Category Archives: Architecture

Church of Sts. Peter & Paul (Bauang, La Union)

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The town’s church, already built around 1873 by Fr. Mariano Garcia, was severely damaged during the 1892 earthquake, restored by Fr. Leonardo Collado in 1895, slightly damaged in 1944 and its interior was painted in 1978 by Fr. Esteban Mosuela.  Its facade was damaged during the July 16, 1990 earthquake and was rebuilt.  The rectangular, 4-storey bell tower on the left, restored with cement and hollow blocks in 1973, has two bells.  The stone convent, built in 1873 by Fr. Mariano Garcia, was destroyed in 1955, was restored and is now the Sacred Heart School.

Church of Sts. Peter & Paul

Church of Sts. Peter & Paul

The plain and sober-looking Neo-Classical facade has a segmented arch main entrance topped by foliage and flanked by four massive Tuscan columns with double capitals and two semicircular arched statued niches.  The undulating, low and broken pediment, separated from the lower level by a heavy architrave, has a semicircular arched niche flanked by two less massive and shorter Tuscan columns.

How to Get There: Bauang is located 259.38 kms. (a 5.5-hour drive) from Manila and 9.81 kms. (a 30-min. drive) south of the City of San Fernando.

Church of St. Andrew and St. Joseph (Bacarra, Ilocos Norte)

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From Burgos, we drove a further 45 kms., past Pasuquin, to the town of Bacarra where we made a stopover to visit the town’s compelling landmark, the Church of St. Andrew and St. Joseph.  This church was built by Frs. Antonio Villanueva (1702 to 1705), Diego Mendarrosqueta (1704 to 1705) and Miguel Albiol (1705 to 1710) but was damaged during the 1709 earthquake and restored in 1868 by Fr. Felipe Fernandez (who also built a spacious and magnificent convent).  Again damaged during the July 18, 1880 earthquake, its roof and floor were later replaced.  The church was seized by the Aglipayans in 1901.  Damaged again during the 1931 and 1944 earthquakes, it was repaired by Fr. Celedonio Albano in 1940 and Fr. Fidel Albano in 1947.  Between 1965 and 1976, Fr. Amado Luz completed the interior and exterior painting.  The church was again damaged during the 1980 earthquake.  Fr. Pedro Berger built the 3-storey bell tower.

Church of St. Andrew and St. Joseph

This church, with its stark interior, used to have a Baroque-style facade which was destroyed during the 1983 earthquake.  The façade then had 4 sets of columns with double capitals sporting rosettes and acanthus leaves, all rising vertically from rectangular pedestals.  It was topped by a horizontal architrave and moving frieze, filled with geometric forms and stylized foliage motifs, and crowned by a pediment framed by huge wavy scrolls. The facade now has scant decorative elements and neat lines.  The Classic columns have been replaced by square ones and the simple straight lines on the pediment suggest where the huge, heavy scrolls used to be. The semicircular arched main entrance is flanked by two smaller, segmented blind windows on the lower section.   The choir loft window is flanked by rectangular openings with triangular canopies.

The church’s retablo is flanked by two small and graceful Ionic columns and broken volutes. Also inside are capiz-paned windows with wrought iron grilles, an old baptistery with domed roof, an upper storey with its original 250-year old narra floor and elegantly painted ceilings.  It also has a collection of ecclesiastical silver and pewter, plus church records dating back to 1702.   The adjacent L-shaped convent is reached by steps from the nave.

The bell tower

The massive 3-storey, 50-m. high square belfry has 4-m. thick brick walls supported by engaged columns (5 on ground level and 2 on the second story).  Its top segment, the campanille, crashed down into the third story during the 1931 earthquake where it remained until the November 22, 1981 earthquake when the dome fell almost in its entirety.  The September 7, 1983 earthquake caused its complete collapse.

After our church visit, we returned to our car and drove the remaining 8 kms. to Laoag City where we had lunch at a Max’s Restaurant outlet.

