Architecture of Faith

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE | ARCH. OLIVER CHAVEZ

BACLARAN CHURCH
Formally known as the National Shrine of our Mother of Perpetual Help Also called the Redemptorist Church or most
commonly the Baclaran Church. It is considered as the most visited church in Asia. Every Wednesday, the church’s
novena day, approximately 10,000 people from inside and out of the metro attend mass to celebrate its tradition. It
houses the shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. On 1906, Redemptorists arrived in the country to introduce the
Mother of Perpetual Help.
Father Gerard O’Donnel became the first Rector in Baclaran on 23 June 1948. Father Leo English conducted the first
novena in the Baclaran Church. The church had a 300 person capacity yet only 70 people attended.Before the end of
1949, Wednesday became the official day of prayer for the Virgin of Perpetual Help, therefore also making it the
novena day for the week.
Slowly Filipinos began to flock to the church making it hard to accommodate more people, but with the help of
Filipino communities’ donations and thanksgiving letters the church was renovated to help more people.
At present, the church continues to accommodate thousands of devotees, though it is still uncertain why Filipino
people choose to hear mass specifically at the Baclaran Church.
The Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran has symbolic significances to the Catholic faith. The
shrine has many parts which are made with exquisite materials made for the people. The baldachin is the shrine's
centrepiece. Its columns and capitals are made of giallo oro and Bottecino marbles. The gracefully curving altar rails
under the baldachin are made of white Carrara marble.
The shrine’s columns are made of Black Belgium marble, Moroccan onyx and Venetian mosaics.
The Baclaran Church has a total floor area of 54,564 square feet.
It is 71 feet tall, 350 feet long and 118 feet wide.

BACLARAN CHURCH
ARCHITECT CESAR CONCIO
LOCATION BACLARAN, MANILA
TYPOLOGY RELIGIOUS
Formally known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish. The church is the site of the First Philippine Republic, making it one of the most
historically and important churches in the Philippines.

BARASOAIN CHURCH
 Popularly known as Taal Basilica, Basilica de San Martin de Tours is
the largest church in Asia, standing 96 meters long and 45 meters
wide. It's long (re)construction history is due to damages brought by
the eruption of Taal volcano, an earthquake, and World War II.

BASILA DE SAN MARTIN DE TOURS

BASILICA MINORE DEL STO.NINO
Formally known as the Convent and Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City
It is the sanctuary and center of the Sto.Niño de Cebu devotion in the country where the image of the Holy Child is
venerated under the custody of the Augustinians.
The image of the Holy Child was brought during the Magellan Expedition that arrived in the country in 1521 and
was rediscovered in 1565 by one of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s men.
The first structures were made of light materials but were razed by a fire in 1566. It was only during the third
attempt, that the structure was made of stone but was again destroyed by fire.
The present structure, made from coral stones hewn from Panay and its wood from Talisay and present day San
Fernando is probably the fourth to be built
The facade is said to be a blending of Muslim, Romanesque and neo-classical features.
In 1965, during the occasion of the quadricentennial of the christianization of the Philippines, heavy restoration
was undertaken.
BINONDO CHURCH
Binondo Church is also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz. Founded by the Dominican priests in 1596,
Binondo Church is one of the oldest places of Christian worship in the Philippines.
It was administered by the Secular Priests in 1768, returned to Dominican Administration in 1822 and back to
Secular Priests in 1898. The maintenance is largely funded by the Catholic Chinese community, many of whom
reside or operate businesses in neighboring Chinatown. Masses are held in Filipino, in Chinese dialects
(Mandarin, Hokkien), and in English.
In 1596, Dominican priests founded Binondo church to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity as well as to the
native Filipinos.On December 7, 1923, the Sacred Consistorial Congregation transferred the ministry of the
Chinese back to the Dominicans. But in view of the lack of parish church, the Archbishop granted the use of
the church for the material services of the Chinese community until a time that a church could built. This kind
of situation existed until it was put to an end in the last war.
In 1945, the parish priest for the Chinese, Fr. Antonio Garcia obtained permission to build a church and convent in
the premises of the Binondo Church. Thus, until today, there exists two churches in the Binondo parish: one
the old church now handled by Mosignor Josefino Ramirez, and the other, the Dominicans for the Chinese
under Fr. Luis Sierra, O.P.
The original structure has sustained damages from the earthquakes and other natural disasters. The octagonal bell
tower is all that remains of the 16th century construction. Binondo church was destroyed in 1603 Chinese
revolt.
The church was large and adequate for the priests and ministries. It was also here that the first Filipino saint, St.
Lorenzo Ruiz, served as sacristan.
The original building was destroyed by a bombardment by the British in 1762 during their brief occupation of Manila
at that time. The current granite church was completed on the same site in 1852 and features an octagonal bell tower
which suggests the Chinese culture of the parishioners.
The church was burned during the British invasion of 1872. Another one was quickly built following the occupation.
Improvements were made in the 18th century but the edifice was again destroyed in the 1863 earthquake.
The church was rebuilt in the grandeur the remains on which we see today. Before the war, it was considered as one
of the most beautiful churches in the country.

