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Lesson-2 - ART APPRECIATION

BS Management Accounting (Sultan Kudarat State University)

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Lesson 2.3 The Development of Visual Arts in the Philippines

Introduction

The historical development of arts in the Philippines may be traced into three
periods (1) Spanish Period (2) American Period and (3) Modern Periods. Early Filipino’s
painting be manifested today among the arts and architecture of the Maranao who are
well known for the Naga dragons and the Sarimanok and printed in beautiful Panolong
of their Tarogan or King’s House.
Among Philippines Visual Arts are paintings, ethnic art which is the native
indigenous Philippine design, and the folk at which is the people’s craft as well as
handicrafts. The most common and famous folk art motifs are the Serpent Demon of the
Naga, The Sarimanok, and Tattoo Art.

Objectives
1. Discuss the development of Visual Art in the Philippines
2. Identify the visual art in the Philippines
3. Appreciate the artistic design and motif in the visual art of Filipinos.

Contents

 The Development of Visual Arts in the Philippines

In the Philippines, painting is compared to that of its counterpart in the pacific
region. By nature, Filipinos are imaginative and creative but whatever artifacts available
were eventually lost to oblivion because of two major factors; the first is that primitive art
were made to last for a very short life span. Maybe because of the medium used such
as leaves and bark of trees which could not withstand the harsh weather, and second is
the coming of the Spanish colonizers left them with no choice but to give up their way of
life and accept the culture of the Spaniards.

 Ethnic Art
- This means native or indigenous Philippine design. This kind of art is influenced
by our southeast-asian neighbors. The Ethnic art has curvilinear and linear patterns or
design. This can also be traced from the primitive designs as demonstrated in Philippine
Pre-historic pottery used as surface decorations by way of painting or engraving.

 Folk Art
- It means peoples craft as well as handicrafts. This is basically made by the
hands of the common people where the materials are crafted together that the process
itself is also an art form. The quality and style of these products reflect the way of life of
the makers.

 Common Folk Art Motifs

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1. The Serpent Demon of the Naga.

The Naga design is said to be Sanskrit in origin. This art has a counterpart in
Indonesia as dragons or mythical serpents. The Naga has the form of an elaborate
mythical serpent with a vigorous S-curve and numerous curvilinear motifs to suggest its
scales

2. The Sarimanok
A cultural symbol of Mindanao, and is highly regarded throughout the country, it
was influenced by Indonesia and Malaysia and is said to have originated from the
Middle East. It is depicted as a fowl with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish
on its beak or talons. It is said to be a symbol of good fortune.

 Tattoo Art
Tattooing was very prevalent among the early Filipinos especially among the
people in Central Visayas. Aside from being used for beautification, tattoo is also a
symbol of rank, and is believed to have magical properties. The practice has become
very common that when the Spaniards arrived they called these people as Pintados.

 Painting During the Spanish Period

 The first stone churches were built in Intramuros in the 17 th century.
 Painting in the churches started in Manila area with the priests as painter-
decorators.
 The Augustinian fathers also offered drawing lessons to the Filipinos.
 Native Filipino painter had the freedom to choose the colors of figures.
 Early religious painting had similarities with European works.
 Some of the painters during the period were Jose Dans, Damiano Domingo,
Justiniano Asuncion, and Alfonso Ongpin.

 The Academia
 A Royal Decree promulgated on March 13, 1846 founded the Academia de
Dibujo y Pintura in the City of Manila.
 Agustine Saez, the Director, was the lone faculty member.
 Lorenzo Rocha who succeeded Saez as Director joined the school in 1867.
 Simon Flores y de la Rosa was one of those who studied at the Academia. He
created most of his religious canvases using paints. Some of his paintings include
Saint John the Baptist, Madonna and Child, and Feeding Chickens.

 19th Century Masters

 Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo received high honors abroad for their
works.
 While Juan Luna was in the Philippines, he studied under Saez, Rocha, and
Guerrero. His Spolarium won him a gold medal in the Exposicion Nacional de
Bellas Artes. Prior to Spolarium, he painted La Muerte de Cleopatra in 1881in
Rome.He also painted El Pueblo y Los Reyes, Blood Compact, and Portrait of
Legaspi. Luna succumbed to heart attack in 1899 in Hongkong.
 The paintings of Hidalgo include: Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas Al Populacho,
La Barca de Aquaronte, and Oedipus and Antigone.