Cathedral of St. William the Hermit (Laoag City, Ilocos Norte)

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From Sinait, we finally entered the province of Ilocos Norte and drove the remaining 50 kms., without any stopover, to the provincial capital of Laoag City where we met up with the others for merienda at a Greenwich outlet.  While they were still dining, I slipped out and walked a short distance to to visit the city’s Cathedral of St. William the Hermit and its separate and unusual Sinking Bell Tower.

Cathedral of St. William the Hermit

This church was first built in 1580 as a wood and thatched nipa palm chapel.  The present Italian Renaissance and Baroque-style church was built between 1650 and 1700, seriously damaged during the November 14, 1707 earthquake, partially destroyed by fire in 1843 and completely restored by Fr. Vicente Barreiro.  It was again damaged during the July 18, 1880 earthquake and repaired again by Fr. Santiago Muniz and Engr. Antonio de la Camara.   The church was occupied by Pedro Almazan in 1661, by revolutionaries in 1896, American forces in 1899 and by Aglipayans in 1901.  It was the scene of the 1932 diocesan Marian Congress and was slightly damaged during the September 7, 1983 earthquake when statues from the altar and niches fell to the floor.

This stone and brick church has a unique, recently-plastered, 2-storey facade with a main arched entrance flanked by 4 pairs of overscaled, twin-engaged pilasters, without pediments, crowned by a series of coupled urn-motif finials and pseudo-Corinthian capitals with its rosettes and acanthus leaves.  Rising from the architrave and decorating the choir loft level are 5 sets of mini-columns with pseudo-Doric capitals.  Columns in each story follow their own patterns, ending abruptly without reaching the next level.  There are also capiz windows with wrought iron grilles and two exterior stone staircases, one of which is converted to a Lourdes-type grotto.  From its barrel-vaulted ceilings hang chandeliers donated by the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos.  Over the main altar is the Augustinian symbol of a transfixed heart and a tasseled hat.  The deeply recessed niche shows the image of San Guillermo, the patron saint of Laoag.

The Sinking Bell Tower
About 85 m. away from the St. William’s Cathedral is the 45-m. high, 90-m. diameter (at base) Sinking Bell Tower, at the northern end of Don Mariano Marcos Bridge.  One of the most massive and tallest in the country, it was built even before the foundations of the cathedral were laid (around 1660).  Made of bricks (joined by molasses and the juice of sablot leaves mixed with lime and sand), it leans slightly to the north and has sunk half a storey since its construction allegedly due to the 1957 earthquake and its being built on a sandy subsurface.  Now, a man can not pass through its gate without stooping.  Patterned after a famous bell tower in Italy, it is reinforced with four massive columns, crowned by fascias, in each corner and rises, ziggurat-like, with each segment growing smaller as you go higher until you reach its smallest segment, the dome.  Buttresses of the second and third stories end up in Baroque scrolls. A big clock on the tower’s western face has long since gone.  A winding stairway, with two flights on each storey, leads to the belfry where huge bells are installed.
Grace and the kids were already waiting for me when I returned to Greenwich.  We parted ways with Tellie and Frankie and left for the final 75-km. drive to Pagudpud.

Cathedral of St. William the Hermit: A. Bonifacio St.,  Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Stopover – Church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino (Sinait, Ilocos Sur)

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About 8 kms. after Cabugao, we entered the town of Sinait, the last Ilocos Sur town before entering the province of Ilocos Norte.  Here, we all made a longer stopover at the Church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino.  This church, damaged during the earthquake of 1620, was burned in 1760 and finished between 1760 and 1822.  It was restored by Fr. Celestino Paniagua (parish priest from 1889 to 1895).  Damaged by typhoon in 1953, the church was repaired in 1960 by Fr. Raymundo Garcia.

Church of St. Nicholas of Tolentino

The church has a massive, stucco-cement Neo-Classic and Baroque facade with no openings and flanked by 2 almost square twin bell towers.  The simple arched main entrance, flanked by two pilasters, has a rectangular window above it flanked by two small occoli decorated along the outer edges.  Above it is a small niche. A wooden tablet, carved with the Spanish coat-of-arms, is above the main door.  The quaint Moorish-inspired belfries have 2 levels, topped by balustrades, with one semicircular blind opening at the second level.

