Miag-ao Church also known as Sto.

Tomas de
Villanueva Church is one of the Spanish
colonial mission churches in the Philippines.
One legend says it was derived from miagos, a
wild plant that grew in the area while another
version said it was derived from the name of a
negrito called Miyagaw, who gave his name
when asked by the Spaniards of the name of
place. According to folklore, the name was
derived from tale of two lovers, Maya and Gao.
According to the records, the church had been
completed 10 years before the arrival of the
Spanish priest in 1734
The building of the church was executed not by
real architects but by friars who came as
missionaries via the galleon trade between
Acapulco and Manila.
It is built as a church fortress to avert raids of
the Muslim pirates.
But in 1741 the church was burned down by
Muslim pirates.
And by 1744 to 1750 Fr. Fernando
Comporrendo build a second church which
also burned by Muslim pirates in 1754.
Fr. Francisco Gonzalez Maximo build another
church at a new site by 1786 and was
completed by 1797.
And in 1864 Fr. Agustin Escudero made some
restoration.
The church was burned by the Revolutionaries
in 1898 during the Philippine-American War.
It was restored in 1948 and 1959 by Msgr.
Wenceslao Enojo and Msgr. Leonardo Javillo


On August 1, 1973 it was declared and issued a
National Landmark through the Presidential
Decree.
It was declared as part of the UNESCO World
Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the
Philippines" in 1993.

Belfry
The belfries that flank
the facade of the
Miagao Church are of
uneven height and
configuration.
From a distance, they
loomed as a symbol of
authority, stability
and dignity - a
veritable fortress of
divine presence.


Belfry
It is a medieval gothic
towers that served as
observation posts
especially during piratical
raids.
Their rounded, tapering
end - buttresses are
unabashed imitation of
medieval forts.


Belfry
The ground floor of the
right tower was originally
the baptistry which could be
reached from the end of the
nave. The existence of the
crypt is evident as a partly
concealed stairway that lead
downward. This is believed
to connect a tunnel or
subterranean structure
down to the watch tower
near the shoreline in
Baybay.

Faade
A composite of medieval, baroque and local
elements, it is moreover, a candid reflection of
flamboyance and carefree styling of the 18th century
Philippines.
It is harmoniously matrixed ,
arranged and crafted which
reflects the refinement skills
and talents attained by local
artists engaged in the
construction of colonial
churches. As a baroque
structure, it normally adapts
these fundamental form with
the accompanying pilasters,
friezes, cornices and oval
openings.

Faade
Outlined by simple relief
mouldings and terminates with
a trial cross at the apex. The
fenestrations framed with foliate
ornamentations are
symmetrically positioned
resulting to the breaking up of
horizontal moulding. The
central figure of St. Christopher
carrying the Child Jesus on his
shoulder, stylized papaya and
other fruit-bearing trees planted
in vessels are carefully arranged
to complete the balanced
composition.



Faade
Right below the pediment is an ornate
rectangular vase. Superimposed on the
protruding arching dowel is the
elaborately framed central niche
bearing the statue of St. Thomas of
Villanova. The topping rectangular
mass is a balustrade composed of
spindle-shaped balusters which are a
common feature in the Filipino-
Hispanic domestic architecture. It does
not only appear as to support the
pediment, but also to provide
continuity in design between the lower
and upper section.
Facade
The ionic lined below the
balustrade enhanced the
horizontality of the moulding,
while the Doric triglyphs and the
baroque curves along with the
customized pilasters, capitals and
foliate ornamentations - all
contributed to a very unique
artwork rendition in high relief.
Aptly described by one author as
a unique explosion of botanical
motif, reminiscent of Aztec art.


Nave
Basically, the
church follows
the simple,
single-nave plan
that adheres to
church-convent-
atrium pattern of
Augustinian
mode.


The existing nave has eight bases
of approximately 7.6 meters span
each and two wider bases
measuring 10.6 and 9.6 meters,
respectively.
Its foundation and
walls are 1-1/2 meters
thick and reinforced
with buttresses
designed to withstand
earthquakes and
typhoons. The sidewalls
appear like piano
keyboards. Each base of
the walls stands at an
average height of 11
meters from the ground
to the eaves.

The windows are beautifully
designed, some of which
have been transformed into
side entrances to ease up the
passage of big congregations
especially on special
occasions. But the real side
doors on each side wall can
still be recognized. The
fenestrations are artistically
framed with delicately
carved stone segments with
the variation to local plate
work elements.

The stones (igang or
sandstone) which
compromise the walls
were quarried from the
mountains of nearby
towns. The massive stone
wall (1.22 meters thick or
four feet) is a rubble stone
work blocks of stones laid
uncoursed and bonded by
lime mortar.
The walls are
reinforced by seven
stone buttresses on
each side spaced at
8.00 meters on centers
and a thickness of
more than 2.0 meters
on the ground level
and tapering at the top
of the wall at 1.80
meters thick.
The buttresses are
of gothic architectural
style and construction.
In between the
buttresses are window
openings and a side
entrance door
of Romanesque
architectural style with
ornaments and motifs
of baroque and classical
styles.
Interior
-The interior is dominated by its magnificent and
imposing sanctuary, most of which is finished in
gold leaf.
-The altar, presently in use, is the original altar
from the late 1700s which had been lost and was
discovered during repair excavations made on the
site in 1982.
Interior
-In addition to the altar, a
statue of the Birhen ng
Barangay carved in
limestone and dressed in
traditional filipino
clothing of the period
was also found in the dig
and is currently on
public display next to the
baptistery at the rear of
the church.
When the church was burned during World War II.
What remained were the walls, facade and bell towers.
After the war, rehabilitation and reconstruction started.
The first structure that was reconstructed was the roof
trusses made of wood and a mixture of galvanized iron
roofing and aluminum roofing. Then the burned stone
walls were plastered with cement mortar and the
refinishing of the flooring soon followed. The altar was
enlarged and the altar floor was finished with
granolithic marble finish. The roof trusses were later
replaced by a more or less permanent wooden trusses
and galvanized iron roofing.

Then they designed and
fabricated the new steel
trusses.
There are 19 trusses spaced at
3.50 meters at the center.
The ceiling is steel and
framed finished with cement
stucco.
The floor of the nave of the
church is finished with
marble slabs 3/4" x 24" x 24"
in size taken from Romblon
and Bulacan.

Prepared by :
Christian David Mendoza
Jhanne Cristelle Paman
Marciana Madriaga