 Painting During the American Period

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Painting has a lesser direct utility value than architecture.

There were a few painters, but they painted simply for the
love of art. Painting suffered a standstill as commerce
became generally restricted during the period between the
Spanish rule and the assumption of the American
government.
Some of the famous painters of this time were Miguel
Zaragoza, Rafael Enriquez, Fabian de la Rosa, Teodoro
Buenaventura, Jorge Pineda, Ramon Peralta, and Isidro Ancheta.
The 1896 Philippine Revolution paved the way to the country’s independence
from Spain. However, it became a short-lived liberty when the Americans became the
country’s new invaders. From one colonizer to another – after more than three centuries
of Spanish rule, the Americans came. They set out to conquer the Filipinos through
education and governance – the public school system and a system of government.
With the arrival of the new colonial power came a shift in art patronage – from the
native ilustrados to the Americans. The new patrons, including the tourists and foreign
investors, favored landscapes, still life, and genre themes that show the beauty of the
land and its people. Portraits were still favored by the public officials, usually depicting
them in dignified poses. Therefrom, the American Colonization brought high influence to
the major Filipino art forms: paintings, sculptures and architectures.

 Timeline of the Philippine Paintings under American Colonization

 Fabian dela Rosa (1869 – 1937) was the first painter of note for the 20th century.
He was noted for his realistic portraits, genre, and landscapes in subdued colors.
He was enrolled at the Escuela de Bellas Artes y Dibujo and took lessons from
Lorenzo Guerrero. De la Rosa is often considered the brightest name in Filipino
painting and certainly the most important for the first quarter of the century
 Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (1892 – 1972), who captured the attention of the
public and the buyers, and had a long artistic career. Spanning for more than half
a century, his influence is still evident in some of today’s painters. He was named
as the country’s first National Artist in 1972.
His paintings, bursting with yellow-orange and golden sunlight, captured
the Philippine landscape in all its glory. If de la Rosa’s work were of subdued,
cool colors, then Amorsolo’s landscapes are bathe in the glorious Philippine
sunlight. He is the first and among the few Filipino painters who have captured
the different striking colors and character of the country’s magnificent sunlight.

 Painting in the Philippines During the Modern Period

 The establishment of the Art Association of the Philippines in 1948 and the
Philippine Art Gallery in 1950 helped much to introduce modern art to the
populace, to support its struggle against conservative art, and to create
patronage among art-buyers.

 In the sixties and seventies, modern art has firmly secured itself in the
cosmopolitan art world of Manila, although the question of what is Filipino in this
art, as in all the other arts, has continually followed its development from the
fifties to the present.

 The rift between the conservatives or those who subscribe to the Amorsolo and
Tolentino style of painting and the "Moderns" led by Edades would resurface in
the AAP art competition as most of its winners had modernist inclinations.
Feeling that the judges' decisions were biased, the artists who continued to
practice in the conservative tradition walked out as a form of protest and
exhibited their works on the streets. These artists were eventually more popularly
associated with their studios lining the street of Mabini, Manila. Today, they are
also referred to as Mabini painters.

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 Their works demonstrate the influence of various Western art styles such as
post-impressionism, abstraction, cubism, expressionism, and surrealism.

 In history, NEO REALISM/ STRUCTURAL REALISM focuses on the significance

that POWER implies with International Relations POWER, in the paintings of the
first Filipino Realists, is evident in the themes of: 1. Nationalism 2. Socio-political
status of the country 3. Everyday life of the masses 4. Art for art’s sake
 The Contrast A distinct figurative work which exposes dire human conditions
amid the backdrop of modernity Genesis He puts together warm-colored shapes.
With proper lighting, it glows with the intensity of red-hot embers, and emanating
from its three-dimensional center are what seem to be claws or tongues of fire
reaching out to the viewer.

 Fertile Valey (1972) Tagaytay Revisited (1976) He was interested in how shapes,
values, textures and lines interact with one another in space rather that capturing
a realistic semblance of nature.