The church interior

The church houses the miraculous 17th century, life-size crucifix of the Black Nazarene or Santo Cristo de Sinait.

According to a long-lost manuscript, written between 1731 and 1734, this crucifix was found by some Sinait fishermen in 1620 floating along the coast of Sitio Lugao, Dadalaquitan Norte, in a casket together with the image of La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc and was immediately placed inside the church.

Carved in hardwood and 18 feet long, it has a rich brown color and an impressive countenance. The sanctuary became famous throughout the Ilocos and devotion to the image was tirelessly spread in 1754 by Father Juan Dominguez.  It is believed to have aborted a plague that hit Vigan in 1756 and according to residents, still perspires sweet-scented oil.  A replica was recently installed by parish priest, Fr. Raymundo Garcia, at the spot where the statue was supposedly found

Church of St. Mark the Evangelist (Cabugao, Ilocos Sur)

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About 13 kms. past Magsingal, after the town of San Juan, I again made a short stopover at the town of Cabugao to photograph the roadside Church of St. Mark the Evangelist.  Built from 1695 to 1696 by Fr. Andres Canalejo, this church was reinforced in 1824, finished by Fr. Juan Zugasti between 1817 and 1834, seriously damaged in 1870, restored by Fr. Saturnino Pinto, damaged during the 1880 earthquake and restored by Fr. Juan Zallo.  It was damaged by a fire in 1965.

Church of St. Mark the Evangelist

This church’s scantily decorated Baroque facade, divided into 2 levels, has a semicircular arched main entrance flanked by paired Doric columns and blind segmented windows on the first level, semicircular arched windows on the second level.  Its broken  pediment,  with crestings on the raking cornice, is topped by a domed turret.  On its left is a 5-storey bell tower.

Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle (Vigan City, Ilocos Sur)

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The next day,  I ate a late breakfast of Vigan longanisa (Ilocano pork sausages) with egg, watching out the window as Frank’s wife Cherry, my nieces Jaja and Sandy and nephew Gelo, as well as Tellie’s daughter Mandy (with her yayas) enjoyed a horse-drawn ride in a calesa, a truly unique way to tour the city.

Sandy and Jaja on board a calesa

After breakfast, we all made our way to the cream and white Vigan Cathedral, officially called the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, to hear the 10 AM mass, it being Palm Sunday.  Mena Crisologo, that early morning, was quite impressive as the diffused light transformed the buildings and street into a scene straight out of 18th century Vigan.

Vigan Cathedral

The Earthquake Baroque-style cathedral was started in 1790 and was completed in 1800.   Inside are 3 naves, 12 altars and a choir loft.  Chinese influence is seen in the baptistery, altar, brass communion handrails, a pair of Fu dogs and stylized moldings carved about the exterior doors.  Most of the original church paraphernalia and artifacts are still in place.  The main altar has beaten silver panels.  Its octagonal Italian Baroque bell tower, on a square base, was built from 1790 to 1800 and stands, separately, 15 m. south of the cathedral, in Plaza Burgos.

Enroute to Finger Pier (Singapore)

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After my Johor Bahru (Malaysia) tour, I returned to the Cockpit Hotel to pick up Mom for our Batam Island (Indonesia) tour.  Located 20 kms. from Singapore, this island of the Riau Archipelago is the closest Indonesian island to Singapore. To get there, we had to get a fast ferry from Finger Pier along Prince Edward Rd..

Raffles Place MRT Station

From the hotel, we had lunch at a Pizza Hut outlet then walked all the way to the Dhoby Ghaut Station where we took the MRT up to the Raffles Place Station.  From here, we walked all the way to the pier.  Along the way, we passed by a number of tourist attractions at the downtown area (the Dalhousie Obelisk, the Cavenagh Bridge, Victoria Theater, Empress Place) and the Padang (the Supreme Court and City Hall Buildings).

