Tumauini Church

San Matías at Tumauini was begun in 1783 and finished in 1805, and it is unlike any other church in the Philippines because of what it is made of: fired brick, used not merely as structure but as ornament, with thousands of moulded and stamped bricks carrying rosettes, medallions, floral panels and figures set into the facade and the tower. The bell tower is the signature - circular rather than square, in three diminishing stages with a domed cap, which is the reason everyone describes it as a wedding cake, and the only round colonial bell tower of its kind in the country. The church was declared a National Cultural Treasure and it has been restored with care, keeping as much of the original brick as survived. It stands in an ordinary Cagayan Valley town on the highway, so most people see it as a stop between Tuguegarao and the south rather than a destination.

History

The Dominican Francisco Nuñez built a first church of nipa and light materials in 1707, dedicated to Saint Matthias, and Tumauini became a parish separate from Cabagan in 1751. The present church was begun under Domingo Forto in 1783, continued by Antonio Herrera in 1788 and completed in 1805, with artisans brought from as far south as Pampanga; numbers on the facade bricks mark the order in which they were set, and the cylindrical belfry of 1805 is the only known Spanish-era cylindrical tower in the country (Wikipedia, Tumauini Church).

What you'll find

• The round bell tower - three stacked stages with a domed top.
• The moulded brick - stamped ornament across the facade.
• The decorated panels - rosettes and figures set into the walls.
• The valley setting - the church in a working farm town.

When to go

November to May for dry weather and good light on the brick. Weekday mornings for a quiet church; it is a working parish.

Good to know

Restoration is ongoing and scaffolding may be up. The interior is plain compared with the exterior. There is little interpretation and few facilities in town.

Nearby

Ilagan and the Cagayan Valley road run south; Tuguegarao and the Callao Caves are about an hour north.

Key facts