UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE - PAOAY CHURCH.....

St. Augustine Church of Paoay, Ilocos Norte.....






Temples of Angkor Wat?






From Another Angle.....





Visitors Inside The Church.....






The Restaurant Across The Church.....






Pinakbet Pizza Anyone?






I Suggest You Improve Your Service.....






Feel The Heat.....






I haven't been to Paoay Church or St. Augustine Church of Paoay in a long time. And the last time I was here, I didn't have a camera with me hence I failed to take pictures of the church. And I just tagged along with my cousins who where suppose to be going to Laoag to do an errand.

The church was the second in our itinerary for the day. But we had to eat first since we have not eaten breakfast yet. A restaurant which was just across the street was the only place to eat. However, service was slow that we could not wait that much longer anymore and were famished. We ended up eating at a turo-turo which had some cooked viands left. Me? I was happy to have chicharon with kamatis, bagoong, lasona as my lunch.

The weather became extremely hot that I developed headaches as the day wore on. By the time we were at Fort Ilocandia, I just had to take a nap inside the van while the rest of the gang went to the Malacanan of the North, which was actually the summer house of the Marcoses during their reign.



The New Bridge.....






The Historic One.....






Excuse Me, Bless.....






A Study Of Light and Shadow Series.....





















Planning a Shot.....






A Jump Shot.....







It is actually the day when we have to return to Manila. And one of the things we missed shooting was the Quirino Bridge which connects the town of Santa to Vigan. I was impressed with the way we tried to catch up the time as the driver literally stepped on the gas and the van flew by. We momentarily stopped by Vigan to buy pasalubong and to eat Vigan empanada. We were way ahead of schedule of catching the sunset at the bridge.

IN AND AROUND STA. MONICA CHURCH, SARRAT, ILOCOS NORTE AND OTHERS....

The Church Of Sta. Monica In Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.....






The Altar In Different Views.....









Statue of Sta. Monica.....






Detailed Interior.....















Open Sesame!






The Belfry.....






One Of The Stations Of The Cross.....






The Parish Museum And Convent Ruins.....





















The Real Adobe Up, Close And Personal.....






The Edralin House Of Ferdinand.....






On the third day of our trip we went to Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. Compared to other towns which features a well known church, one can say that this was off the tourist track. For one thing, Sarrat is not a town close to the national highway like for example Sta. Lucia, where the church can be seen from the national road instantaneously. I am not so sure if this church happens to be the largest in the whole of Ilocos Norte but its massive structures can make this church lay its claim to being one.

One can not mention the church of Sta. Monica without mentioning the name of the late former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos immediately after it. Marcos was born here in Sarrat. And during his term as president, his daughter, Irene Marcos was married to Greggy Araneta in a very ostentatious and grandiose wedding ceremony. Imagine a red carpet that stretched for kilometers and there was even a talk of opening up a private airstrip for guests to use when arriving for the wedding. How ironic that two months after the wedding,on August 7, an earthquake of intensity 7.6 affected Ilocos Norte and destroyed the altar and belfry of the church.

A huge hotel like building was erected and served as the guesthouse for those who attended the wedding of the former presidential daughter. Nowadays, the building has been transformed into the municipal town hall which houses the offices of the local government.

THE CHURCH SQUARE OF BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR.....

St. Agustine Church of Bantay, Ilocos Sur.....




The Belfry.....




Gated Entrance.....




Our Lady Of Charity, "The Patroness Of Ilocandia".....




Inside the Church.....




Eyes Of Faith.....




Sounds Of Antiquity.....






Atop Calvario Hills.....






Bantay, Ilocos Sur is a town that is adjacent to Vigan. It actually is the town before the bus enters the ark that marks the road which leads to Salcedo Plaza. To the average traveler, this town gets overlooked so often because most tourists who chose to ride the buses that start its journey from Metro Manila, automatically disembark at Vigan City itself. Bantay means Guardian in the English language.

According to the elder townsfolk, fishermen found the image of Our Lady of Charity in a wooden box while it floated in Bantaoay River. When people from other towns and provinces found out about it, they tried to carry the statue and claim it, according to their linage. But they failed to do so, with only the people from Bantay the ones able to move the miraculous image and thus, the town became her home. This is one of the stories on how the town got its name. The miraculous image was the town's Bantay. On January 12, 1956, the then Papal Nuncio to the Philippines (the Vatican's equivalent of an ambassador) most Reverend Msgr. Vagnozzi crowned the image as the Patroness of Ilocandia.

The belfry sits on a hilltop (Calvario Hill) overlooking a vast green pastureland and the mountain view of the province of Abra. It was used as a watchtower for invading enemy forces during World Wars I and II. Both the church and belfry stood witnesses to the endless revolts that Ilocanos often staged against the Spaniards with Ilocano Diego Silang's revolt ending when he was killed here in Bantay by a Spanish mestizo named Vico.

A lot has happened in this trip. But we are thankful that we have reached our destination. The club wishes to thank NAYON member James' lola whose name escapes me at the moment ( I better ask James about that c",)) for sharing us her home as Bless, Buboy, Erwin, James and yours truly stayed at her house and did not mind the intrusion. We planned on photographing Vigan at night and when no one else is aound hence the need to stay overnight. Since the house was good enough for a few people, Marc and the rest stayed in a hotel in an area much nearer to Vigan.

But while the sun is still up, onwards to Vigan we shall explore!

A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.....

The Church of Our Lady of The Assumption.....






Ang Kampanaryo.....





Center Aisle.....






Church Buttresses.....






From My Window.....







Another View.....






The Chapel Inside The Convent.....






Running Time.....






A Cross on The Hill.....






Fallen Tree.....






The problem with taking pictures during the summer months is the sunlight is so strong that it tends to wash out the sky. Even if it was just 10 in the morning, the sun's rays seem to be emitting light that one can mistake it to be midday already. Perhaps this is the effect of climate change.

We were fortunate enough to have a driver who has knowledge of the area. I did not know that another road exists for those who go to the Church of Our Lady of The Assumption using their own vehicles. Basically, it is where the parking area is situated. This way prevents people from having to climb the steps heading towards the church if coming from the town plaza, which was a good thing for us, lessens strain on our backs. Try climbing 83 steps with your camera backpack and tripod on this steep hill. It will leave you out of breath when you reach the top!

There was an ongoing wedding when we arrived. We first shot the church from the outside while we waited for the rites to end and shoot the interior. But the sun began to wreck havoc on our photos that we eventually had to shoot somewhere else.

Our deepest gratitude to Sr. Lilian Carranza, who is the one in charge of The Our Lady of The Assumption Spirituality Center. This is the convent that stands beside the church. She gave me a brief history of the place and was kind enough to allow us to enter the convent and shoot interiors.

What I did not know is that even the convent is part of the UNESCO World Heritage proclamation, since it stands on the same lot as the church. The convent needed some immediate repairs on some areas but she has to inform the people from the UNESCO about it since any unauthorized renovation of the structures will automatically make the proclamation null and void. However, some areas have been repaired. Sr. Lilian even said that some of the rooms may be rented out to people looking for cheap accommodations in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur in the near future.

We went to Vigan right after, needing some shut eye!