 The Beggars, consists of the image of two women with emaciated bodies, their
forlorn faces set against a dark background capturing the dreariness of poverty.

 Many of Manansala's paintings are characterized by transparent cubism, a style

marked by the soft fragmentation of figures using transparent planes instead of
hard-edged ones, as exemplified in the painting Tuba Drinkers.
Vicente Manansala depicts the poverty, simple and everyday life of Filipinos in
his paintings using cubism. Madonna of the Slums (1950) Luksong-Tinik (1973)
Man, Girl & Cock (1953).

 Gadgets II Depicts half- naked men almost engulfed in the presence of

machines. Their elongated limbs and exaggerated muscles indicate the hardship
of their labor; their expressionless faces and repetitive actions rob them of their
humanity as they function like machines. Bar Girls Most of Legaspi's figures in
this period are distorted by his elongating or making rotund forms in a well-
ordered composition, as seen in the painting Bar Girls.

 Combancheros (1954) His distinctive style and daring themes contributed

significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of modern art in the
Philippines. Legaspi made use of the geometric fragmentation technique,
weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and modern into his
overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity.

 Mujer y Carabao (1961), Woman with Parasol (1976) working with a wide range
of subject matter and materials, his work primarily features figures pieced
together from muted, monochromatic shapes. His aesthetic is often one inspired
by Cubism, with a fractal-like geometric patterning imposed on recognizable
forms.

 Stylistically, his paintings showcase the influence of Cubism, Surrealism, and

Expressionism on his works. Often blending Christian themes with references to
Filipino indigeneity. One of his controversial paintings is the Brown Madonna. He
represents a Madonna and a child as Filipino, with the brown complexion and
features that distinguish the Filipino. The figure representing Mary is in baro't
saya, a traditional Filipino costume. The bamboo, the mountains with rice
terraces in the background, and the thatched hut just behind the mother and child
are other Philippine elements present in this painting. Brown Madonna (1938)

 He single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural and remained its most
distinguished practitioner for nearly three decades. Francisco turned fragments of
the historic past into vivid records of the legendary courage of the ancestors of
his race. It is one of the largest and most ambitious in scope, which he did for the
Manila City Hall. Also known as History of Manila, the series of paintings

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documents the history of the Philippines from pre-colonial Tondo to the end of the
American colonial period in 1946.(Filipino Struggles Through History)

 He single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural and remained its most
distinguished practitioner for nearly three decades. Francisco turned fragments of
the historic past into vivid records of the legendary courage of the ancestors of
his race. The mural depicts Fr. Pedro Valderrama officiating the mass in an
improvised altar in the presence of Ferdinand Magellan, Pigafetta, Spanish
soldiers, and the natives in awe. The artwork was created to commemorate the
400 years of Philippine Christianization which was held in Cebu in 1965. (First
Mass at Limasawa)

 Support institutions like the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) were
established in 1948 under the leadership of artist Purita Kalaw-Ledesma; while
the Philippine Art Gallery (PAG), which provided a venue and laid out early
programs for modern art, was put up in 1951 through the efforts of the artist-
writer Lydia Arguilla, and others.

 Another strand of Modern Art that emerged more definitively during the period
was abstraction. This generally consists of simplified forms, which avoided
mimetic representation. It is sometimes referred to as non-representational or
non- objective art as it emphasized the relationships of line, color, and space or
the flatness of the canvas rather than an illusion of three-dimensionality.

 Most of the early practitioners inclined toward abstraction received training

abroad or were influenced by the growth of the said movement in international
circles. Solid geometric shapes and color fields are seen in the works of
Constancio Bernardo and particular phases of Lee Aguinaldo's practice.
(Constancio Bernardo’s Wild Flower Series Lee Aguinaldo’s Monday)

 Fernando Zobel's paintings using used syringes to apply paint. This allowed him
to produce works that balanced produced works that balanced the element of
chance and restraint. (Fernando Zobel’s Cosmos-politan, 1950).

