The carved front
A coconut tree and local plants.
Ryan Sia — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ronald Medina — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ninya Regalado — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ninya Regalado — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allan Jay Quesada — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Allan Jay Quesada — CC BY-SA 4.0
Miagao Church, formally Santo Tomás de Villanueva Parish Church, is a fortress church in Miagao, Iloilo. UNESCO listed it on 11 December 1993 among the Baroque Churches of the Philippines. It stands out for its ochre colour, two massive towers and a front carved with a coconut tree. Miagao became an independent parish in 1731, and after raids in 1741 and 1754 the town moved to a safer spot. The present church was built with forced labour from 1787 to 1797 on the highest point of the town, to serve as a fortress too. It was damaged in 1898, by fire in 1910, in the Second World War and by an earthquake in 1948, and restored from 1960 to 1962. The walls are 1.5 metres thick, backed by setback buttresses 4 metres thick, on a foundation 6 metres deep. The colour comes from adobe, egg, coral and limestone. The front blends Spanish, Chinese and local influences: a coconut tree stands for the tree of life, with plants such as papaya and palm showing daily life of the time. The two towers differ because two different priests commissioned them. The church is 36.7 km in a straight line south-west of Iloilo City. The finest view is from the square in front, in morning or late afternoon light. It is an active place of worship, so dress modestly, keep quiet and choose a time outside Mass and weddings. Stand back far enough to see the whole front, then take your time over the carving.
A coconut tree and local plants.
Two different watchtowers.
1.5 m thick with 4 m buttresses.
Centre of Miagao, Iloilo province
It was built high in the town with thick walls and watchtowers, to protect people from raids.
It stands for the tree of life on the front, with plants showing daily life of the time.