Paoay is home of North Luzon's most famous church - Paoay Church. It was built in classic earthquake baroque style, with massive brick reinforcements running along its sides. Its walls are made of thick coral blocks and stucco-plastered bricks, sealed with a mixture of limestone mortar and sugarcane juice. The church was built in 1704 and was finished 90 years later. It has Gothic, Chinese and Japanese influences.What is striking about Paoay Church is that unlike other beautiful churches in the region, it is not encroached upon by shops, schools or any commercial establishments. The church and the belfry stands in wide-open square revealing all its splendour and glory.
Here are photos I have taken of the awesome church:
After being awed by the sight of the church, it is time for our taste buds to experience new things. I have heard so much about the Pinakbet Pizza that it is a must to taste it. Just right across the Paoay Church is Herencia Café - home of the famous Pinakbet Pizza. Herencia is a restaurant that aims to remain as faithful to the traditional Ilocano cuisine by offering and serving authentic Ilocano dishes like pinakbet, igado, and bagnet among others.
Pinakbet Pizza is a fusion of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese spread in a thin crust and topped by pinakbet vegetables like eggplant, ampalaya, okra, sitaw, and some kind of meat like bagnet or longganisa. And if these are not enough, you have an option to put anchovies or bagoong just before you eat it. My verdict? Tastes good.
And of course, the Pinakbet Pizza is best ordered with Bagnet. Bagnet is locally known as chicharon or deep-fried pork. This tasty treat is a must eat for all Ilocos visitors. Just do it in moderation though 'cause it is high in fat and cholesterol and has heart attach written all over it.The sight and the taste of Paoay. Definitely a must-place to include in your Ilocos itinerary.
wow!
ReplyDeletegaling napreserve nila yun=]
pero i'm not sure for the pizza but i will not pass on the bagnet!
looks yummy...
ingatan ang puso! ahehehh
ang ganda!
ReplyDeletewe're planning to go to vigan and pagudpod.malapit b yan dun?
Thanks for commenting in my blog... Your point is so nice.... Kindly add my blog into your blogroll and keep in touch in my blog.... I added yours in my blog under the "Blogspot Seleries" list.. Check it out and have a nice day!!!!
ReplyDeletefantastic shots again and very educational too
ReplyDeleteThe church speaks volumes about the history of the place. I would love to visit Paoay one of these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comments. It's been a while but I hope to visit your blog more regularly. A lot of things have happened in my so called life, which prevented me from being more active online. Enjoy the week ahead!
joy
A Pinay In England
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Parang gusto ko tuloy ng bagnet :) saan ba nakakabili dto sa Manila ang authentic na bagnet? I bought once from a store in Alabang Town Center but it tasted stale so I'm so disappointed.
ReplyDeletenakakaintriga yung pinakbet pizza bro, ngayon lang ako nakakita niyan...mukhang yummy.
ReplyDeleteHi Lawstude
ReplyDeleteIt as been a while since I dropped by for a good read and a visual feast. I came to thank you for your comment on my Horse Chestnut Tree, but as with many blogs I send time them catching up and feeling guilty for not coming by all the time. :O) I'm sure you know what I mean my friend. All the best to you.
BTW.. I do like the pictures with the cartoon faces drawn on them.
Tom
Pinakbet Pizza! Waw waw. Gusto ko nun!
ReplyDeleteAng ganda talaga ng architecture ng mga simbahan sa North. Asteeg.
nice captures once again. North Luzon really has so much more to offer than what is popularly known.
ReplyDeleteand that pizza with bagnet? that makes me very hungry now. don't you ever do this again! hahaha! :P
wow bagnet! hello, heart attack
ReplyDeleteWow ganda ang structure ng church! And the pinakbet pizza. Wish ko makatikim nyan. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful adventure! Am looking forward for more. hehehe
ReplyDeletewow. astig nman. sana makapunta ako sa church na yun. ^^,
ReplyDeletewaaah. pinakbet pizza. parang weird. haha. pero muka cyang masarp pero sana walang sitaw. i dont eat sitaw. haha
I have a photo taken in front of Paoay Church and it was one of my favorites. The church really looks adorable. I tried bagnet but haven't tasted pinakbet pizza. I should try it next time. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteso the farthest north i've been was baguio ... so yeah, inggit ako .. haha
ReplyDeletethat pizza looks different from norm... but im sure masarap yan.