 Nena Saguil who took her art studies at the UP, in the United States, and in
Spain, is known for her canvases filled with circles and cell-like forms. Earlier in
her career, she did figurative works with rotund features, such as in the painting
Cargadores. (Nena Saguil’s Cargadores, 1951).
 Cultural Center of the Philippines opened and managed a museum which the
artist-professor Roberto Chabet was tasked to be the first director of Chabet's
works at that time were avowedly conceptual, emphasizing the idea behind his
art rather than technique and form. Roberto Chabet (1937-2013).

 For the group exhibition Objects, held at CCP in 1973, Chabet tore up a copy of
a coffee table book on Philippine Contemporary Art and placed it in a trash bin.
The work, entitled Tearing into Pieces, was seen as a scandalous critique of the
conventions of the art world Annie Cabigting’s Tearing Into Piece.

 The Chabet-Albano axis also went beyond the CCP white cube as they opened
up non-white cube sites for art exhibitions and performance spaces. Alternatives
to museums were seen, for example in Gallery 7, Sanctuary, Gallery Indigo and
the short-lived Shop 6 in Cubao, and later in one of the stalls of the Kamalig
Arcade in Manila.

 The Chabet-Albano axis also went beyond the CCP white cube as they opened
up non-white cube sites for art exhibitions and performance spaces. Alternatives
to museums were seen, for example in Gallery 7, Sanctuary, Gallery Indigo and
the short-lived Shop 6 in Cubao, and later in one of the stalls of the Kamalig
Arcade in Manila. This shifting to alternative venues was also accompanied by
the development of emergent art writing platforms, including the Philippine Art
Supplement (PAS) and the Review Cultural Forum.

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 Under Albano's directorship, CCP also reached out to regions outside Manila
(Baguio, Los Baños, Cebu) and beyond (Fukuoka, Paris, ASEAN), initiated art
workshops and outreach programs through community involvement, and
published reviews and other essays on art through PAS.

 Albano argued that although some experimental forms seemed wholly foreign, he
invoked the practice of adorning ephemeral and familiar objects as in fiestas,
which shared processes and features with installation art.

 An early example of installation art is Junyee's Wood Things, 1981, made of

kapok or cotton pods, installed on the walls and floor of the CCP's white cube
spaces to make these look like crawlers encroaching on the museum space.

 A significant strand that emerged during the intense political ferment of the 70s
and the 80s was social realism. Using various mediums, techniques, and styles,
social realism is a form of protest art that exposed the socio-political issues and
struggles of the times.

 The format of protest art is not just confined to painting on canvas but also
extends to other more accessible and popular forms like posters and illustrations;
or street art as in collaborative murals in public spaces. Several years after the
declaration of Martial Law, an artist collective committed to the development of
the said art movement was formed. Antipas Delotavo’s Itak sa Puso ni Mang
Juan

 The Development of Sculpture in the Philippines

 Sculpture during the Spanish Period

 In the early 16th century, some forms of native sculpture, mostly of idols, existed.
 Because of their pagan origin, the native idols were destroyed by the Spaniards.
 In time, Christianity spread, and so sculptures turned to religion for their subject
matter. They carved images of saints, crosses, crucifixes, and other religious
objects.
 The blossoming of Filipino sculpture started in the 19 th century. Example of
sculpture during this period is the Virgin, an Araneta collection which displays an
unconventional figure of the virgin. In this particular sculp, the neck thick, her
arms are bent, the face chubby and masculine, and the eyes are large and set
widely.
 Sculpture developed very slowly in the Philippines. The sculptors learned from
their predecessors or from the experience of fellow sculptors.
 Best examples of 18th century images are : the bas-relief Estaciones in the
church of Tanay; the image of the La Purisima Concepcion presumably left by
Salcedo’s men, also in Tanay; and the St. John and Christ at the Morong Church.
 Realism developed fully in the Manila area in the 19 th century – there were not
only native sculptors but also Sanleys who were skillful in the craft.
 The well-carved images and ornamentations in the Patio of San Agustin Church
were of Baroque art. They were done mostly in the 18 th century.

