Miag-ao Church, Iloilo Postcard

Here is another addition to my UNESCO postcard collection, a Mia-gao Church postcard. The Miag-ao Church is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines." The Miagao Church is a typical single-nave Spanish colonial mission church, but it has a unique facade where you can see the blending of Spanish and native influences. The facade features a relief sculpture of St. Christopher carrying the Christ Child amidst coconut, papaya, and guava trees. A large stone image of St. Thomas de Villanova, the town's patron saint, dominates the center. Life-sized statues of the Pope and St. Henry, with their coats-of-arms above them, flank the main entrance.

Miag-ao Church Postcard

Flanking the church facade are two squat bell towers of uneven configurations. They served as observation posts during Muslim raids. (The church was built on the highest elevation of the town.) The left tower has four tiers plus a low-pitched dome, while the right tower has only three tiers. However, it compensated for the 23.6 meters height of the left tower with its steeply conical roof.

RELATED ENTRY:
Miag-ao Church, Iloilo Postcards

SOURCE:
The Miagao Church: Historical Landmark
by National Historical Institute
pp. 17, 24