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A Sele c t i on o fPh i l i p p i n e Chu r ch Facade s

©2009 SIMBAHAN.NETwww.simbahan.net

Concept, layout, text, designand photos by Estan Cabigaswww.estancabigas.com

Cover: Pediment detail of the church in Lucban, Quezon.

ivPh i l i p p i n e Chu r ch Façade s

About th is e-book, v i i

About the Photographer, v i i i

Simbahan, Majest ic Structures, 1

Phi l ippine Church Façades, 3

The Images, 4

Tayum, Abra, 5

Laoag, I locos Norte, 6

San Vicente, I locos Sur, 7

Luna, La Union, 8

Balaoan, La Union, 9

Calasiao, Pangasinan, 10

Manaoag, Pangasinan, 11

Tuguegarao, Cagayan, 12

Tumauini , Isabela, 13

Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, 14

Angeles, Pampanga, 15

Table of Contents

vPhi l i p p i n e Chu r ch Façade s

Barasoain, Bulacan, 16

Calumpit , Bulacan, 17

Malolos, Bulacan, 18

Abucay, Bataan, 19

Malabon, Metro Mani la, 20

(Mani la Cathedral) Intramuros, Mani la, 21

(San Agust in) Intramuros, Mani la, 22

Pasig, Metro Mani la, 23

Nagcar lan, Laguna, 24

Paki l , Laguna, 25

Taal, Batangas, 26

Lucban, Quezon, 27

Tayabas, Quezon, 28

Romblon, Romblon, 29

Cuyo, Palawan, 30

Naga, Camarines Sur, 31

viPh i l i p p i n e Chu r ch Façade s

Tabaco, Albay, 32

Guiuan, Eastern Samar, 33

Argao, Cebu, 34

Carcar, Cebu, 35

Naga, Cebu, 36

(Santo Niño) Cebu City, 37

Jimenez, Misamis Occidental , 38

Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, 39

Index to the Images, 40

viiPh i l i p p i n e Chu r ch Façade s

About th is e-book

This e-book br ings you a select ion of 35 churches that

were included in the PHILIPPINE CHURCH FAÇADES

book as photographed by Estan Cabigas in 23 prov-

inces from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

viiiPh i l i p p i n e Chu r ch Façade s

About the Photographer

Estan Cabigas is a f reelance documentary photogra-

pher based in Makat i Ci ty, the Phi l ippines. The book

PHILIPPINE CHURCH FAÇADES is his f i rst major work

being the pr incipal photographer who took 100 of the

160 featured churches.

1Phi l i p p i n e Chu r ch Façade s

Simbahan, Majest ic Structures

Simbahan. What or ig inated as a word connot ing a

place of adorat ion, a temporary structure or refurbish-

ment made in honor of ani tos, ( lesser dei t ies), dur-

ing feasts in pre-Hispanic Phi l ippines has, wi th the

conversion of i ts inhabi tants to Chr ist iani ty dur ing the

Spanish colonizat ion per iod, come to mean a perma-

nent place of worship, a church.

From their i t inerant l i festy les and widely scattered

sett lements, the reducciones, the system implemented

by the Spaniards to hasten the Chr ist ianizat ion and

Hispanizat ion of the nat ives, has led to the format ion

of Chr ist ian communit ies thus founding the towns and

later, c i t ies. The simbahan thus, emblems of fa i th and

author i ty for most of these communit ies for more than

three centur ies, have been mute wi tnesses to the un-

folding history of i ts people’s l ives and dai ly struggles.

The colonial church, imposing and grand as what the

f r iars planned and bui l t was more a product of what

mater ia ls were avai lable, of what natural d isasters

conspired to shape i t , of what extant memory the pa-

dre has of the f lamboyant churches in the mother

country in Spain or, in most cases, those in Mexico

and of what the art isans, wi thout a concept of how a

Baroque church actual ly looked l ike, eventual ly ex-

ecuted their versions of i t to become a truly unique

Phi l ippine version that most scholars now categor ize

under Per ipheral Baroque.