Its bell tower was composed of five stories, octagonal in shape. At its top was a mirador (viewing window).
The roof was destroyed during the 1863 earthquake.
American bombing on September 22, 1944 destroyed the structure. Everything including the archives of the parish
were burned. Nothing was left behind except the stone walls of the church and the fire-tiered octagonal belltower.
After the war, Binondo parishioners had to make do with a roofless church for several years until it was rebuilt in the
1950's.

The present church and convent was renovated between 1946 and 1971.
Also known as the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz, Binondo church was named after the sacristan, San Lorenzo
Ruiz, who was born of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother.
He was trained in this church then went to Japan as a missionary, where he was executed for refusing to renounce his
religion. He was canonized in 1989.
A large statue of the martyr stands in front of the church, being the first Filipino saint.
CEBU METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL
The Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu in Cebu,
Philippines.
Cebu was established as a diocese on August 14, 1595. It was elevated as a metropolitan archdiocese on April 28,
1934 with the dioceses of Dumaguete, Maasin, Tagbilaran, and Talibon as suffragans.
Construction of the cathedral took many years due to frequent interruptions, brought about by lack of funds and
other unexpected events.
At one time, funds meant for the building of the cathedral were diverted to the moro wars. The death of an
incumbent bishop who spearheaded the construction/reconstruction and vacancies in the office were also
factors.
The architecture of the church is typical of Spanish colonial churches in the country, namely, squat and with thick
walls to withstand typhoons and other natural calamities.
The facade features a trefoil-shaped pediment, which is decorated with carved relieves of floral motifs, an IHS
inscription and a pair of griffins.
The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms is emblazoned in low relief above the main entrance, reflecting perhaps the
contribution of the Spanish monarch to its construction.
During World War II, much of the cathedral was destroyed by Allied bombings of the city. Only the belfry (built in
1835), the facade, and the walls remained.
It was quickly rebuilt in the 1950s under the supervision of architect Jose Ma. Zaragosa, during the
incumbency of Archbishop Gabriel Reyes.
In 1982, a mausoleum was built at the back of the sacristy at the initiation of Archbishop Julio Cardinal
Rosales. It serves as a final resting place for the remains of Cebu's bishops and clergy.
Cardinal Rosales, who died three months after inauguration of the mausoleum, is interred there along wi
Archbishop Manuel Salvador, a coadjutor archbishop of Cebu, and Archbishop Mariano Gaviola, the
archbishop of Lipa (1981–1993). The remains of Bishop Juan Bautista Gorordo, the first Filipino and
Cebuano bishop of Cebu, are also interred there.
The cathedral was renovated recently for the 75th anniversary celebration on April 28, 2009 of the
elevation of Cebu into an archdiocese.
An application is pending at the Vatican for the cathedral's elevation into a minor basilica in honor of St.
Vitalis, an early Christian martyr. His feast day coincides with the day the image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu
was found almost 450 years ago, as well as the anniversary of the elevation of Cebu into an archdiocese.
MIAG-AO CHURCH, ILOILO
The Miag-ao Church, also known as the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, was built in 1786 by Spanish
Augustinian missionaries
It was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993.
On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and
native influences.
The central feature of the bas-relief facade is a large coconut tree which reaches almost to the apex.
While an integral part of the Philippine landscape, the coconut tree is also the subject of lore. According to an old
Philippine legend, the coconut tree was the only bequest from a loving mother to her two children, a tree
which sustained them for life. On the church's facade the coconut tree appears as the "tree of life" to which
St. Christopher carrying the Child Jesus on his shoulder is clinging to.
The lesser facades feature the daily life of Miagaowanons during the time.
Also depicted are other native flora and fauna, as well as native dress.
The church and its watchtowers were also built to defend the town and its people against raids by the Moros. It
therefore has thick walls and, reportedly, secret passages.
Indeed, stretching along the Iloilo coast are defensive towers, but none that equal the size of the Miag-ao. It is
because of this defensive purpose that it is sometimes referred to as the Miag-ao Fortress Church.
PAOAY CHURCH
Also known as the St. Augustine or San Agustin Church in Paoay
Former president Ferdinand Marcos declared Paoay Church as a national treasure and is now included in the
UNESCO World Heritage List.
It currently is a property of the Diocese of Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
Construction of 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 a few meters away from the church.
The bell tower 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.
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.
Portions of the church was 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.
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.
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.
The rectangular facade of the church is supported by four pillasters which extend from the first to the second level outlining the
arched doorway. Huge volutes or buttresses and low-relief lines are found on each side of the facade.
In Fr. Pedro Galende's book, he described the massiveness of the structure is balanced by its grace and fluidity. The church adapts
the pyramidal design of the baroque style.
Its details are inspired from by seal of Saint Agustine, the emblem of the king of Spain, the logo of the Pope, the “init-tao” or the sun
god, and stylized Chinese clouds.
QUIAPO CHURCH, MANILA
ArchitectJuan Felipe Nakpil
Location Quiapo, Manila
Typology Religious

