Basilica de San Martin de Tours

First Taal Church

Builders: Augustinians

1
st
Church:
Father Diego de Espinar (1575)
-makeshift church dedicated
to St. Martin of Tours, Bishop
-but destroyed by the eruption
of Taal Volcano 1754


2
nd
: built in 1756 by
Fr. Martin Aguirre (made
of reef stone) and
continued by other priests
Taal volcano erupted again
which caused damages to
the church and the
convent (1852)


Basilica de San
Martin de Tours
Built on top of the hill

Dubbed as the largest
church in Asia
(standing 88.6 m long and
45 m wide)

It was built in 1856 by Fr.
Marcos Anton

Arch. Luciano Oliver
commissioned to design and manage
the construction of the church

Fr. Agapito Aparicio
completed the church in 1878 a
adding the main altar of Doric style a
Responsible for the baptistery made
with tiles from Europe
Basilica de San
Martin de Tours

It was declared a National
Shrine on January 16, 1974.

A massive restoration (2011)
by Msgr. Alfredo
Madlangbayan
(sections the church interior
was restored to its original
trompe l'oeil ceilings, the tower
was restored with a new set of
carillon bells)

The restoration was
completed in November
of 2011.



Basilica de San
Martin de Tours
A small tower on the left
side of the facade
contained the large church
bell
(destroyed by an earthquake in 1942.
It was reconstructed later, but its
appearance did not match the
church)

The church was then
restored in 1953 in
preparation for the
Canonical Coronation of
the Our Lady of Cays say

The domes of the church
as restored in 1990 under
the supervision of the
National Historical
Institute.

Basilica de San
Martin de Tours

Character:

Neoclassical


Features:

The faade resembles St.
Peters Basilica in Rome,
with its Ionic columns.

The faade is also with the
palladian motif in the Late
Renaissance in character

Ionic columns on the first
level and acanthus columns
to the 1nd level.










Basilica de San
Martin de Tours


Features:

Dominated by
semicircular arched
opening

Along its axis lies a
segmented pediment
above while the
triangular pediments
lie along the sides
Basilica de San
Martin de Tours
Features:

Bell-largest bell in the
country (5.8 m in
circumference at the lip,
2.84 m around the crown
and 1.96 m in height)


The seal


5 doors
Basilica de San
Martin de Tours

Ceiling
The style is trompe loeil or
trick of the eye which gives a
3-dimensional effect for the
ceilings painted by Giovanni
Dibella


Basilica de San
Martin de Tours

Features:


Chandeliers







Altar
Thank you