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The document discusses the earthquake baroque churches built during the Spanish colonial period in Manila, Philippines. It describes how the Spanish religious orders built many churches, monasteries and convents in Intramuros, Manila, transforming it into the "City of God". These earthquake baroque churches were designed to withstand earthquakes and attacks, with thick walls, buttresses and lower proportions. It provides examples of earthquake baroque churches like San Agustin in Paoay and Santo Tomas in Miag-ao, describing their architectural features that were adapted for earthquake resistance. The document also notes how these churches survived major earthquakes in Manila in 1645, 1863 and 1880 that destroyed most other structures.

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Marsheil Bawaan
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74 views42 pages

Hoa 2

The document discusses the earthquake baroque churches built during the Spanish colonial period in Manila, Philippines. It describes how the Spanish religious orders built many churches, monasteries and convents in Intramuros, Manila, transforming it into the "City of God". These earthquake baroque churches were designed to withstand earthquakes and attacks, with thick walls, buttresses and lower proportions. It provides examples of earthquake baroque churches like San Agustin in Paoay and Santo Tomas in Miag-ao, describing their architectural features that were adapted for earthquake resistance. The document also notes how these churches survived major earthquakes in Manila in 1645, 1863 and 1880 that destroyed most other structures.

Uploaded by

Marsheil Bawaan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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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 San Augustin Cathedral, after the War
miracle in stone, a church built in the
"severe baroque" style with Spanish
and Italian influences imported from
the "Virreinato" of Mexico.
"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.
65 M 40 M

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


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

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


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.
Urn-like finial

Pilaster

Portal
Bell Tower

Buttresses

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.

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