Iloilo: Home of Spanish Era Churches

This is my second trip (after our retreat) in Iloilo as a birthday treat to my mother and sister. I will never have a second thought of visiting the Spanish era churches built during the colonization period in honor of spreading Christianity.

Iloilo is a province of the Philippines, located at the center of the Philippine archipelago. The province comprises the southeastern part of Panay Island with island-province of Guimaras just across its coast. Iloilo’s rich heritage is showcased in multifarious festivals.

Situated in the southern part of the Philippines, Iloilo serves as the gateway to the South for both local and foreign tourists of paradise Philippines.

Iloilo is the cradle of early bliss Philippines civilization. The Spanish influence is very evident in the old houses and churches reminiscent of older Spanish architecture influences.

 Miag-ao Church

Miag-ao Church is located in the municipality of Jaro, this century-old church epitomize the Spanish influence in Iloilo’s history.

Constructed more than two hundred years ago in the year 1797, the Miag-ao Church stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao centuries ago, anchored in a strong foundation of Christian faith. As most travelers would agree, the Miag-ao Church is one of the country’s architectural gems because of its unique and imposing designs, ornaments and motifs.

intricate designs

In Baroque-Romanesque style, the church sinks into the ground with walls and buttresses.

walls and buttresses

The creative and aesthetic abilities of Spanish colonizers are reflected in many colonial churches in the Philippines. This is especially true in Miag-ao Church – a world-renowned religious structure now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE marker

Molo Church

Molo Church is known to be a feminist church because sixteen female saints on the altar. Women wanting to be empowered by the graces of women saints have a place in Molo Church.

The Molo exudes a blatant expression of Gothic-Renaissance architecture, the one of its kind outside Manila. The interior is a fusion of Gothic and Romanesque architectures, there is a constant alternation between the overpowering features of Gothic and the recessive characteristics of Romanesque.

Molo church is very sturdy and has survived fires, earthquakes, and artillery barrages in 1945 and was made as an evacuation center for the civilians during WWII.

It is said that in August 4, 1886, Dr. Jose Rizal on his way back to Manila from his exile in Dapitan, passed by the church to pray and view its collection of biblical paintings.

Jaro Cathedral

 The shrine is constructed of Romanesque revival architecture. The bell tower unusually is located across a busy street on the Jaro Plaza. Such construction arrangement is rare in the Philippines.  

The original cathedral was built in 1874 by the first bishop of Jaro, Mariano Cuartero. It was destroyed by an earthquake in January 1948 and later repaired in 1956 by the first Archbishop of Jaro, Jose Maria Cuenco.

bell tower infront of the cathedral

Surrounding the cathedral and sharing the same general location are a variety of archdiocesan and parish offices.

 Pope Johh VI visited this church in 1982.

Guimbal Church

The full name of the Guimbal Church is the Church of San Nicolas of Tolentino. The edifice was built in 1774, upon the order of Fr. Campos, the Spanish priest who presided over the town. From that time on to the present, the unique characteristics of the structure has made it very popular.

The Guimbal Church is one of the oldest churches in the country. This yellow sandstone church is made from adobe stones called igang and coral stones quarried from Guimaras. It was built in 1774 by Father Campos. The facade is a two-story affair flanked by twinned round pilasters decorated with floral carvings. Its vintage belfry is 4 stories high and doubles as a watchtower during the Spanish occupation against pillaging Moro pirates. It has undergone some reconstruction after it was destroyed twice, during the Second World War and during the 1948 earthquake. Recently, it was rehabilitated to its original structure.

Tigbauan Church

The Tigbauan Church is unique in the country because of its Latin American churriquesque architecture. The church was constructed in 1575 and destroyed during an earthquake in 1948.

Tigbauan’s facade is style in the Mexican architecture. At the center is a seal of the Augustinian order surrounded by a retablo-like floral frieze, which fills the central section. Above the seal is a niche flanked by pilasters embellished with flowers and upon it is a depiction of San Juan.

San Joaquin Church

The militaristic motif of the San Joaquin Church distinguishes itself from other churches in the country. Carved on a disproportionately large pediment on the church’s facade is an intricate sculptural relief depicting the Spanish victory over Moroccan forces in the Battle of Tetuan.

inside the church



flowers around the church

Son plus de plaisir dans les Philippines en raison de Iloilo Churches!

Way Point:

By Air

Iloilo has one of the most beautiful and state-of-the-art airport facilities in the Philippines right now. It is conveniently located between the borders of Cabatuan and Sta. Barbara towns, approximately 20 kilometres or 30 minutes travel away from Iloilo City. Air travel time from Manila to Iloilo is 45 minutes, 35 minutes from Cebu and 2 hours from Davao City. Carriers that are servicing the Iloilo International Airport as of this date are Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Philippine Airlines and Zest Air with regular daily flights from Manila-Iloilo and vice versa.