 Sculpture during the American Period

 After the revolution in 1896, Filipino sculptors began to erect monuments.
 Monuments of Jose Rizal were constructed in plazas all over the archipelago.
 In 1905, a full- figure monument was undertaken by Ramon Martinez which was
erected at the site of the “Cry of Balintawak” in honor of Andres Bonifacio. Other
heroes were also displayed at the Bonifacio Monument.
 If Amorsolo dominated Philippine painting for the first decades of the 20th century,
in sculpture it was Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976). Trained in the classical style
in Rome, Tolentino’s masterpieces include the Oblation in the University of the
Philippines and the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan. His Bonifacio monument is

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classical in execution but romantic in content. Bonifacio, holding a bolo and a

pistol, stands quietly, dignified, resolute, but defiant. He is surrounded by dynamic
figures of oppression, struggle and revolution. Here, in Tolentino’s work, Andres
Bonifacio remains strong amidst the turbulent storm of the Revolution.
 His Oblation, the symbol of the country’s premiere State University, reflects the
classical ideals – discipline, order, symmetry, and restraint. It stands naked –
resolute and proud, with arms wide open to accept knowledge and change.
 In 1973, Tolentino was named as a National Artist for Sculpture.
 Several sculptors followed the standards set by Tolentino, such as Anastacio
Caedo and his son Florentino.
 Tolentino’s student, Napoleon Abueva (b. 1930), go against the standards, set by
his teacher (Tolentino). Working with a variety of materials and techniques,
Abueva integrated the sculptural and functional qualities in his works. He
produced highly stylized, simplified, and eventually abstract works under the
influence of Moore and Brancusi. His works sometimes contain elements of
eroticism, fun, wit, and playfulness. His Kaganapan shows a woman in the height
of her pregnancy. He did away with the traditional, idealized, voluptuous muse of
classicism and replaced it with the beauty of a woman bearing a child.
 In the sixties and seventies, several sculptors followed the modernist road set by
Abueva such as Solomon Saprid, J. Eizalde Navarro, Lamberto Hechanova,
Edgar Doctor, Arturo Luz, Eduardo Castrillo, Jerry Araos, Virginia Ty-
Navarro, and Francisco Verano. Their exploration and experimentation of different
materials, techniques, styles, subject matter, and concept ensured a lively
atmosphere for sculpture in the country.
 Tolentino has developed a mastery of the human figure which is very essential in
moulding figures for monuments.
 The works of Francisco Monti heralded the Modernism movement in sculpture.
 The Metropolitan Manila Theatre was the largest of the buildings erected during
the Modernism period. The building is characterized by a round façade and low
and high figural ornaments in the lobby.

 The Development of Architecture in the Philippines

 Architecture during the Pre-Spanish Period
 Before the coming of the Spaniards, Filipino houses were made of light materials
bamboo palm, vine, grass, and wood.
 The pre-Spanish Filipino house had a pyramidal roof. The walls were low; the
floor was raised a few feet above the ground.

 Architecture During the Spanish Period

 In the early part of the Spanish regime, houses were made of light materials.
 Later on, stronger materials like adobe stones were used.
 Churches were built on the eastern side of the plaza and Casa Real or Casa
judicial on the opposite side.
 Native houses were situated away from the town center.
 At the time of Governor-General Lavezares, stronger palisades were built to
protect the Walled City.
 Later, the palisades were replaced by stonewalls.
 The construction of the massive walls of Intramuros was an engineering feat.

According to Rev. Fr. Brian Brigoli, chairman of the Commission on the Cultural
Heritage of Church of the Archdiocese of Cebu, “The style of the church should be
marked by noble simplicity; it should be dignified, evincing a noble beauty, not mere
costly display, and it should stand as a sign and symbol of heavenly realities.” He also
mentioned that the design and layout must follow the three natural laws of the Church:
1) the verticality that represents people’s faith reaching to God in heaven; 2)
permanence, which symbolizes Christ’s presence demonstrated through the structure’s
massing and durability; and 3) iconography expressed through art.

