San Sebastian Church

Tumauini Church

San Agustin Church

Carcar Church

Malate Church

Morong Church

Miag-ao Church

Paoay Church

Taal Church

The flowering of colonial church architecture under the Spaniards was a unique event in the architectural heritage of the country. Unfortunately, the end of the Spanish regime was also the end of the church building enterprise of the missionaries. No one would ever witness a church to rise up again in the grandeur and spirit of the colonial era. In some sense, the churches are very special today because the mold was broken after they were created. But more specifically, they are very special because of the events and circumstances surrounding their creations. For today, their eclectic styles do not seem to fit into the characterization of western traditional church architecture. A person with a western orientation would never know where to begin in describing the aggregation of diverse styles of the churches. Colonial churches, explains Manila architect Augusto Villalon, may not be correct from a western point of view, but the indigenized styles are correct in their own setting. Indeed, the churches hardly impersonate European or Mexican models; instead, they seem to charm each other.

But what, in specific terms, makes Philippine colonial church architecture so unique from the realm of western traditional architecture? There are several diverse reasons; yet, each explanation seems to point back to the geographic location of the Philippines, the archipelago being a far-flung colonial outpost of the Spanish era.

A FAR-FLUNG OUTPOST.
There was no direct link between colonial Philippines and mother Spain. The colonization of the archipelago was accomplished only through New Spain or Mexico. Hence, colonizers were arriving directly from South America rather than from Europe. Considering how long it took to travel in those days, the archipelago was considered a far flung outpost of the Spanish regime. Not many conquistadors were up and ready to risk everything they had in the new colony; thus, most of those who arrived in the archipelago were ardent religious missionaries. 

Perhaps, the early missionaries were too ecstatic to venture in a new territory that they missed to bring along with them an architect. As a result, there were no trained architects when it was time to build missionary churches. It was only in the latter part of the colonial period that architects began arriving in the colony. But for almost all of the great churches throughout the country, the design and style were executed by the Spanish missionaries and the local maestro-de-obras or master builders. Faced with the undoubting task of designing and building a church, the missionaries had to rely either on their memories of past encounters or illustrations of churches in the west. 

The only link between Mexico and the new colony was the Galleon Trade. Alicia Coseteng, in her book Spanish Churches in the Philippines, explains how illustrations of an architectural trend, such as the Mexican Baroque that flourished in Mexico in 17th and 18th Century, reached the Philippines through the Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco. This is one reason why almost all of the colonial churches in the country have very strong Baroque tendencies.

The Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco was a very slow journey; the ship took about a year to reach its destination. Because of this, new architectural ideas and trends in the Philippines always lagged behind from the other colonies in South America. While this situation did not allow too much artistic leeway for the friars in their designs, the local artisans had ample time to develop their newly acquired skills. In time, the artisans began infusing their individualistic and often indigenous styles into the architecture. Although it was done with innocuous intentions, the rules of western traditional architecture were freely deviated. 

A GATHERING OF ARTISANS.
The local artisans were a varied mixture of people. When building a church, the Indios, a reference to the natives at the time, contributed much of the needed labor force. The Filipinos were good builders of wood and bamboo, but they were unskilled in building with stone. Hence, Chinese laborers were hired when such a specific skill was required. Muslims were also recruited to render labor. In several churches in the south, this resulted in minaret-like belltowers with onion-shaped roofs, trefoil arches, and geometric patterns. One good example is the Carcar church in Cebu. Muslim influence also prevailed in the central north, as the Malate church in Manila illustrates. The gathering of artisans with different ethnic backgrounds plus the fact that Filipinos have a strong Malay heritage, eventually led to the infusion of non-western motifs into the architecture, further creating a distinct style. The facade of the Miag-ao church in Iloilo is an extreme example of how a western idea was transformed to suit the taste of the local artisans. 

The church builders had to learn to build with what was available. In general, the early missionaries had very limited resources, in terms of financing as well as materials. This was further aggravated by the fact that they had to learn to build churches which can survive the onslaught of natural calamities prevalent in the new colony. These conditions led to many improvisations on both the friars and the local artisans. In the north, the massive buttresses of the Paoay church in Ilocos Norte are a reminder of the church builders’ struggle against earthquakes. 

A CONTINUOUS BUILDING PROCESS.
Colonial church architecture in the country is distinctly unique because the churches are a mixture and accretion of different architectural styles. It was never a question whether the builders should tear down an old church to make way for a new one. That would have been very wasteful, considering the limited resources they had. When churches were rebuilt, they were often reconstructed over existing foundations or walls. As a result, the architectural style is usually a crossbreed of disparate sources. The Morong church in Rizal, however, displays how the integration of a new belfry with the old facade can create one of the most well-composed architectures in colonial Philippines. 

Put together, geographic location, climate, materials, and the spontaneous and improvisational attitude of the Filipinos created a kind of architecture that give hint to western ideas yet unique enough to stand on its own. Traditional western architectural idioms were interpreted in ways that are suitable only to the Filipino taste. Through these processes, exceptional churches abound in all parts of the archipelago. In the north, the Tumauini church in Isabela is renown for its intricate brick ornamentation. Betis church in Pampanga has an exceptional trompe l’oiel interior that is seemingly second only to San Agustin church in Intramuros. 

The church building enterprise of the Spanish missionaries also set significant world records in the evolution of architecture in this part of the world. Taal church in Batangas is the widest church in Asia, while San Sebastian church in Manila, perhaps the crowning glory of colonial church building in the country, is the first all-iron church in Asia. As a pre-fabricated steel structure, San Sebastian church is closely behind the structural feat of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 

Colonial churches have been a great source of inspiration for a long time. Painters and artists have often recreated the churches in their works; writers and lyricists have enigmatized the churches in their passionate endeavors (Who has not heard of Constancio de Guzman’s classic Lumang Simbahan?); modern-day architects often turn their back to the past to reorient themselves from the chaos of architectural ‘isms of today. But more than that, these edifices of faith have steered the course of the country and the Filipino people to where they are now. At times when the country struggled to unite itself and tried to recover from the devastation left by natural disasters, political instability, and economic mismanagement, the Filipino people, because of their strong religious faith, have managed to pick up themselves time and time again. 

Besides their role as bastions of the Catholic faith, they are poised as living monuments and proud standing witness to the Filipino heritage. They are reminders of an era in the country’s colorful history. One can only hope that the churches will continue to exist for hundreds of years more to come. 

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