Manila, The "City of God“An exploration on the Earthquake baroque

churches of the Spanish colonial period; the most emblematic element of the country's architectural

heritage.SUPERGROUP HSTARC4

The religious orders played a decisive role when the Spaniards reached the Philippines; they filled Intramuros with churches, monasteries, and convents, scattering the city with religious buildings, which also performed social and welfare functions, it was the "City of God".

The Baroque Churches have been at the forefront of Philippine history since their construction in the 1500s. During the time of Spanish colonial rule, the Church and State worked hand in glove. They had served the Catholic church in the archipelago and as the political backbone of Spanish colonial rule.

The Church's political power of that period manifests in the architecture. They had been designed to withstand attacks during revolts and rebellions, giving the Churches the appearance of fortresses.

The blending of religion and military portrays the manner Spain saw its situation in the Philippines. The Church of La Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, located on top of a hill, served as a citadel during times of crisis, providing the best example of the blend of purposes in the architecture.

Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva withstood the occasional attacks from Muslims coming from the south.

Sixteenth-century Manila was ravaged by fire time and time again. Homes and churches were devoured by flames.

Sedeña, a Jesuit, taught the Philippine people how to work and lay stone, and Manila bloomed once more with new churches built "in the European style", but their sheer weight and rigidity made them fragile in the face of earth tremors.

In 1645, the city was destroyed by an earthquake. Almost everything crumbled, except the church of San Agustín.

New churches were built; these had more robust proportions and were not so high, and followed the style adopted in seismic zones in America; a new mestizo architecture had emerged and this was to be called "earthquake baroque".

Later on, in 1863 and 1880, earthquakes were to devastate Manila once more.

Almost everything crumbled, except, again, the church of San Agustín.

San Agustín (1604), a permanent miracle in stone, a church built in the "severe baroque" style with Spanish and Italian influences imported from the "Virreinato" of Mexico.

San Augustin Cathedral, after the War

"Virreinato" of Mexico. San Augustin Cathedral, Manila

Manila Cathedral, before the 1880 Earthquake

Manila Cathedral, after the 1880 Earthquake

The Cathedral of Pisa, Italy

In the Philippines, destruction of earlier churches from frequent earthquakes have made the church proportion lower and wider; side walls were made thicker and heavily buttressed for stability during shaking. The upper structures were made with lighter materials.

Sto. Nino Church, Cebu, Circa 16th Century

Earthquake Baroque is a style of Baroque architecture found in places, such at the Philippines and Guatemala, which suffered earthquakes during the 17th century and 18th century and where large public buildings, such as churches were rebuilt in a Baroque style.

Parish church. 1849. SHM Architecture began to adapt to earthquake conditions; the dimensions of constructions were made lower and wider, walls were made thicker and buttresses were made stouter, while upper structures were made lighter.

Bell towers are usually lower and stouter compared to towers in less seismically active regions of the world.

Worms Cathedral, Worms, Germany Paoay Cathedral, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

65 M 40 M

Paoay Cathedral, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Towers have thicker girth in the lower levels, progressively narrowing to the topmost level.

Worms Cathedral, Worms, Germany

Tower of the Santa Cruz church. 1850-1898. AHN Many of the towers of Philippine churches comprise a series of sections whose girth decreases as they climb upwards. Their shape and dimensions are reminiscent of the composition of other Asiatic styles of architecture.

Tower of the Quiapo church. 1850-1898. AHN The towers of Philippine churches are a combination of Renaissance bell towers and pagodas. Their presence is the architectural symbol par excellence of the Christian faith, which was carried to the Philippines by Spanish missionaries.

In some churches of the Philippines, aside from functioning as watchtowers against pirates, bell towers are detached from the main church building to avoid damage in case of a falling bell tower due to an earthquake.

Worms Cathedral, Worms, Germany Paoay Cathedral, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

The Binondo church after the 1863 earthquake. Álbum de fotografías de vistas y tipos de Filipinas. End of the 19th century. BN Its façade was characteristic of those to be seen in Manila, as was that of the monastery church of San Francisco which no longer exists. Typical elements are lateral towers, trapezium-shaped gable ends topped with a vaulted niche, small octagonal-shaped windows and twin columns.

Binondo church. 19th century. AGI The church built in this Chinese quarter, founded in 1596, was the work of the architect Domingo de la Cruz González, and is one of the architectural heritages of Manila.

Binondo Church . Also known as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish or The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz. Constructed in 1596 by Architect Domingo de la Cruz González.

Composed of five stories

Octagonal in shape Made of granite

Santa Maria Church (Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur). The only one prominently constructed on a hill. It can be ascended on a wide flight of stairs made of ancient granite rock called piedra china. Unlike in most Spanish settlements where the church is in the center of the quadricula layout, this church is purposely built as a defense fortress from looting pirates.

Portal

Pilaster

Urn-like finial

Buttresses

Bell Tower

Bricks

Hexagonal in shape Composed of 4 stories

San Agustin Church (Paoay, Ilocos Norte). 1649. Augustinians. With its colossal pyramid finial façade, San Agustine Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte has become the most iconic of all earthquake baroque churches in the Philippines. It was built in baked stucco-plastered bricks, coral blocks, tree sap and lumber. The church’s theatrical play of light and shade from its wide stained glass windows is a classic characterization of late high baroque art called chiaroscuro.

Among the four earthquake baroque churches, San Agustin has the most enormous buttressing gracefully rising from the ground to the roof. The bell tower on the western façade served as the Katipuneros’ observation post in 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spaniards and the Guerilleros’ during the World War II against the Japanese.

Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church (Miag-ao, Iloilo). The town of Miag-ao in the Province of Iloilo is a great example of Spain’s colonial grandeur in the south of Manila as evidenced by the surviving Baroque-Romanesque church of Sto. Tomas de Villanueva.

Built between between 1787 and 1797 under the guidance of the Augustinian Friar and parish priest Friar Francisco M. Gonzales, OSA and the mayor or head man of the village (Gobernadorcillo) Domingo Libo.

The yellowish brown color is attributed to the limestone and adobe used in the construction. The church's foundation is 6 meters deep and its walls are 1.5 meters wide. It's hemmed in by flying buttresses that are thrice thicker than the walls, and has twin belfries of different designs. One is a towering two-story belfry and the other is three stories high.

The architecture is of Baroque-Romanesque type and the whole structure is made of rough-cut cream-colored sandstones. The walls looked indestructibly thick, and indeed it is; almost five feet of stone thick. Really massive.