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Fort Santiago

One of the main architectural styles applied to the design of our churches was
the Romanesque style, which is characterized by arcades, arched windows, large
towers with round arches, and massive and thick walls, among others. Prominent
churches with this style include the Manila Cathedral and the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva
Parish in Cebu. The Baroque architectural style was then introduced, which features a
massive structural design, the use of either stone or brick, wall buttresses, the use of
vivid colors and rich interior decorations and frescoes, among others. Our Baroque
churches — the San Agustin Church in Manila, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, Sta.
Maria Church in Ilocos Sur and Miagao Church in Iloilo — were included by Unesco in
its World Heritage List.

Manila Cathedral

Maximizing and monetizing: Structures and spaces

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts identified more than 20
Spanish colonial-era churches that represent the church-building orders of
Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits and Augustinian Recollects and the
Seculars. The National Museum also declared these as National Cultural Treasures. To
be part of this prestigious list, an item or place must “possess outstanding historical,
cultural, artistic and/or scientific value which is significant and important to the country.”
Included in the list are the four aforementioned Baroque churches — the Manila
Cathedral, Barasoain Church in Bulacan, Betis Church in Pampanga, Calasiao Church
and Manaoag Church in Pangasinan, Masinloc Church in Zambales, Maragondon
Church in Cavite, Laoag Cathedral in Ilocos Sur, Church of Sta. Barbara in Iloilo, and
Baclayon Church in Bohol, among others.

Miagao Church

During the Spanish colonial period, the Spanish friars and missionaries were put
in charge of educating the Filipinos. Included in the Laws of the Indies was the mandate
to teach natives the basic catechism of the Catholic Church and how to read and write.
It also mandated the establishment of universities and other educational institutions.
Thus, schools were concurrently built with churches. Prominent schools that were built

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during that time were the University of Santo Tomas, Colegio de San Juan de Letran,
Santa Isabel College, San Carlos Seminary, Concordia College and the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila that is now known as the Ateneo de Manila University, among
others.

Paoay Church

Aside from churches and schools, other structures built during the Spanish
period that are now recognized as National Cultural Treasures are Intramuros, Fort San
Antonio Abad, Paco Park, the Twin Forts of Romblon Island and many others.
Established in 1571, Intramuros was the center of the Spanish occupation for
several centuries. The Walled City had 51 blocks where government officials and the
wealthiest and most influential citizens lived.Inside its walls were churches, schools,
government offices, military barracks, hospitals and residences of the elite.
Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Plaza de Roma, Baluarte
de San Diego and the Ayuntamiento de Manila are located within Intramuros.
Architecture of faith has greatly influenced arts and architecture in our country.
We at Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group Inc. are humbled and
honored to have been appointed to be the architects and planners of places of worship
of various faiths.

Early Churches of Intramuros

Intramuros, as the seat of religious and political power during the Spanish
Colonial Period, was the home to seven grand churches built by different religious
orders.
 SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH. ...
 THE MANILA CATHEDRAL. ...
 SAN IGNACIO CHURCH. ...
 OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH. ...
 SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH. ...
 SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO CHURCH.

Early Churches in Northern Luzon

Leading the Visita Iglesia sites in the Ilocos region is Our Lady of the Rosary
Church, more popularly known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag, in Pangasinan.
People from other provinces gather at this shrine every Lenten season, but most
Pangasinan residents trek on foot on the night of Maundy Thursday, to reach the church
at dawn of Good Friday.
The church started as a modest chapel built by the Augustinians in 1600. The
construction of the church, which began in 1882, was completed in 1912.

