First Book Project

San Agustin Museum recently launched Philippine Church Facades - a coffee table book that features the architecture of 160 Catholic churches built in the Philippines between the 16th and 18th century. It contains more than 700 hundred photographs, with descriptions written by Father Pedro Galende, OSA, a foremost authority in Philippine church architecture, and author of several notable books on the subject, such as Angels in Stone, San Agustin: Noble Stone Shrine and San Agustin Art and History.

Father Pedro Galende , OSA, signing copies of Philippine Church Facades during the launching held at the inner courtyard of the San Agustin Museum . (Photo: Estan Cabigas)

For almost seven months, I worked with fellow photographer Estan Cabigas, taking photographs of the churches featured in the book. I went around the provinces of Negros, Siqiujor, Ilo-ilo, Antique, Capiz, Pampanga, Batangas and Cavite, and covered fifty churches for the project. Estan shot almost a hundred churches and worked on the digital post-production. The project seemed endless. I took countless rides on planes, boats, buses and jeepneys, slept on various accommodations ranging from comfortable to spartan, ate a myriad of provincial delicacies and gained calories that I am still struggling to burn up to now. It is interesting to finally see the whole experience compressed into pages of colored photos.

Philippine Church Facades is available at San Agustin Museum and in bookstores around the Philippines. Grab your copies now!