Every country has its own place of interest that tourists visit because it manifests its own natural or cultural value, historical importance, natural beauty, offering pleasure, relaxation and delight.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) plays an important role in protection and preservation of these interesting places, so-called as our cultural and natural heritage around the world.
The Philippines is known to be in possession of numerous scenic places that hold value for humans from a natural, cultural, historical, archaeological, scientific, aesthetic, spiritual, or social perspective.
The Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish, also known as Miag-ao Church in Iloilo is recognized as one of the most visited churches in Western Visayas. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 11, 1993, together with five other churches located in different parts of the Philippines.
The church was built in a later Baroque style with elements of Romanesque and the color of yellowish-brown or ochre is a result of the adobe, coral, and limestone used in its construction. It contains elements of Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and the local culture, which makes it unusual and uniquely Filipino. According to an interview with one of the assigned priests in 2017, Miag-ao church is over 200 years old and one of the baroque churches in the Philippines. The church has 7 buttresses on each side that serves as “Contra Puertes” meaning, it was constructed and designed to reinforce and withstand earthquakes and typhoons. Also, the church is flanked by two towers or campanarios, the oldest of which dates from the eighteenth century and the other from the nineteenth century.
St. Christopher, for example, wears a traditional Filipino dress and is surrounded by decorations such as papaya and palm trees, which are very common in the country. The distinctive yellow-ochre hue of the Miagao Church comes from the introduction of corals, limestone, and ground into dust, reinforced with the secret ingredient: egg whites into the adobe mix. Spaniards typically use egg whites to make mortar for their churches, it makes the mixture more robust.
This church symbolizes the resilience and faith of the Filipino people not just in Iloilo but all over the country. It is a unique place of worship and one of the most beautiful architectural gems in the Philippines.
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