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The church was venerated due to an apparition there of the Virgin Mary 400
years ago. An ivory image of the Virgin Mary, brought to the Philippines by Padre Juan
de San Jacinto from Spain via Acapulco hundreds of years ago, was enthroned in the
church in 1909.
On April 21, 1926, Our Lady of Manaoag was canonically crowned.
In La Union, families on pilgrimage can visit the Church of Our Lady of
Namacpacan in Luna town.
Namacpacan was the name given by residents to the Virgin Mary who, according
to folklore, appeared to indigenous peoples of the Cordillera as an old woman who
offered them food and who convinced them to be baptized.
The Namacpacan church hosts the Virgin’s image which dates back to 1871. The
image was ordered from Spain by an Augustinian priest assigned to one of the towns of
Ilocos Sur.
In Ilocos Sur, a popular site for pilgrims is Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Church
in Sta. Maria town. It is one of the baroque churches of the Philippines listed in 1993 on
the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization.
Ilocos Norte’s most popular pilgrimage site is Badoc Church which is home to the
miraculous image of the Virgin Mary (La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc) with the infant
Jesus wrapped in her arms.
The Laoag diocese proclaimed the wooden image of La Virgen Milagrosa de
Badoc as the patroness of Ilocos Norte on May 2, 1980. Badoc Church was the
pilgrimage site of the Great Jubilee Year 2000.
The wooden image, along with the image of the crucified Christ, Sto. Cristo
Milagroso, has been venerated for its miracles.Both images, enclosed in a wooden box,
were found washed ashore in the 1620s on the beach of Dadalaquiten that borders
Badoc town in Ilocos Norte and Sinait, Ilocos Sur.
Cagayan’s most famous pilgrimage site is Our Lady of Piat Shrine in Piat town,
some 40 km from the capital Tuguegarao City.
The shrine was built by Spanish missionaries to pacify the Itawits or Itawes, the
native settlers of western Cagayan, in 1604. It was elevated into a basilica minore in
1999.
Historical accounts also showed that the Lady of Piat saved Cagayanos from the
1624 drought.
Tourists and pilgrims have been visiting the shrine in Piat to seek the Lady’s help.
The miracles attributed to Our Lady of Piat are recorded in the basilica’s stained glass
windows.
In Isabela, an important site for pilgrims is Our Lady of Atocha Church in Alicia
town, which has been included in the Department of Tourism’s religious tourist
destinations in the country.
The church, made of bricks and features Spanish architecture, was built by Fr.
Tomas Calderon and inaugurated in 1849.
Most pilgrimages still end up in Baguio, the summer capital, often at Baguio
Cathedral (Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral), which was built in the 1920s.

Other Churches
Aside from these 14 churches, pilgrims may also visit other historical churches in
central and northern Luzon.

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Among these are St. Joseph Cathedral in Balanga City, Bataan; and Malolos
Basilica Minore (Malolos Cathedral), Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Parish Church in
Bulakan town, Saint Francis Parish Church in Meycauayan City and Angat Parish
Church, all in Bulacan.
In northern Luzon, other important churches are the 406-year-old Bolinao
Church, Calasiao Church established in 1596, Our Lady of Lourdes Church in
Bugallon, all in Pangasinan; Basilica of Our Lady of Charity, which is a shrine to the
Lady of Agoo or the Lady of Charity, in Agoo, La Union; and St. Paul’s Metropolitan
Cathedral or Vigan Cathedral in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
In Ilocos Norte, some Ilocanos visit nine churches based on the nine-day rosary
novena (which requires the devout to pray the rosary for nine consecutive days) while
others visit 14 churches to represent the 14 Stations of the Cross.
Other famous Visita Iglesia sites in Ilocos Norte are St. William Cathedral and
Carmelite Monastery Chapel (or Carmel Church) in Laoag City; the Catholic churches in
the southern towns of Batac, San Nicolas and Paoay, a world heritage structure; other
churches found in the eastern towns of Sarrat and Dingras; and Bacarra Church in the
north.

Early Churches in Pampanga and Bulacan

Lubao Church suffered heavy damage in 1942 because of Japanese shelling.
The roof and ceiling was damaged but the three-storey high retable escaped damage.
The San Miguel de Mayumo Church in Bulacan is noted for once beautifully
painted ceiling of the nave and dome. The decorations painted in local tempera
deteriorated but restored later.
The Barasoain Church (Malolos,Bulacan) has a façade with mixed features
“compuesto style.” It is of two stories crowned by curved pediment. The three-storey
high bell tower is octagonal.

Early Churches in Rizal

The Morong Church façade is of local Baroque architecture. The façade is three
stories high. The cornices and balustrades of the first and second stories fit into the
curved recession.
Tanay Church, whose bell tower stands four stories high, was built in 1873. The
church façade is surmounted by a pediment. The first story is decorated with ionic
pillars and the second story with composite ones. The statue of St. Ildefonso is lodged
in the pediment niche.

