Paoay Church

About this place

Paoay Church, formally Saint Augustine Parish Church, is a Catholic church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. Completed in 1710, it is famous for its enormous side buttresses, and UNESCO listed it in 1993 among the Baroque Churches of the Philippines. The Augustinian friar Antonio Estavillo began the building in 1694. It was damaged in the earthquakes of 1865 and 1885 and later restored, and the state named it a National Cultural Treasure in 1973. Conservation of the exterior walls and buttresses ran from 2019 to 2020, and it reopened in November 2020. It is the leading example of so-called earthquake baroque, the European style adapted to the country's quakes. You see 24 huge buttresses about 1.67 metres thick along the sides and back, some stepped, possibly for reaching the roof. The walls are of coral stone and brick, the triangular front shows Chinese elements, and the walls recall Javanese styles. To the right stands the three-storey bell tower, begun in 1793 and set apart from the church as protection against earthquakes. The church is 17 km in a straight line south-west of Laoag. The finest view is from the garden in front of the façade, in late afternoon light. It is an active place of worship, so dress modestly, keep quiet and choose a time outside Mass and weddings if you want to go in. Stalls around the square sell gifts and local food, so ask about pork.