The church of St. Michael the Archangel in Argao was built in 1783 during the time of Fr. Francisco Espina who was the parish priest from 1782 to 1798. The church bears a striking resemblance with the St. William the Hermit Church in Dalaguete.

The architecture of the church is baroque with some touches of rococco. Intricate carvings of angels and floral motifs adorn the facade, the side entrances and the perimeter wall of the church plaza. The rectory is connected to the church while the bell tower stands apart from it but is connected by a low structure that serves as the baptistry.

Stone Walls and Bastions

The entire church complex, the municipal hall and the two-level coral stone building which is now a courthouse were once enclosed by a wall of stone with bastions. Parts of the wall including the three portals — north, south and east — still exist.

The eastern portal that opens to the sea doubles as a watchtower and a small door beside it opens to a narrow passageway to the top. Just beside this portal is the mortuary chapel that was recently rediscovered after lying hidden for years behind the shadows of the Out-Patient Department Building of a nearby hospital. This contemporary structure was torned down recently thus finally exposing the chapel.

Capilla Posas

According to the book Simbahan by Regalado Trota Jose, Argao Church is perhaps the only one in the country that has capilla posas at the four corners of its plaza which is enclosed with a low perimeter stone wall. These capilla posas were small chapels or shrines for stopover prayers during a procession and is common in Spanish colonial churches in Mexico.

Unfortunately, only one of the four is intact while the rest have fallen victim to the modernizing efforts of the parish priest. The low perimeter wall of the plaza itself is decorated with relieves of symbols representing the 14 stations of the cross.

Interiors

The ceiling inside the church is painted with biblical scenes which, according to a historian, served as visual aides in the catechism of the natives.  There are five intricately carved wooden retablos — two at each transept and one at the main altar. At the northern transept is the tomb of Fr. Meliton Talegon, a former director of the Augustinian monastery in Valladolid, Spain who became the parish priest of Argao in the late nineteenth century.

The choir loft has an unplayable pipe organ which is purportedly the second oldest in the country. Near the main altar, at the crossing, hangs a large incense vessel.

This church became controversial lately after one of its parish priests ordered that painting of the statues in the main altar retablo with gold. Even the capilla posas at the church plaza were not spared from such modernizing endeavors. According to an expert, Argao Church could had been included in the proposed extended list of the World Heritage Sites – Baroque Churches of the Philippines if not for these reckless undertakings.

EXTERIORS

Below: The church.

Below: Details of the church plaza’s perimeter wall.

Below: A side entrance with a carved relief above bearing the year “1783.”

Below: Puerta Marina — one of the three portals of the pueblo. The entire church complex plus other Spanish colonial buildings and structures were once enclosed by a wall of stone. Parts of the wall still exist.

INTERIORS

Below: A side altar.

Below: An unplayable pipe organ.

Below: The painted ceilings depicting scenes from the bible.

Below: The main altar retablo which recently became controversial after the parish priest had the statues painted with gold.