Officially known as Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene. Also known as St. John the Baptist Parish.
One of the most popular churches in the country, it is home to the Black Nazarene, a much venerated statue of Jesus Christ which
many people believe has miraculous attributes.
The church was painted cream after the original Mexican Baroque edifice was burned down in 1928.
It is expanded to its current form in 1984 for accommodation of thousands of devotees.
The church at present belongs to the Archdiocese of Manila.
When Governor General Santiago de Vera founded the District of Quiapo on August 29, 1586, the Franciscan Missionaries built the
first church of Quiapo with Bamboo and Nipa.
San Pedro Bautista, a Franciscan missionary at that time was one of the founders of the Quiapo church, thus his image is located at
one of the side niches of the church.
San Pedro Bautista founded many churches in Metro Manila and Laguna. The famous of them all is the one at San Francisco Del
Monte, the parish that is named after him and houses the Holy Cave for missionaries that went to China and Japan during those
days.
Quiapo Church was burned in 1639. Rebuilding and repairs at intervals gave the parish a stronger edifice which the
earthquake of 1863 partially destroyed.Under the supervision of Fathers Eusebio de Leon and Manuel Roxas, the
third church was completed in 1899, with Fr. Roxas raising PhP. 40,000.00 from contributions.
In the fire of October 30, 1928, the church was left in ruins leaving its scarred walls and belfry. Dona Encarnacion Nakpil
de Orense, head of the Parish Committee, raised funds for the reconstruction of the church and National Artist for
Architecture Juan Nakpil was made responsible for the church's rebuilding.Miraculously, the church survived the
ravages of the Second World War, despite its surrounding buildings being completely destroyed.
To meet the needs of an ever-increasing number of churchgoers, Msgr. Jose Abriol, together with Architect Jose Ma.
Zaragoza and Engr. Eduardo Santiago, worked hard in 1984 to have the parish church and national shrine remolded.
Thus this sacred edifice has doubled in holding capacity and has acquired a most sturdy columnless structure and
modern architectural beauty.
Cardinal Sin blessed it on September 28, 1987. The year after, Quiapo Church was declared the Minor Basilica of the
Black Nazarene. The Papal Nuncio, Most Rev. Bruno Torpigliani, blessed the altar of San Lorenzo Ruiz on February 1,
1988.The Augustinian Recollect Friars brought the image of the Black Nazarene to the Church of San Juan Bautista
in Bagumbayan, now part of Luneta/Rizal Park on May 31, 1606. The image was transferred to the bigger Recollect
church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in 1608. In 1787, Basilio Sancho de Santas Junta y Rufina, S.P., then Archbishop
of Manila, ordered the transfer of the image to the Church of Quiapo.
The Quiapo Church holds a weekly novena every Friday and is attended by thousands of devotees. On January 9, the
parish commemorates the "TRANSLACION", or the transfer of the image from Luneta (formerly Bagumbayan) to
Quiapo. This event is participated by millions of Devotees while Quiapo Church holds Novena of Masses before the
event. Many sick people come to see the Black Nazarene, hoping that getting a chance to pray
STO DOMINGO CHURCH, QC
JOSE MA. ZARAGOSA
ArchitectJose Ma. Zaragosa
Location Quezon City
Typology Religious

