthquakes in the area. For the Church as institution, this didn't mean only material damage, but also a loss of image and credibility, so as a response to earthquakes, the churchs builders had to make major structural changes. So appeared a new architectural style, EarthquakeBaroque, used not only in the Philippines, but also in Guatemala and then even in Lisbon, characterized by more robust proportions, smaller height, and thicker and heavily buttresses.
The Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts(NCCA) has designated the conservation and protection of more than 30 such churches from Spanish-era, four of them being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the name Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Aside from these four churches, there is another one inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Vigan Cathedral (Historic Town of Vigan), about which I wrote here. San Agustin Church in Paoay (in first poscard) is the epitome of earthquake-resistant churches in the Ilocos region, and one of the most striking edifices in the country.
The church was started by the Augustinian Fr. Antonio Estavillo in 1694, and was completed in 1710, being rededicated in 1896, three years before the ceasing of Spanish rule in the country. The materials used were a mixture of coral stone (at the lower level) and bricks (at the upper levels). The mortar was as exotic as the style of the church itself. Felipe M.de Leon wrote in The Filipino Nation that the "stucco was said to have been made by mixing sand and lime [with] sugarcane juice, which were boiled with mango leaves, leather, and rice straw for two nights." The buttresses have steps, probably to facilitate the access to the roof. The facade is divided vertically by square pilasters, but also horizontally by stringed cornices. At the apex is a niche, while the otherwise stark plaster finish is embellished with crenallations, niches, rosettes, and the Augustinian coat-of-arms.
The Miag-ao Church, or Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva (in the second postcard), was built in 1786 also by Spanish Augustinian missionaries, to defend the town against raids by the Moros. It therefore has thick walls and, reportedly, secret passages. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences. Its central feature is a large coconut tree (symbolizing the biblical tree of life) which reaches almost to the apex. According to an old Philippine legend, the coconut tree was the only bequest from a loving mother to her two children, a tree which sustained them for life. On the church's facade the coconut tree appears.