Argao Church

Argao Church, canonically known as the Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of Saint Michael the Archangel, is a Roman Catholic church in Argao, Cebu, Philippines. The municipality of Argao was established as a parish in 1703 under the Augustinian order. To serve the parochial needs of its people, a stone church was constructed in 1734 and was completed in 1788. The church was dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel.FeaturesThe coral stone church is a two-level structure with an imposing, highly ornate pediment and double-pilaster columns on its facade. Together with its convent, the church was fortified to also serve as refuge during Moro raids in the 18th and 19th century. The facade contains articulate carvings depicting the patron saint displayed on its niche, flanked by oversized urn-like finials standing on rectangular bases at each corner of the pediment.The church follows the usual cruciform plan. The interior contains a single aisle with a double nave. Five altars adorn its sanctuary and transept areas, with the main altar containing 3 life-size statues of the three archangels: St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Gabriel. The vaulted ceiling is made of wooden panels arranged longitudinally with details of seraphs protruding as corbels. Paintings depicting the life of the angels and archangels, plus several Biblical passages, adorn the ceiling surface—half of which were painted by the renowned master Cebuano painter Raymundo Francia, and the other half by an unknown Boholano artist.The bell tower has three levels supporting a single large bell on the second level, with 8 smaller bells on the third. The base of the belfry supports a square plan, while the second and third bases follow an octagonal plan, topped by a domed roof. The bell tower is connected to the church by a single-level baptistry.