Early Churches in Laguna and Batangas

The Paete Church facade has two stories. Each story is treated like a freeze,
ornamented four petalled flowers and Nyzantine-like pilasters. And semi volutes.
The Pakil Church façade is of the composite order. A stilted arch rising from from
engaged composite columns frames the main altar.
The San Jose Church in Batangas was constructed with a two-story façade. The
engaged pillars became the pilasters. The peculiar angle terminations of the triangular
flaps turned in half volutes.

Early Churches in the Visayas

The Miagao Church in Iloilo was constructed in the 18 th century using stones
gathered by the townsfolk. The “tobriya” gathered from altar distance were used for the
structural parts while the other types f stones, for ornamentation. Originally, the façade
has twin towers of unequal height with high relief stone carvings.

Early Churches in Metro Manila

Tondo Church was redesigned by Luciano Oliver in 1873. The new façade was
compuesto. The dome structure is made of steel framing-the roofing with iron sheets.
Quiapo Church’s location in the heart of the historical district of Manila makes it a
natural focal point for tourists exploring the city for the first time. Like Binondo Church,
it has suffered damage from several calamities ever since it was founded in 1596.
Destroyed by aerial bombardment in the British occupation of 1762, the church was
rebuilt, only to be ruined again in the earthquake that struck Manila in 1863. It was
painstakingly reconstructed on the same site in 1852 — only to be flattened again

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during World War II.The church, with its beautiful (and miraculously unscathed) ceiling
frescoes, therefore represents steadfast religious faith through multiple conflicts.
Quiapo Church has also gone through numerous reconstructions — the dome
and façade are all that remain of the original Baroque-style building.
The church house of the Black Nazarene — an image of Jesus brought to the
Philippines in the 17th century that supposedly has miraculous healing powers.
The Malate Catholic Church was originally built in 1588 by the Augustinian friars
and considered to be the oldest church in Metro Manila outside the walls of Intramuros.
Over the past four centuries, the church has been reconstructed several times.
However, the statue brought from Spain in 1524 still stands. It is now managed by
Columban priests. It is interesting to note that from an aerial view, you can see that
Malate Church is shaped like a cross.

Architecture during the American Period

During the early stage of the American period repair, rehabilitation and
construction of buildings and other structures were done principally by army engineers
employed by Governor Taft.
Daniel H. Burnham, a Chicago architect was commission to design architectural
structures in Manila, Baguio, and other places. It took almost two decades before the
Burnham plan was carried out. Among the structures erected and specified in the plan
were Congress of the Philippines, Finance Building, Agriculture Building, Post Office,
and Supreme Court.

Concrete Buildings in Manila

The Philippine Normal School (now Philippine Normal University) and the
Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Taft Avenue were the first big reinforced concrete
buildings erected in Manila. Tile was used in roofing, as specified in the Burnham Plan.
The PGH design was under the supervision of Tomas Mapua.

The Classic Style of Juan Arellano and Antonio Toledo

Both Juan Arellano and Antonio Toledo designed some of the Philippine
government buildings. The Congress of the Philippines building has a rectangular plan
with elaborate decorations. Corinthian columns dominate the huge portico. The
pediments of the double-pitched roof are decorated with sculptured figure.
The Post Office building designed also by Toledo and Arellano situated in Plaza
Lawton (now Liwasang Bonifacio) was erected in 1926. It was designed to cater to the
public. One side of the spacious lobby is a continuous counter with grills set with
windows at intervals.
Toledo also designed the UP buildings in Ermita, Manila. Arellano designed the
Villamor Hall in UP. Other classical architecture included the Pangasinan Provincial
Capitol which erected in 1920; Capitol building of Bacolod City. Classical architecture
became famous for its porticos and vestibules, colonnades, and arcades.

Architecture in the Contemporary Period

Some of these buildings with contemporary designs are; the Philippine National
Bank Building, which was five-stories high; the Insular Life building, which stood
prominently on south east corner of Plaza Cervantes, the old Ideal Theatre in Quiapo,
Manila; MetropolitanTheatre in Liwasang Bonifacio, the Cebu Provincial Capitol; Rizal
Memorial Stadium; Quezon Institute in Quezon City and some buildings inside UP
Diliman.

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