SAINT AUGUSTINE CHURCH

History
The town of Paoay was originally called "Bombay" as the earliest
inhabitants believed to have come from India. The earliest historical record
of the area dates back to 1593, becoming an Augustinian
independent parish in 1686.[1]Building of the present church was started in
1694 by Augustinian friar Father Antonio Estavillo, completed in 1710 and
rededicated in 1896. Some portions of the church was damaged in the
1865 and 1885 earthquake but was later restored under the initiative of
former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
The Saint Augustine Church, commonly known as the Paoay Church, is
theRoman Catholic parish church of the municipality of Paoay, Ilocos
Norte in thePhilippines. Completed in 1710, the church is famous for
its distinct architecture highlighted by the enormous buttresses on
the sides and back of the building. It is declared as a National Cultural
Treasure by the Philippine government in 1973 and a UNESCO World
Heritage Site under the collective group of Baroque Churches of the
Philippines in 1993.

SANTA MARIA CHURCH

History
The community of Santa Maria must have been already an organized settlement before the
Spaniards came to the Philippines. When Captain Juan de Salcedo conquered the Ilocos in 1572,
they found out that the people were already engaged in a brisk trade and commerce with
the Japanese and the Chinese. The peoples main industries were fishing and farming and to some
extent weaving of cotton cloth and pottery. The people were noted for their religiosity. They
worshiped the anitos, spirits and local Gods. Although the conquest of the Ilocos Region was a slow
and painful process for the inhabitants resisted, they were later conquered through the use of the
sword and hand in hand with the Cross. It was the religious nature of the people that the friars
greatly exploited to convert the Ilocanos to the new faith Christianity.
In 1572, Juan De Salcedo established an encomienda in Vigan as more places fell under the control
of the Spaniards, more parishes or visitas (sub-parishes) were set up in place that could be easily
serviced by the ecclesiastical and military officials. When Narvacan was created as a definitory by
the Augustinians on April 25, 1567, its visitas were Santa Maria, San Esteban and Santiago. It is
recorded that Narvacan was an encomienda of Don Nicolas de Figeroa in 1589.

BINONDO CHURCH
History
Binondo Church, also known as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruizand Our Lady of the Most
Holy Rosary Parish , is located in the District of Binondo, Manila fronting Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz,
in thePhilippines. This church was founded by Dominican priests in 1596[1] to serve their Chinese
converts to Christianity.[2] The original building was destroyed in 1762 by British bombardment. A
new granite church was completed on the same site in 1852 however it was greatly damaged during
the Second World War, with only the western facade and the octagonal bell tower surviving.
San Lorenzo Ruiz, who was born of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother, trained in this church
and afterwards went as a missionary to Japan and was executed there for refusing to renounce his
religion. San Lorenzo Ruiz was to be the Philippines' first saint and he was canonized in 1987. A
large statue of the martyr stands in front of the church.
Masses are held in Filipino, in Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Hokkien), and in English.
Even before the arrival of the Spanish to the Philippines there was already a community of Chinese
traders living in Manila. The population of Chinese traders increased with the advent of Spanish
colonization of the Philippines, due to increased trade between the islands.The upsurge in their
population prompted the Catholic Missionaries to manage the conversion of the Chinese population
to the Christian faith.
In 1596, Dominican priests founded Binondo church to serve their Chinese converts to Christianity
as well as to the native Filipinos.

QUIAPO CHURCH
HISTORY
According to historical records, Quiapo church was founded in 1586 by Franciscan
Missionaries headed by Pedro Bautista. It was originally constructed of bamboo and
nipa. Stone reconstructions of the church followed in 1899, but this Mexican Baroque
structure burned down in 1928. The present cream-colored edifice was the result of
reconstruction that took three decades to complete.
In 1586, the Quiapo district was first established by then governor general Santiago de
Vera and the Fransciscans concurrently founded the church. It was led by Fr. Pedro
Bautista. The church also suffered two natural calamities: a fire in 1639 and an
earthquake in 1863. Fransciscans built the first church, but Seculars handled the repairs
and rebuilding of succeeding structures.
Basilio Sancho de Santas Justa y Rufina, then archibishop of Manila ordered the
translocation of the image of the Black Nazerene in Intramuros. It was formerly housed
by San Nicolas de Tolentino, the Augustinian Recollect's main church. This event is
commemorated evert 9 January.
In 1899, the third church was inagurated. In 1928, another fire damaged the building
and was rebuilt by architect Juan Nakpil. An expansion was done in the 1980s.