Singapore River and Cavenagh Bridge

Cavenagh Bridge, a suspension bridge (the only one in Singapore) spanning the lower reaches of the Singapore River, was opened in 1870 and is one of the oldest bridges in Singapore and the oldest bridge in Singapore that exists in its original form.

Dalhousie Obelisk

The Dalhousie Obelisk, located on the north bank of the Singapore River, is situated at Empress Place and near the Victoria Theater and Concert Hall. Designed by Government Surveyor John Turnbull Thompson, it commemorates the second visit of Marquis of Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India in February 1850.  It was originally located at Dalhousie Pier but was transferred to its present site in 1886.

Empress Place

Empress Place, built in 1834 as a courthouse, was later used as offices for the government departments until the late 1980s.  On April 7, 1989, it was converted to a museum after a 14-month, S$25 million renovation. On February 14, 1992, it was gazetted as a National Monument.  Its imposing Neo-Palladian facade has wooden louver windows and pitched, clay tile roof.

Subsequently, the Empress Place Building underwent renovations and, on March 2, 2003, it reopened as the second wing of the Asian Civilizations Museum exhibiting Southeast, South and West Asian collections.

Victoria Theater and Concert Hall

The Victoria Theater and Concert Hall, originally built in 1862 as Singapore’s town hall, is a complex of 2 buildings and a 54 m. high clock tower(completed in 1906) joined together by a common corridor.  The Victoria Memorial Hall, built in 1905, is the home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), transferred here in 1979.

City Hall

The Neo-Classical-style Singapore City Hall and its sister building, the Supreme Court, both on St. Andrew’s Road and overlooking the Padang, are also some of my favorites and both are reminiscent of our own National Museum complex, designed in the Federal style of American architect Daniel H. Burnham, the planner of Baguio City.

The Singapore City Hall, formerly known as the Municipal Offices, was built in 1929. Its steps were the site of the formal surrender of Japanese armed forces, headed by Gen. Itagaki to Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander of Southeast Asia. In 1952 the building’s name was changed when Singapore was finally made into a city by a deed signed by Britain’s King George VI and conferred by the Duchess of Kent.

Supreme Court Building

The impressive Supreme Court Building, on the other hand, was designed by government architect F. Dorrington Ward and was completed in 1939. It is the last Classical building to be so completed. What’s more, the building’s murals were designed by Italian artist Cavaliere Rodolfo Nolli.

Victoria Concert Hall: 11 Empress Place, Victoria Memorial Hall, Singapore 179558.  Tel: 6338 6125.

Enroute to Queen Street Bus Terminal (Singapore)

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On my second day in Singapore, I decided to make a tour, on my own, to the nearby Johor Bahru, the first Malaysian town (and the capital of the state of Johor), across the Causeway, from Singapore.  After breakfast at a MacDonald’s outlet, I traveled all the way to the Queen Street Bus Terminal (also known as the Ban San Bus Terminal), a centralized location for commuters traveling to Johor Bahru.

St. Joseph’s Church

Along the way to the terminal, I passed a couple of noteworthy Roman Catholic churches.  The attractive, Gothic-style St. Joseph’s Church was originally built  from 1851-1853 by Portuguese Rev. Vincente de Santo Catharina.  The present church, built from 1906-1912 by the notable firm Swan & MacLaren, has a portico supported by 4 columns; a central, octagonal tower capped by a dome and flanked by 2 smaller towers and beautifully crafted stained glass windows.

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

The Renaissance-style, graceful and charming Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Singapore and the seat of its archbishop, was completed on June 6, 1847 with funds collected by French parish priest Fr. Jean-Marie Beurel. Designed by Denis Lesley McSwiney, it was elevated as a cathedral in on February 14, 1897. It has 6 entrances, Palladian-style porticos, a high timber ceiling and round arches. On June 28, 1973, the cathedral was gazetted as a National Monument.

St. Joseph’s Church:  143 Victoria St., Singapore 188020. Tel: (65) 6336 2664 and (65) 6338 3167.

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: cor. Queen St. and Bras Basah Rd., Singapore 188533.  Tel: (65) 6337 2036.