Ilocos Photo Diary II: Historical Churches of Norte & Sur for your Visita Iglesia

After the long drive above the frozen aspalt and the wave's of Pagudpod, we now head to churches. There are a lot of churches in the Philippines, a cause of the colonization of the Spaniards and the spread of Catholicism. Religion is not the only thing that achieved its peak and dominance, but also architecture.

Here are some of the historical churches that we had visited.

St. Augustine Parish Church of Bantay

Formally called as the St. Augustine Parish Church of Bantay, this brick church has stood the travails of time. Established sixteen years after the Vigan Cathedral by the Augustinians, it has its share of misfortunes like most Colonial Period churches in the Philippines.

Like its counterpart in Vigan City, the tower is removed from the main church by some distance. In fact, it is actually pretty far, like sixty meters far. The town of Bantay got its name from that belfry, which was used as a watchtower for raiding pirates during the Spanish Colonial Era. Bantay, translated means to guard. 

The said bell tower is located just a few minutes’ walk from Vigan City, at a knoll near Bantay Church. The belfry looked almost exactly the same as it was back when it was shot in 1981. Made of fiery orange brick, slightly crumbling, but sans the steps leading to its door. 


Santa Monica Church and Convent 

The Santa Monica Church and Convent is a Philippine church complex found in the town of Sarrat in the province of Ilocos Norte, near the provincial capital of Laoag City. It is documented as the largest church in the entire Ilocos Region.

Made of red brick in baroque and neo-classical style, the church is known for a number of distinctive features. It is the Philippine church with the longest aisle, it has a distinctive system of roof trusses, and it is unusual for having a staircase that connects the church to its convent. Built in the 17th century during the Spanish colonial period, the church is also known for being the site of a number of historic events in the Philippines. The church complex is located in a windswept area overlooking the Padsan River.
Source: Ilocandia

Paoay Church

The widespread building of churches in Ilocos resulted to stunning architectural marvels that we still see today, the most famous, and I reckon one of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines, is the gorgeous Paoay Church, built in 1704 (finished 90 years later) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a church of “Earthquake Baroque” style with 24 massive brick reinforcements running along its sides with walls made out of coral rocks, baked bricks, lumber, limestone mortar and sugarcane juice. Paoay Church is a unique fusion of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental touches as its façade has touches of Gothic familiarity, Chinese elements in its gables and a Javanese feel in its niches. It stands in all its beauty and splendor (pretty much how I imagined it to be when I first saw a picture of the church when I was in grade school) in front of a wide-open square, unlike the churches in other parts of the Philippines which are almost choked by houses and businesses.




St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral 

Part and parcel of the UNESCO World Heritage stamp that encompasses the whole city, Vigan’s St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral stands as one of the town’s most prominent landmark. It sits in front of Plaza Salcedo where the dancing fountain is located. On its right is Plaza Burgos; while on its left sits the Archbishop's Palace of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia.
Source: Lakad Pilipinas








Churches mentioned above are already most, if not all the must-visits if you are into history and religious artifacts and such. These places are especially a must for those looking for an Ilocono Visita Iglesia.

Here is a map of all the churches mentioned above plus 3 more recommendations to complete your Visita Iglesia. 
  1. La Nuestra Señora de La Asuncion Parish Church, Santa Maria - Burgos Rd, Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, Philippines
  2. Conversion Of St. Augustine Parish, Rizal Street, Bantay, 2727 Ilocos Sur, Philippines
  3. San Agustin Church, Marcos Ave, Paoay, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
  4. Church of San Nicolas, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
  5. St. William Cathedral, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
  6. Santa Monica Parish Church, Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
  7. Bacarra Church, Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Philippines




The following are already mentioned in the previous blog but allow me to reiterate for those who have just visited this post.

Most notable foods that are must try of them are the Bagnet Ilocos, Longanisang Ilocano and the famous Empanada. Click here to know more about must-try foods.




Making use of the route embeded in this post (see the map), it is best used for Visita Iglesia. 

What is VISITA IGLESIA?

The Seven Churches Visitation is a pious Roman Catholic Lenten tradition to visit seven churches on the evening of Maundy Thursday. Following the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the Blessed Sacrament is placed on the Altar of Repose in the church for Adoration. During the Seven Churches Visitation, the faithful visit several churches – sometimes seven, sometimes fourteen, sometimes no set number depending upon the particular practice – to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in each church.
I hope you make use of this blog post for your next Visita Iglesia! Thank you so much for taking tme to read this post. I know not all people can tolerate historical trivias, thank you again for bearing with me.

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