St. Agustine
The
Paoay Church (also known as the St. Augustine Church ) is a historical church
located in the town of Paoay in Ilocos Norte, Philippines.
Construction
of the Paoay Church was started by the Augustinian friars in 1694. It was
completed in 1894 led by Fr. Antonio Estavillo and was re-dedicated in 1894.
A
three-storey coral stone bell tower stands to the right of the church which
served as an observation post in 1896 for the Katipuneros during the Philippine
revolution against the Spaniards, and again by the Filipino guerillas during
the Japanese occupation in World War II.
The
Church is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental designs. Its
facade reveals Gothic affinity, its gables show Chinese elements, while the
niches topping the walls suggest Javanese influence (reminiscent of the famous
Boroboudur Temple).
Known
as the “Earthquake Baroque” church in the Philippines, Paoay church was built
of baked bricks, coral rocks, salbot (tree sap) and lumber, and has 24 carved
massive buttresses for support. It is an architectural solution to the area's
challenging, natural setting. Both sides of the nave are lined with the most voluminous
stone buttresses seen around the islands. Large coral stones were used for the
lower level while bricks were used for the upper levels of the church. The
walls are 1.67 meters thick made of the same materials.
Its
bell tower, which is detached from its main building, is made of coral stone.
It stands a safe distance away to spare the sanctuary in case of collapse.
Originally, the church roof was thatched; and it is conjectured so that
buttresses not only support walls but give roof access during fire and typhoon.
Parts of the church were damaged during the earthquakes in 1865 and 1885.
During
an excavation inside the church in 2000, a prehistoric human skeleton and
fragmented ceramics were discovered and are now in display at the National
Museum. According to historians, the bell tower also served as a status symbol
for the locals. The bell would ring more loudly and more times during the
wedding of a prominent clan that it would during the wedding of the poor.
Paoay Church
is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. It currently is a property of the
Diocese of Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
Paoay’s
former name was Bombay. Its site was originally located in the village of
Callaguip along the coastal shores of the South China Sea, now a barrio of
Paoay. It is approximately two kilometers west of the present town proper.
From
the date of early settlement to 1701, little could be said about the activities
of the early settlers of Paoay except that much had been done in the clearing of
the forests nearby. They converted the forests into rice and sugar lands
through the slash-and-burn method called ‘kaingin.’
The
early settlers were of a peace-loving tribe, but their major problem was the
frequent furious incursions of Sea Rovers and Moro pirates called Tirong who
looted indiscriminately their agricultural produce and other valuables. In
order to protect themselves from further incursions, the folks moved towards
the nearby inland where the present town proper is now located.
In the
farther western inland, there were also settlers who formed the neighboring
town of Batac. Sensing that the Bombay people had suffered too much from the
Moro raids, the people of Batac offered the people of Bombay to live with them.
But the brave and maverick folks rejected the offer and instead they uttered
"Maka-paoay kami" – an Ilocano dialect jargon meaning they could live
independently.
The
settlers from Batac were offended and it was from this incident that the name
of the town came to arrive as Paoay.
The
first inhabitants might have come from Bombay, India because the early name of
the town was Bombay and settlers in the early days usually named the land
settlement they found after the name of their country and place of origin. When
the settlers from Bombay arrived, they found the Indonesians already making
headways in clearing the forests. Later, the more civilized Malays came and
they drove the Indonesians away. Some were captured and held slaves to help
improve the land settlement. Those who opted to live with the Malays stayed.
The two races turned blended that it is now hard to trace the single origin of
the early settlers.
To
cite the characteristics and traits of its people, Paoayenos (called the people
of Paoay) are by nature industrious, thrifty, intrepid, daring,
individualistic, peace-loving, adventurous, hospitable, and religious people.
