Travel Asia

The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva or the Miagao Church is one of the Philippines’ architectural gems and religious gems. The church was constructed in 1797 and it stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao centuries ago. The church’s fortress-like design suggests its dual purpose as a place of worship and as a fort used in defending the town from Moro raiders at that time. Miagao Church is one of only four Augustinian-built churches in the country to make it to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The unique facade of the church boasts of a bas-relief of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child through a tropical forest. A large stone image of St Thomas de Villanueva, the parish patron saint, dominates the center of the facade. Flanking the main entrance are the carved life-size statues of the Pope and St. Henry with their coat- of- arms above them. The twin belfries support the facade. One of the belfry towers have three storeys and the other has two storeys. The eye-catching gold plated retablo is the highlight of the church’s otherwise simple interior.

The adobe that was used in building the church is made from silt and clay that can only be found in Iloilo which gives the church a unique warm yellowish glow. In Baroque-Romanesque style, the church sinks six meters deep into the ground with walls one-and-a-half meters thick and buttresses thrice thicker. The thick buttresses is reminiscent of churches in Ilocos, particularly that of Paoay Church and the Vigan Cathedral. The bell towers that are dissimilar were commissioned by two different parish priests. Since there was no cement back then, the rocks that were used to build the walls were glued together using limestone and egg whites. The belfry on the left (when facing the church) is older than the one on the right.

Miagao is about 40 kilometers south-west of Iloilo City. Jeepneys that ply the route Miagao or San Joaquin can take visitors from the city proper to this town in about 45 minutes.