WHS#70

Here in the Philippines, colonial churches are the pinnacle of heritage architecture. The vast majority of cities and towns are completely composed of buildings that did not exist 100 years ago, except for these ancient treasures. However, not all of these churches were made equal, and not all were kept equally preserved, either. That's why the Philippines has its own list of National Cultural Treasures, and it is from this list that 4 churches were chosen to be the very 1st WHS in the country. 2 churches are in the northern Ilocos region, 1 in the center of Manila (the capital city), and 1 in Iloilo in the Visayas. The Ilocano churches, Paoay and Santa Maria, are best-known as outstanding examples of Earthquake Baroque, characterized by thick stone walls, greater width in comparison to height, belfries separate from the body of the church, and of course, the iconic buttresses, which all help the churches to withstand the constant earthquakes in the region. Miag-ao Church in Iloilo is considered the best example of Fortress Baroque, a style developed as a defense against Moro (Philippine Muslim) pirates that used to raid the Visayan islands during the colonial period. Lastly, the San Agustin Church in Manila is the oldest stone church in the Philippines and the only building left standing in Intramuros (the central walled city of Manila, which was home to a staggering 7 churches) after the bombings of Manila in World War 2. Each of the churches is known for a very special characteristic: Paoay for its huge embellished buttresses and Javanese-influenced facade, Santa Maria for its location on a hill above the town, Miag-ao for its intricate bas-reliefs on its facade with designs of local culture and nature, and San Agustin for its gloriously decorated interior and adjacent monastery.

At this point, I think it's not hard to notice how little actually unifies these 4 churches aside from the fact that they are all designated as outstanding. The truth is that the Philippines is full of a diverse array of outstanding churches, and they're all outstanding in different ways and usually lacking in other ways. For example, the 2 Earthquake Baroque churches and the Fortress Baroque church are notable for their exterior layouts and design, but do not have remarkable interiors, not to mention that Earthquake and Fortress Baroque evolved similar structures, but for very different motivations. Meanwhile, San Agustin in Manila lacks an outstanding exterior, but is perhaps the most richly-decorated church in Asia outside of the Middle East. And let's not forget that these churches are in different regions of a country whose regions exhibit huge cultural and environmental differences between one another. To me, this attempt of creating one site to encompass all regional Catholic cultures of this diverse nation inhibits the true individual OUV of each church, style, or region by reducing the whole serial site as a demonstration of the fusing of Spanish architecture with "Philippine" design when there are indeed many distinct local designs and ways for the architecture to evolve to the different conditions. The Earthquake Baroque of Ilocos is strong enough to stand by itself as a distinct architectural style, although the site may be enriched by more examples of Earthquake Baroque such as Daraga Church in Bicol and Tumauini Church in the Cagayan Valley. Miag-ao would fit in better with other churches in the Visayan islands where pirates used to wreck havoc, such as the churches of Boljoon, Dalaguete, and Argao in Cebu, Lazi in Siquijor, and San Joaquin also in Iloilo. Lastly, the most richly decorated churches in the country, such as Betis Church and Taal Basilica, lie in the Tagalog region alongside San Agustin and exhibit similar artistic elements, most notably trompe l'oeil ceiling paintings.

Now for my actual experience with the Baroque Churches of the Philippines, I visited the San Agustin Church in Manila in May 2019. I was especially excited because after several years of visiting foreign WHS, this would be my first actual WHS visit in my own country. I had been to Manila many times before, mostly to meet with family friends, apply for USA visas, and even once to watch a theatrical production, but never to see the sights. This time, I wanted to experience the history of Manila, so I spent 3 (mostly leisurely) days exploring historic churches across the city. Of this, I spent an afternoon in the walled city of Intramuros, and about half of that time was in the San Agustin complex. The church is one of the most popular wedding venues, and I had missed a possible previous visit to the church before due to a wedding. This afternoon, however, I was lucky. Though the heavy front doors, guarded by statues of Chinese lion statues showing the influence of Chinese craftsmen during the colonial period, were locked, the museum was open, with a fee of about 200 pesos (?). I got a student discount, and on that note, I must be thankful for the staff for returning my school ID, which I had forgotten at the counter. The museum takes up the former Augustinian monastery adjacent to the church and included in the WHS zone. Most of its rooms are now empty shells of their former glory, though now littered with various religious artifacts, including several wooden retablos or altarpieces, which are artistic highlights in many colonial churches, as well as wooden and ivory religious figures, documents from colonial times, and paintings of different colonial churches around the country. These are all in the rooms and hallways of the 2-story cloister of the monastery, which while pleasant and obviously historic, wasn't as impressive as what I was about to see in the church, although some rooms, like the refectory, still had some of the ceiling paintings visible, and the stairwell is quite picturesque.

When the church doors are locked, one can enter through the museum entrance, as I did. The church was really quite dark, with only the slowly declining afternoon light really exposing the glory of the interior. Indeed, this is a true artistic treasure, comparable with some of the best churches in Latin America. The entrance has a strangely low ceiling which highlights just how wide the church is, an urban adaptation on Earthquake Baroque. The buttresses missing on the exterior are actually on the interior, forming the many side chapels, which are all worth a look. The altar isn't as intricate as that of some other churches, like Boljoon, but it is in beautiful harmony with the gracefulness of the whole church and is also still well-preserved. The pulpit is also impressive, covered in gold and embellished with various motifs. The most impressive, however, is the ceiling, covered in trompe l' oeil paintings, which is the first time I've seen them outside of Europe. The choir loft offers an even better and closer view of the ceiling, and it's only accessible from the museum. Even from so close, it was amazing how real the 3-dimensional-seeming figures seemed. There's also a great overview of the whole church from there, and it's a great spot for taking that picture we all need of the church.

San Agustin Church is a true architectural gem, outstanding in the world for its blend of various European and Asian ideals, in the continent for its artistic richness, and in the nation for its state of preservation. As of now, I can't speak for the other 3 churches on the list personally, but the fact stands that the Baroque Churches of the Philippines deserve the international preservation and attention for a reason, but time will tell for what exact reasons. Until I can visit the other 3, that's all I can conclude for this site. It's a worthy WHS. Though not the most amazing churches in the world, they are definitely unique, beautiful, and significant. I'll be looking forward to seeing not only the other 3 on the list, but other baroque churches of the country too.