The Architecture of the Philippines is a reflection of the history and heritage of the Philippines. The various architecture found in the country is influenced by Malay, Hindu,Chinese, colonial Spanish, American and Filipino cultures.

The pre-colonial architecture of the Philippines consisted of the Nipa hut made from natural materials. A great variety of the Nipa hut exists over the Philippines.

During three hundred years of Spanish colonialization the philippine architecture was dominated by the spanish culture. During this period Intramurous, the walled city, of Manila, was built with its walls, houses, churches and fortresses. The order of the Augistinians built a large number of grand churches all over the Philippine Islands. During this period the traditional Filipino "Bahay na Bato" style for the large mansion emerged. These were large houses built of stone and wood combining Filipino, Spanish and Chinese style elements. The best presrved examples of these houses can be found in Vigan , Ilocos Sur and Taal, Batangas.

After the Spanish American war the architecture of the Philippines was dominated by the American style. In this period the plan for the modern city of Manila was designed, with a large number of art deco buildings, by famous American and Filipino architects. During the liberation of Manila by the Americans in 1945 large portions of Intramurous and Manila were destroyed. In the period after the second world war many of the destroyed buildings were rebuilt.

At the end of the twentiest century modern architecture with straight lines and functional aspects was introduced. During this period many of the older structures fell into decay. Early in the 21st Century a revival of the respect for the traditional Filipino elements in the architecture returned.

Pre-colonial

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the main form of dwelling for a family in the Philippines was the nipa hut, a single room house composed of wood, bamboo or other native materials. Though the styles of the nipa hut varied throughout the country, most all of them shared similar characteristics including having it raised slightly above ground on stilts and a steep roof. Aside from nipa huts, other small houses were built on top of trees to prevent animal as well as enemy attacks.

Colonial Spanish

Spanish colonization introduced European architecture into the country. The influence of European architecture and its style actually came via the Antilles through the Manila Galleon. The most lasting legacy of Spain in terms of architecture was its colonial churches which were designed by anonymous friar architects.

In this era, the nipa hut or Bahay Kubo gave way to the Bahay na Bato (stone house) and became the typical house of noble Filipinos. The Bahay na Bato followed the nipa hut's arrangements such as open ventilation and elevated apartments. The most obvious difference between the two houses would be the materials that was used to build them. The Bahay na Bato was constructed out of brick and stone rather than the traditional bamboo materials.

Bahay na Bato

The Bahay Na Bato, the Colonian Filipino House, is a mixture of native Filipino, Spanish and Chinese influences. In Vigan, Ilocos Sur, excellently preserved examples of the houses of the noble Filipinos can be admired. In Taal, Batangas, the main street is still ligned with examples of the tradional Filipino homes.

Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago (Fuerza de Santiago) is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila, Philippines.

The location of Fort Santiago was also once the site of the palace and kingdom of Rajah Suliman, chieftain of Manila of pre-Spanish era. It was destroyed by the conquistadors upon arriving in 1570, encountering several bloody battles with the Muslims and native Tagalogs. The Spaniards destroyed the native settlements and erected Fuerza de Santiago in 1571.

Intramuros

Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila. Its name, taken from the Latin, intra muros, literally "Within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.

Paco Park

Paco Park was planned as a municipal cemetery for the well-off and established aristocratic Spanish families who resided in the old Manila, or the city within the walls of Intramuros during the Spanish colonial era.

Most of the wealthy families interred the remains of their loved ones inside the municipal cemetery in what was once the district of Dilao (former name for Paco). The cemetery was built in the late 1700s but was completed several decades later and in 1822, the cemetery was used to inter victims of a cholera epidemic that swept across the city.

The cemetery is circular in shape, with an inner circular fort that was the original cemetery and with the niches that were placed or located within the hollow walls. As the population continued to grow, a second outer wall was built with the thick adobe walls were hollowed as niches and the top of the walls were made into pathways for promenades.

A Roman Catholic chapel was built inside the walls of the Paco Park and it was dedicated to St. Pancratius.

Augustinian Churches

The order of the Augustinians,Augustinian Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines, build many churches all over the Philippines. These magnificent structures can still be found all over the Phlippine Islands. The Augustinian historians Fathers Policarpo F. Hernández and Pedro G. Galende,coffetable book "Angels in Stone" documents all the churches built by the Augustinians throughout the Philippines over the centuries.

The San Augustine church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, is the most famous of these churches. This unique specimen of Filipino architecture from the Spanish area has been included in the World Heritage Sites List of the Unesco.The church was built by the Augustinian friars from 1694 until 1710.It shows the earthquake proof baroque style architecture.


San Agustín Church and Monastery, built between 1587 and 1606, is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, and the only building left intact after the destruction of Intramuros during the Battle of Manila (1945). The present structure is actually the third to stand on the site and has survived seven major earthquakes, as well as the wars in Manila. The church remains under the care of the Augustinians who founded it.

The San Agustín Church lies inside the walled city of Intramuros located in the capital city Manila, Philippines. It is the first European stone church to be built in the Philippines designed in Spanish architectural structure. The church also houses the legacies of the Spanish conquistadors, Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti who are buried and laid to rest in a tomb, underneath the church.

The church has 14 side chapels and a trompe-l'oeil ceiling. Up in the choir loft are the hand-carved 17th-century seats of molave, a beautiful tropical hardwood. Adjacent to the church is a small museum run by the Augustinian order, featuring antique vestments, colonial furniture, and religious paintings and icons.

Together with three other ancient churches in the country, it was designated as part of the World Heritage Site "Baroque Churches of the Philippines" in 1993.