In the Philippines, there is an old church complex located in the municipality of Paoay, Ilocos Norte province. The building is known as Paoay Church, or the San Agustin Church of Paoay.
Paoay Church is famous for its thick and sturdy structure. The church’s architecture was intentionally designed to adapt to the earthquakes that frequently strike the northern region of the Philippines.
Architectural Adaptation to Earthquakes
Ilocos Norte province is an earthquake-prone region located near the Manila Trench subduction zone. The geological condition prompted the Augustinian friars to thicken the structural walls when founding the Paoay Church in the 17th century. The construction approach to mitigate earthquakes became known as the Earthquake Baroque architectural style.
The construction of the Paoay Church was initiated by the Augustinian order in 1694. The physical construction process took 16 years and was officially completed in 1710.
The Paoay Church building measures 110 meters long and 40 meters wide. Its facade, or front section, is dominated by stone walls shaped into a slightly forward-leaning triangle. The lower portion of the wall uses bricks, while the upper section uses coral stones. The surface of the front wall is sectioned off by square pillars and flat molding lines.
The surface features a variety of carvings. The carvings range from wall niches, floral ornaments, and Gothic-pointed elements to the emblem of the Augustinian Order and Chinese motifs at the very top.
The placement of the coral stones and bricks for the wall structure was bonded using a mortar base composed of lime and sand. The mortar mixture was combined with sugarcane molasses and mango leaf decoction.
Additional animal skin fibers and rice straw were also mixed into the mortar to provide flexibility so that the walls would not easily crack when subjected to earthquake tremors.
Exterior Support Structures
The sides and rear of the building are equipped with 24 stone buttresses. The support pillars reach a thickness of up to 1.67 meters at their base.
The pillars are stepped that resemble staircases. Aside from resisting lateral pressure during earthquakes, the stepped configuration also serves as access stairs for roof maintenance.
To the right of the church stands a three-tier coral stone bell tower resembling a pagoda. Construction of the tower began in 1793. Its position was intentionally separated from the main building to prevent structural damage to the church if the tower collapsed during an earthquake.
The tower was also used as a military observation post. Filipino revolutionary fighters used it to monitor Spanish troop movements in 1898, as did local guerrilla groups fighting against Japanese soldiers during World War II.
Modern Restoration Records
History notes that the Paoay Church building suffered damage from earthquakes in 1706 and 1927. The complex also underwent a long developmental history, from the founding of the parish in 1593 and the laying of the church cornerstone in 1704, to its official inauguration on February 28, 1896.
Concerns over structural strength and the condition of the building triggered further preservation efforts. In 2014, the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte planned to reinforce the building's physical structure.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines followed up on that plan by executing a restoration project in the second quarter of 2019.
The work focused on clearing wild vegetation from the stone walls to prevent erosion and damage to the lime mortar. The conservation team also repaired the staircase structure in the bell tower and replaced the entire roof system of the building.
After all physical repairs were completed, the building complex was returned to the Diocese of Laoag in November 2020. The diocese then reopened the Paoay Church for religious worship and public visitors on November 15, 2020.
