I was not so much of a fan of visiting churches as tourist spots… until Paoay took my breath away! It was more than just beautiful. It allowed me to commune with the historic past of the Philippines and more importantly learn new things in the process of acquainting myself with the history of this church. Catholic churches represent a significant stature in Philippine culture.
Paoay is just a few minutes away from the heart of Ilocos, which is Laoag. And it was a great thing that we decided to stop over Paoay before heading to the famous town of Vigan.
Ilocos features lots of huge, voluminous Catholic churches made out of volcanic rock. Due to Spanish colonization, churches became a necessary structure as it was required to be built in the heart of every town as it was the foremost source of power when the Catholic Church dominated over the people back then. To get a feel of this and get first-hand experiences on this, we visited the famous St. Augustine Church of Paoay, or more popularly known as the Paoay Church.
Teacher Mia Travels 