One of the more important tourist destinations that I failed to visit 2 years ago was the San Agustin Church or more popularly known as the Paoay Church in the town of Paoay Ilocos Norte
Paoay is one of the four Baroque Churches in the Philippines that has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The church in Paoay was built in 1694 under the orders of Augustinian Friar Antonio Estavillo. The Paoay Church was completed 1710. It is made of baked bricks and coral stones. Large buttresses were built on its sides to prevent it from falling down during earthquakes.
The lower level of the church was built using the bricks while the upper level has corals. The belfry, which sits a few meters away, is also made of coral stones. The bell tower has been used by the Katipuneros as an observation post during revolution era.
Seeing the Paoay church for the first time is an exhilarating experience. It was a dream come true for me to see these lovely church. When we went there, we were the only tourist at the site. So the whole church was all ours to enjoy! Picture here and picture there. Until I finally got tired and took a quick burger break at one of the burger stalls beside the church.
I really do not know who allowed these two burger stalls to operate just a few meters away from the sides of the church. I am not sure if the National Historical Institute is aware that these structures were built just beside the church buttresses.
Well, I am not really against these two burger joints, I just hope that the local government unit of Paoay could relocate them near the church but not too close to the heritage structure.
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