|
More popularly known as Paoay Church, it was commissioned by the Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo. The construction began in 1694 but was not completed until 1710. Filipino and Chinese craftsmen built the church using baked bricks, coral rocks, tree sap, and lumber, among various materials available then. Stuccoed bricks and coral blocks make up the facade of the structure with 24 carved buttresses built against the outside of the masonry wall. The bell tower, separated from the main building, is made of coral stone and was used by Katipuneros as an observation post in 1896 and again by Filipino soldiers during World War II.
The Paoay Church was declared a national treasure by then President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decrees 250, 375 and 1505. The church was inscribed in the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1993. Several Filipino churches were nominated for the Unesco World Heritage List but only four were chosen. These are the Santa Maria de la Asuncion Church in Sta Maria, Ilocos Sur; San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila; Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo and of course the St. Augustine or Paoay Church.
|
