Sarrat Church

Santa Mónica at Sarrat is the biggest colonial church in Ilocos Norte, an eighteenth-century Augustinian foundation in red brick with a long nave, heavy walls and a facade that is plain by the standards of the region's more decorated churches. Its distinctive feature is the connection to the convent next door: a wide brick stairway rises between the two buildings, a piece of monastic planning on an unusually grand scale that survives largely intact. The complex was badly damaged by earthquake in the 1980s and restored afterwards, and it was declared a National Cultural Treasure. The town has a second claim on national attention - Sarrat is the birthplace of Ferdinand Marcos, and the church hosted the widely publicised wedding of his daughter in 1983, an event whose staging and cost became part of the political record of that period. Today it is a quiet parish town fifteen minutes from Laoag.

What you actually see

• The long brick nave - the largest colonial interior in the province.
• The convent stairway - the wide brick stair between the buildings.
• The plain facade - restrained by Ilocos standards.
• The restored fabric - repairs after the 1980s earthquake.

When to go

November to May for dry weather. Weekday mornings for a quiet church; it is a working parish with regular services.

Honest expectations

Much of the structure is post-earthquake restoration. The convent is not always open to visitors. There is little interpretation on site and few facilities in town.

Nearby

Laoag and its Sinking Bell Tower are fifteen minutes away; Paoay and Bacarra are on the same circuit.