Paoay Church
Paoay Church is a unique temple in nature, which can be seen in the Philippines. In essence Paoay Church is a historic temple, invaluable with its unique architecture, which can not be seen anywhere else in the Asian country.
Known as the St. Augustine Church, Paoay Church belongs to the diocese of Laoag, in the Philippine province Ilocos Norte. The exceptional architecture of the temple was assessed by the World Organization UNESCO, which includes it in the list of world historical and cultural heritage sites.
Paoay Church is located near the picturesque lake and is located only a few kilometers southwest of the town of Batac. The cornerstone of the building was laid by the Augustinian missionaries in 1704, and the foundations of the tower were laid in 1793.
Well before the Paoay Church is finally completed in 1894, it had been used by worshipers. The temple was consecrated on February 28, 1896. The tower itself is separated a few meters from the main temple. This is done primarily to prevent injury to the structures in case of collapse.
It is said that for laying the foundations of Paoay were used large coral stones, while the upper parts of the structure come into operation with large stone blocks. The very walls are built of bricks, coral blocks and stucco, reaching an impressive 1.67 meters thickness.
The height of the walls is up to 24 meters. They are impressive with their intricate designs. Paoay Church suffered two serious earthquakes, resulting in it being partially destroyed. One was in 1706 and the last in 1927. To strengthen the construction, permanent columns were placed, attaching the ceiling.
The Paoay Church is one of the most interesting religious sites in the Philippines. It is especially impressive because of its unique architecture that combines three currents - Oriental, Gothic and Baroque.
The facade of Paoay is highly Gothic, while in its upper part can be felt typical Asian styles. The top of the walls are beautiful patterns developed by the so-called Javanese style in which the Paoay Church is quite close to the famous Boroboudur temple.
