Hernandez, Guilbert Mark M.

1. The Main Building of University of Santo Tomas



Location: España, Sampaloc, Manila
Architectural Style: Renaissance
Owner: Dominicans
Construction Started: 1924
Inaugurated: 1927
Height: 51.5 metres (169 ft.)
Diameter: 86 m x 74 m
Floor count: four
Cost: 1.5 million (Philippine peso)
Structural Engineer: Rev. Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P.

--The Main Building of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, Philippines functions as the university's administrative center and home of the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Pharmacy and the College of Science. The Main Building is also the home of the Beato Angelico Gallery and the Museum of Arts and Science.

It has the distinction of being the first earthquake-proof building in the country. Designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P., priest and engineer, the building is composed of forty independent structures separated from each other by a gap of one inch, which is filled with loose cement. One of these structures rises beyond the level of the fourth floor to form the tower in the center of the huge box-like stone mass. A cross atop the tower rivets the gaze of the beholder. It promises the student a Christian perspective, a Christian formation. It symbolizes the University's mission to impart knowledge in the sacred and civil sciences.


2. The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva


Location: Miag-ao, Iloilo
Architectural Style: Baroque-Romanesque
Owner: Spanish Augustinian
Construction Started: 1787

--The Miag-ao Church was built in 1787 by Spanish Augustinian missionaries and was declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993. On the front facade, which is flanked by two watchtower belfries, one can see the unique blending of Spanish and native influences.

The Church of Santo Tomas de Villanueva withstood the occasional attacks from Muslims coming from the south. The church and its watchtowers had been built with
thick walls and secret passages to defend the town and its people. The defensive purpose of the Church led to the popular name The Miag-ao Fortress Church.


OTHER PHOTOS of the MIAG-AO CHURCH:



Signage of the Miag-ao Church




Altar of the Church