Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva (Miagao) | cultural heritage / national heritage, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Roman Catholic church

Philippines / Western Visayas / Miagao
 church, cultural heritage / national heritage, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Roman Catholic church

Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva, Miag-ao, Iloilo, Philippines

The Miag-ao Church was built in 1786 by Spanish Augustinian missionaries and was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences.

The central feature of the bas-relief facade is a large coconut tree which reaches almost to the apex. While an integral part of the Philippine landscape, the coconut tree is also the subject of lore. 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 as the "tree of life" to which St. Christopher carrying the Child Jesus on his shoulder is clinging to. The lesser facades feature the daily life of Miagaowanons during the time. Also depicted are other native flora and fauna, as well as native dress.

The church and its watchtowers were also built to defend the town and its people against raids by the Moros. It therefore has thick walls and, reportedly, secret passages. Indeed stretching along the Iloilo coast are defensive towers, but none that equal the size of the Miag-ao. It is because of this defensive purpose that it is sometimes referred to as the Miag-ao Fortress Church.

In 1731, the Agustinians built a simple church and convent in the town of Miag-ao. The town, originally located on a plateau by the sea was burned with its church twice (in 1741 and again in 1754) by pirates. The priests then decided to transfer the town to the edge of a hill overlooking the Miag-ao River in Tacas. The construction of the present church was started in December 1786 during Fray Francisco Maximo Gonzales' term as parish priest and was built as a fortress for protection against future invasions. Built of a local yellow- orange sandstone, the fortress-church, in Baroque-Romanesque style, was completed in 1797 and has withstood all the earthquakes and the typhoons in the area.

www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/...

whc.unesco.org/en/list/677/
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Coordinates:   10°38'31"N   122°14'8"E
This article was last modified 12 years ago