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| The imposing Miag-ao Church |
The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva was built in 1786 by the Augustinian friars. In 1993, the UNESCO declared the church a World Heritage Site. A closer look on the front façade will reveal a bas-relief of a large coconut tree reaching almost to the apex, symbolizing as the "tree of life" to which St. Christopher carrying the Child Jesus on his shoulder is clinging to. Meanwhile, lesser facades highlight the day-to-day way of life of the locals, as well as the native flora and fauna and the native dress.
The church does not only function as a religious bastion and as an aesthetic landmark. The church towers also doubled as watchtowers to defend the town against Moro invaders, thus, the walls were thick and it was even reported that there were secret passages in it. Not a single bantayan stretching along southern Iloilo’s coastlines could match the size and strength of this structure. At one time, the church was even called as the Miag-ao Fortress Church.
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