ReplyDeleteI'm an Ilocano but i don't like Pinakbet. I haven't tried the pizza version though, not Bagnet either. I definitely am missing a lot from where i'm from...
ReplyDelete@ my so called quest - hey doc, korek ingatan ang puso kaya hinay-hinay lang sa bagnet.
ReplyDelete@ kurisujae - if you're planning to go to vigan and pagudpud, madadaanan nyo to. its around 3 hours away from vigan and 2 hours from pagugpud.
ReplyDeletethe best itinerary would be
1 - vigan (mestizo dist/churches)
2 - paoay (paoay church)
3 - batac (marcos museum/church)
4 - laoag (st williams cathedral)
5 - bangui (windmills)
6 - burgos (cape bojeador)
7 - pagudpud (white sand beaches and kabigan falls)
enjoy your trip.
@ selerines - hi. thanks for dropping by and enjoy youe week too.
ReplyDelete@ evlahos - thank you sir. have a nice day.
ReplyDelete@ joy - don't you worry, take your time. we are just here.
ReplyDeletei agree too, the facade and the structure of the church will tell you how many storms and calamities it has weatherd.
@ kegeler747 - di ko sure carlo but if we are going to believe the ad, dapat meron nyan sa SM kasi sabi nila "we got it all for you"
ReplyDelete@ madbong - its ok naman, pero i suggest wag mo na lang lagyan ng bagoong kasi baka masira tyan mo.
ReplyDelete@ tom wigley - i know what you mean sir, so many blogs and yet so little time plus work certainly is catching up on us. anyways, i am just here sir and don't you worry about a thing.
ReplyDelete@ yeahred2 - kaya don't ever miss it pag pumunta ka sa paoay. its different and its good.
ReplyDelete@ collapsingbarrycade - i agree. the north has so much history in them. and it never runs out of interesting places too from the coast of zambales to lingayen gulf, from ilocos to the cordilleras. and don't forget batanes. just so many places here to explore.
ReplyDelete@ abad - heart attack alright lols.
ReplyDelete@ redlan - my ilocos adventure will probably fill my post till june. i am glad to share them to all of you.
ReplyDeletevanny - i have a poster of this place and dreamt of going there. and ng makarating ako doon, mas maganda kesa sa poster at di ka magsisisi kahit mahaba travel. and of course, the pinakbet pizza is just a surplusage.
ReplyDelete@ wedding glitters - paoay church definitely is one of the best (if not the best) church i have seen in my entire life.
ReplyDeletenow, i can't wait to go to ilo-ilo to see the miag-ao church.
@ jericho - i have been to baguio a lot, it is a very nice place pero sana i-stop na yung constructions and development kasi i feel na nasisira na yung essence and nature ng baguio.
ReplyDelete@ kris jasper - yeah it tastes the same but with the salty twist.
ReplyDelete@ ely - dude, i envy your place, ang ganda, you should explore it.
ReplyDeletebeautiful structures and good looking pizza!
ReplyDeleteThe way you described made me want to visit it.
ReplyDelete[:
Chicharon; I've tasted that when I was in Manila two years ago and I've to admit that it sure is tasty but yes, the word "cholesterol" is written all over the place! Haha!
Waw. Ganda ganda. I've always wanted to go to world heritage sites.
ReplyDeletehi lawstude, honestly, i was so thrilled when I saw your shots of Paoay. When did you go there? I was just there last week for the first time and I also went there to shoot. It's so beautiful, isn't it?
ReplyDeletemukhang masarap ang pinakbet pizza ah..=)
ReplyDeletelove your shots! ang galing! dun po sa baluarte ni singson napuntahn nyo po ba?
ReplyDeleteganda rin doon?
sumakay rin po sana kayo ng kalesa!
hehehe
The church looks so awesome, no wonder its the most famous church in luzon.
ReplyDeletedi pa ako makapunta dyan. pero balak namin, next year siguro. diba dyan kinasal si imee marcos?
ReplyDeletevery old historic landmarks. Glad they were preserved over time !
ReplyDeleteI love that Pinakbet Pizza man :) Uniquely Pinoy :)
@ luke - that church is one of my country's most beautiful. the pizza ain't exotic but definitely different from the usual.
ReplyDelete@ kyels - chicharon, lechon, sisig, the pinoy diet is really heart friendly (not). lols
ReplyDelete@ bino/geno - the philippines has several of them and i just hope to visit all of them in this lifetime.