The Santo Domingo Church houses the famous Marian image of La

Naval. Said to be miraculous, it was believed to have helped the
Spanish Armada against foreign conquerors of the past including
hostile Muslim pirates, the Dutch and the English.
In l941, when her shrine in the old Sto. Domingo Church in Manila was
bombed, La Naval was safely hidden for a time in the old church’s
vault, and later transferred to the chapel of the University of Sto.
Tomas.
In l952, the cornerstone was laid for a new shrine at the Sto. Domingo
Church in Quezon City and in l954, La Naval was led in solemn
procession by the Phillippines hierarchy, public officials, priests, nuns,
and thousands of devotees to her new home.
This shrine was declared by the Philippine bishops as the national
shrine of the Queen of the Holy Rosary of the Philippines.
The church is one of the tallest and largest in the Philippines.
The main altar has a mosaic of St. Dominic designed by Architect Jose
Zaragoza. Galo Ocampo designed the stained glass windows.
The mural in front was created by Francesco Riccardo Monti.
 MAGALLANES CHURCH, MAKATI
LEANDRO LOCSIN, ILDEFONSO SANTOS JR.
DOMINIC GALICIA
 ArchitectsLeandro Locsin, Ildefonso Santos, Jr., Dominic Galicia
Location Magallanes Village, Makati
Typology Religious
Construction 1968
Formally known as the Parish Church of St. Alphonsus. The Magallanes Church was built in 1968 and consumed by
fire in September 2004.
The church was rebuilt by Architect Dominic Galicia, preserving the concrete structure that survived the fire while
adding a soaring roof that increased the height from six meters to 28 meters.With a new mezzanine, seating
also increase from 300 to 900. The new structure served as a symbol of a community transforming tragedy
into grace.
In 1968, Architect Leandro Locsin designed an 800-square-meter parish church that was intimate and low, with an
interior that was dark. The plan was a perfect square, 28 meters each side, with a four-meter-high ceiling that
was flat. The central aisle ran along the diagonal of the square. Marching along the perimeter were 28
concrete buttresses four meters tall, which were wide at the base and narrow at the top. They seemed to
support a massive roof slab, which was actually a tall parapet wall that shielded the corrugated metal roof.
When fire destroyed the building, only the 28 buttresses remained. After much deliberation, the parish decided
that it would be more economical and symbolically pithy to salvage the buttresses, rather than demolish them
and start from scratch.
The new structure consists of 13 roof vaults resting on new composite columns. The central roof vault, eight meters wide, travels
the longest distance, which is the diagonal of the square plan, to a height of 28 meters.
Independent roof vaults, 4 1/2 meters wide, ascend to it on either side, beginning at 11 meters from ground level, then 14
meters, 16 meters, 18 meters, 21 meters, and 25 meters, like the 12 apostles who accompanied Jesus Christ.
The vaults are thin-shell concrete membranes clad in unglazed clay tiles, which help reduce heat gain.
The vaults are separated by clear glass windows, which, in the upper reaches of the building, are also operable.
The 28 buttresses, originally designed for aesthetic effect, were hollow. They were filled with concrete to fulfill a new structural
purpose of providing lateral support to the new composite columns that carry the roof vaults.
The goal is a sustainable building that by its architecture minimizes its waste of materials and dependence on fossil fuels.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE
ST. ANDREW THE APOSTLE
LEANDRO LOCSIN
SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH
INGLESIA NI CRISTO COMPLEX
CARLOS VIOLA
SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH
Formally known as the Basilica Minore de San Sebastian
A Roman Catholic minor basilica.
It is the seat of the Parish of San Sebastian and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
An example of the revival of Gothic architecture in the Philippines, it is the only all-steel church or basilica in Asia.
It has been implausibly reputed to be the first prefabricated building in the world and more plausibly claimed as the
only prefabricated steel church in the world.
In 2006, San Sebastian Church was included in the Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site. It
was designated as a National Historical Landmark by the Philippine government in 1973.
San Sebastián Church is under the care of The Order of the Augustinian Recollects, who also operate a college
adjacent to the basilica.
In 1621, Don Bernardino Castillo, a generous patron and a devotee of the Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, donated
the land upon which the church stands now.
The original church, made of wood, burned in 1651 during a Chinese uprising. The succeeding structures, which
were built of brick, were destroyed by fire and earthquakes in 1859, 1863, and 1880.
In the 1880s, Estebán Martínez, the parish priest of the ruined church, approached the Spanish architect, Genaro
Palacios, with a plan to build a fire and earthquake-resistant structure made entirely of steel.
Palacios completed a design that fused Earthquake Baroque with the Neo-Gothic style. His final design was said to have been
inspired by the famed Gothic Burgos Cathedral in Burgos, Spain.

