The San Pablo Church Ruins are ruins of a Roman Catholic church located in San Pablo, Isabela, Philippines. The church was built in 1624, making it the oldest in Isabela.[1]
San Pablo Church | |
---|---|
The church ruins in 2013 | |
Location in Luzon | |
17°26′54″N 121°47′37″E | |
Location | San Pablo, Isabela |
Country | Philippines |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
History | |
Status | Ruins |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Inactive |
Heritage designation | National Cultural Treasure |
Architectural type | Church building |
Style | Baroque |
Completed | 1624 |
The church was damaged during the World War II.[2] In 1949, it was destroyed by the 7-magnitude earthquake that hit the Cagayan Valley, and its roof was burned down in the 1950s.[3] Unable to renovate, a smaller church, one-third the size of San Pablo Church, was built inside the walls.[4]
Present situation
Fronting the church is a patio overgrown with grass.[5] Still standing is the church's facade, with visible bas-relief and religious icons on each side.[3] The church's arched main entrance, vigil room, support for the choir loft, and buttresses, which continue to support the structure, are still visible.[5][6]
Diggings of sacred grounds, through the ancient walls and a tunnel toward the church's altar, were reportedly conducted by people looking for the Yamashita's treasure.
The National Museum of the Philippines declared the church as a national cultural treasure.[7]
The Baroque-styled church was constructed using bricks mixed with riverstones, adobe and coral stones.[1][8] Its belfry of six layers, including the circular apex made of adobe, was the tallest in the Cagayan Valley.[9]
- Facade
- Belfry
- Interior
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.