ReplyDelete@ dailyphotographer - i aws there may 18th. and the first thing i said when i saw the whole landscape was WOW ANG GANDA!!!. i remember to have taken some shots inside the church but i can't seem to find it. maybe, the church wants me to go back there.
ReplyDeletei really like the place.
@ dra. rio - if u like pizza and pakbet, then you will be fine.
ReplyDelete@ eloiski - too bad di ko napuntahan yung baluarte ni singson, although i have been to many zoos all over the country.
ReplyDeleteyup. i rode in kalesa for 30 minutes.
thanks for dropping by.
@ vinzent i these pics compare nothing to the real thing. you have to be there to be amazed. really.
ReplyDelete@ belen - im not really sure 'nay. pero i won't be surprised kung doon kasi it is still a marcos country.
ReplyDelete@ bw - pinakbet is so pinoy. kaya tawag doon sa dish is italian pinoy. just a great tasting fusion.
ReplyDeleteWow very beautiful photos. Glad they had strong brick reinforcements. It is a nice place to visit and take photos of.The photos of the food are yummy...
ReplyDeletePinakbet pizza? Mukhang masarap nga pero parang weird hano? Okra at sitaw sa pizza hehehe.
ReplyDeleteThe church looks great pasama naman minsan sa libot.
wow. magnificent. i heard a lot of wonderful words about that church.
ReplyDeletepero hindi masyado swak sa taste ko ang ilokano na cuisine.
Of all the churches we saw in Ilocos, Church of Paoay was my favorite - a definite must-see.
ReplyDeleteI truly recommend stopping by this little town just to check out this old, crumbling, beautiful relic from our past. Thanks for sharing this Lawstude, it brought back memories of my summer a couple of years ago.
i went there may 20 and vigan on the 21st. if given a chance i would definitely go back. it's so beautiful and historical
ReplyDeleteWow, Lawstude, your blog is magnificent, thanks for visiting mine, I loved scrolled down your photos and description of your beautiful country, I have never been there, but I think we should go and visit it one day, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home country with us.
ReplyDelete@ alicesg - those strong brick reinforcements and columns helped the church weather lots of storms and calamities. thanks GOD.
ReplyDelete@ uno - kakaiba. minsan naman masarap kumain ng kakaiba di ba?
ReplyDelete@ yoshke - i heard a lot about the church before but the feeling is different when you actually see the church. you will just be awed by its presence.
ReplyDeletenoong makita ko yun makailan akong napa wow.
@ vanessa - glad you felt the same way. ang ganda talaga eh.
ReplyDelete@ dailyphotographer - two day difference lang pala. dapat pala next time photoshoot tayo. just keep in touch bro.
ReplyDelete@ kitem - you are very much welcome, my country has 7,107 islands and has lots to offer. i am happy to share them to you and hope you like it.
ReplyDeleteThat fourth one is really nice....
ReplyDeletepacomment na rin ako. ganda talaga sa parteng north... haaay.. wish soon could be there.
ReplyDelete@ kegeler747 - di ko sure carlo but if we are going to believe the ad, dapat meron nyan sa SM kasi sabi nila "we got it all for you"
ReplyDelete...I like this one :) hahaha
pinakbet pizza..meron pala nyan
ReplyDeleteganda ng mga photos mo..naka slr cam ka?
it indeed deserve to be a world heritage site. i hope it won't be destroyed by nature.
ReplyDelete@ selerines - thanks for appreciating. really amazing columns.
ReplyDelete@ pensucks - yeah. i wanna go bach there too, i just wish that it would be sunnier next time kasi hirap kumuha maganda shots pag makulimlim and langit.
ReplyDelete@ kegler747 - nakakatawa din pala ako minsan.
ReplyDelete@ dakilang islander - thanks. yup, canon dslr user ako. kaso di ko pa alam gamitin lahat functions.
ReplyDelete@ the dong - sana nga. para the future generation could see it too.
ReplyDeleteI missed Paoay Church when I visited Ilocos. From your pictures, it's a beautiful church, great architecture...a remarkable symbol of our heritage.
ReplyDeleteAy ang sarap ng bagnet! But pinakbet pizza??? Hmmmn..I'll pass!:D
@ luna miranda - i couldn't agree more, just seeing paoay church is already worth the trip.
ReplyDelete