The prefabricated steel sections that would compose the church were manufactured in Binche, Belgium.
According to the historian Ambeth Ocampo, the knockdown steel parts were ordered from the Societe Anonyme des Enterprises
de Travaux Publiques in Brussels. In all, 52 tons of prefabricated steel sections were transported in eight separate shipments from
Belgium to the Philippines, the first shipment arriving in 1888. Belgian engineers supervised the assembly of the church.
Tthe first column of the church was erected on September 11, 1890.

The walls were filled with mixed sand, gravel and cement.
The stained glass windows were imported from the Henri Oidtmann Company, a German stained glass firm
Local artisans assisted in applying the finishing touches of the steel church.
The church was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope Leo XIII on June 24, 1890.
Upon its completion the following year, on August 16, 1891, Basilica Minore de San Sebastián was consecrated by the Archbishop
of Manila, Bernardo Nozaleda.

It has long been reputed that Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower and the steel structure within the Statue
of Liberty, was involved in the design and construction of San Sebastián Church. The connection between Eiffel and San Sebastián
Church was reportedly confirmed by historian Ambeth Ocampo while doing research in Paris. Ocampo likewise published a
report that in the 1970s, the famed architect I. M. Pei had visited Manila to confirm reports he had heard that Eiffel had designed
an all-steel church in Asia. When Pei inspected San Sebastián Church, he reportedly pronounced that the metal fixtures and
overall structure were indeed designed by Eiffel.

Definitely it is said that the official catalogues of Eiffel make possible reference to the design and exportation of a church in
Manila in 1875, or thirteen years before construction of San Sebastián Church actually began. If true, this would still not preclude
the possibility that Eiffel had designed the metal structure of the church, with Palacios completing the actual design of the entire
church.
San Sebastián Church has two openwork towers and steel vaulting.

The basilica's central nave is twelve meters from the floor to the dome, and thirty-two meters to the tip of the spires.
The interior of the church displays groined vaults in the Gothic architecture style.
The steel columns, walls, and ceiling were painted by Lorenzo Rocha and his students to give off a faux-marble and jasper
appearance.
Trompe l'oeil paintings were used to decorate the interiors of the church.
True to the Gothic revival spirit of the church are its confessionals, pulpit, altars, and five retablos as designed by Lorenzo Guerrero,
as well as Rocha.
The sculptor Eusebio García carved the statues of holy men and women.
Six holy water fonts were constructed for the church, each crafted from marble obtained from Romblon.
Above the main altar is an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, given to the church by Carmelite sisters from Mexico City in 1617.
The image withstood all the earthquakes and fires which had destroyed previous incarnations of San Sebastián Church, but its
ivory head was stolen in 1975.
In recent years, San Sebastián Church has encountered threats to its structural integrity. The steel structure has been beset by rust
and corrosion, to which the sea breezes from nearby Manila Bay contribute.In 1998, it was placed on the biennial watchlist of
the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund, though it was not retained in the subsequent watchlists.
San Sebastian Church was a declared National Historical Landmark by President Ferdinand Marcos through Presidential Decree No.
260 in 1973.State funding was accorded to the church through the National Historical Institute which undertook restoration in
1982. The Recollect community has likewise expended funds for the church's maintenance and restoration.On May 16, 2006,
San Sebastián Church was included in the Tentative List for possible designation as a World Heritage Site, on account of its
architectural and historical heritage.
CHURCH OF GESU, ATENEO DE MANILA
JOSE PEDRO RECIO & CARMELO CASAS
CHURCH OF THE RISEN LORD.
CESAR CONCIO
MAGALLANES CHURCH, MAKATI
LEANDRO LOCSIN, ILDEFONSO SANTOS JR. DOMINIC GALICIA
MAGALLANES CHURCH
MAGALLANES CHURCH