I t is th is uniqueness that has made the Phi l ippine co-

lonial churches special that makes i t more apparent to


conserve these, or what remains of i t . Unfortunately,

through the years, wanton destruct ion and neglect has

taken i ts to l l . Eager par ish pr iests and par ishioners

have made their mark on these churches to update

their look wi th the t imes. Parts of a sect ion have been

demol ished to give way to a wider door or an addi-

t ional portal or to construct an adorat ion chapel . Cen-

tur ies old cei l ing paint ings, testament to fo lk art ist ry,

erased forever and in i ts place poor copies of Michae-

langelo’s masterpiece from the Sist ine Chapel. Pale-

tada, the “skin” that covers the exter ior of the church

is peeled off to appease some peoples concept of “a

romant ic look” but in the process weakening the very

bui ld ing blocks. Or demol ishing an or ig inal structure

and with i t anything old and aging and in i ts place, a

gaudy piece of concrete painted with the colors of the

rainbow. The l is t can go on and on.

There is a need to know what we st i l l have or what we

have lost and in the process hope that something can

be done about i t before i ts too late and a major Fi l i -

p ino ident i ty wi l l just become a distant memory pre-

served in pictures and words.

Estan Cabigas

www.simbahan.net


Phi l ippine Church Façades

PHILIPPINE CHURCH FAÇADES by Pedro Galende,

OSA, director of San Agust in Museum has brought

us another landmark work that wi l l surely benef i t the

study and appreciat ion of her i tage colonial churches

in the Phi l ippines.

Never in th is scale and magnitude, that a work has

been devoted to 160 colonial era churches in the

country found from Luzon to Mindanao. This book in-

c ludes the edi f ices bui l t by the Seculars and the di f -

ferent rel ig ious orders: Recol lects, Dominicans, Jesu-

i ts, Franciscans and of course, the August in ians in the

16th-19th centur ies.

The book consists of over 600 colored and 161 ar-

chival photos. Each church is t reated in two pages.

Other than the main photo of the current facade, an

archival photograph

as wel l as two, three,

or four facade detai ls

l ike embel ishments,

f in ia ls, columns and

the order ’s seals are

included. The text is

usual ly l imi ted to a

short h istory and ar-

chi tectural descr ipt ion

of the structure.

Get th is book to fu l ly appreciate th is important refer-

ence. Copies are avai labe at the San Agust in Museum

in Intramuros, Mani la wi th contact numbers at +63 2

5274060 or +63 2 5266794.

The Image s


Tayum, Abra


Laoag, I locos Norte


San Vicente, I locos Sur


Luna, La Union


Balaoan, La Union


Calasiao, Pangasinan


Manaoag, Pangasinan


Tuguegarao, Cagayan


Tumauini , Isabela


Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya


Angeles, Pampanga


Barasoain, Bulacan


Calumpit , Bulacan


Malolos, Bulacan


Abucay, Bataan


Malabon, Metro Mani la


(Mani la Cathedral) Intramuros, Mani la


(San Agust in) Intramuros, Mani la


Pasig, Metro Mani la


Nagcar lan, Laguna


Paki l , Laguna


Taal, Batangas


Lucban, Quezon


Tayabas, Quezon


Romblon, Romblon


Cuyo, Palawan


Naga, Camarines Sur


Tabaco, Albay


Guiuan, Eastern Samar


Argao, Cebu


Carcar, Cebu


Naga, Cebu


(Santo Niño) Cebu City


Jimenez, Misamis Occidental


Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte


Index to the Images

5

10

15

6

11

16

7

12

17

8

13

18

9

14

19


20

25

30

21

26

31

22

27

32

23

28

33

24

29

34


35 36 37 38 39


Visi t Estan’s photography port fo l io and blogs at

www.estancabigas.com - Photography Port fo l io

www.simbahan.net - Phi l ippine Church Archi tecture blog

www.langyaw.com - Travel b log

http://estancabigas.com

http://simbahan.net

http://langyaw.com

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