When church bells ring ... in Ilocos Norte

Churches dot  the towns  of  Ilocos Norte. Four rise high in  the towns of  Batac 

( Immaculate Concepcion Church), Badoc ( La Virgen Milagrosa Shrine of Badoc),  Paoay  (Paoay Church) and San Nicolas  (San Nicholas Catholic Church). There are others found in the  towns of Sarrat  ( St. Monica church) and Dingras  (ruins of Dingras  church) then there’s   one in the northern side of the province, the Bacarra church . Two more churhces are  in Laoag:  the Carmelite Monastery Chapel (or Carmel Church) and  the St. William Cathedral.   

Such a pity we were not able to visit all the historic churches  because of the erratic weather during our three-day stay in Ilocos.  But glad that we were able to see at least two of the most impressive pilgrim sites in the said province.

Paoay Church and belltower

The imposing Paoay Church, also known as  St. Augustine Church, is one of the oldest churches in the country.  The Augustinian friars led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo  started construction in 1694 completing it in 1710 and rededicating the same in 1894. 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Paoay church a.k.a. the Earthquake Baroque church in the Philippines. 

Postcard pretty.

A total of 24  thick and massive buttresses extend from the body to support the structure and survive earthquakes. The upper portion of the buttresses are made of  bricks while coral stones were used for the lower part and a mixture of both for the walls.

Photo by BB

Photo by BB

A three-storey belltower made of coral stone stands meters away from the main building. It was. designed that way to keep the church safe in case of collapse. Katipuneros during the 1896 revolution used this belltower as their observation post  It was used yet again by Filipino guerillas during the WW II Japanese occupation

The belltower of Paoay: jutting out into the sky Photo by DSanti

Inside the church: the long walk.

Santa Monica Parish Church 

The church was  closed that afternoon we headed for a visit. Nevertheless, it was such an experience to see the neo-classical Santa Monica Church ( in the municipality of Sarrat ) on the outside. 

Santa Monica Church was the venue for the wedding of  the late President Ferdinand Marcos' daughter Irene to Gregorio Araneta in June 1983.

Like the Paoay church, this has a belltower beside the edifice built in 1669.

Santa Monica Parish Museum built in 1993 preserves the cultural and historical heritage of  

  the Ilocos townfolks.