The most beautiful religious buildings Philippines

This imposing temple bears witness to the presence of a sizeable Chinese community on the island since the ^16th century. In the past, these merchants intermarried with the Spanish elite, and despite the vicissitudes of history, many of their descendants are still established on the island. Located in the Beverly Hills district - so named because it is home to the city's wealthiest residents - the temple is reached by taking a Jeepney signposted "Lahu Lahu". It is one of Cebu's most visited non-Catholic religious buildings.

Lon Wa Buddhist Temple, also known as Longhua Temple, is the largest Buddhist temple in Mindanao and one of the largest in the Philippines. The gardens are very well kept, the architecture is superb, as are the colors, the materials, the Italian-style marble, the magnificent gold and wood-carved Buddha. It's all very beautiful indeed. Given that temples are quite rare in the country, it's particularly worth a visit if you're in the area.

Cagsawa is one of the best places to see the Mayon volcano. The ruins of this ^16th century baroque church are a reminder of the volcano's biggest eruption, which occurred on February^1, 1814, killing 1,200 people. It destroyed the villages of Cagsawa, Camalig and Budiao, covering them with a thick layer of ash and lava, washing away everything in its path. Many souvenir stores surround the site and distort it a little and the ruins are not very well preserved. However it remains a rare and interesting place of history.

This beautiful church was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. It was built in the ^18th century in an "earthquake baroque" style, with gothic and Chinese influences, with bricks and coral held together by mortar and sugar cane juice (the walls are 1.67 m thick). It was used as an observation post during the revolution against the Spanish and against the Japanese during the Second World War. In 2000, an excavation brought to light a prehistoric human skeleton and fragments of ceramics.

It is the largest church in the region of Ilocos (137 m long). Built between 1669 and 1679 in an "earthquake baroque" style (separate bell tower), it is made of brick and has a bridge that connects it to the nearby convent. The Spaniards tortured Filipino rebels here, as did the Japanese during World War II. Irene Marcos, daughter of former dictator Marcos, restored the complex on the occasion of her wedding in 1983. However, an earthquake destroyed it again. It was restored again.

Laoag Cathedral was built in 1580 and restored around 1880 after earthquakes, fire and typhoons. Its 45 meters tower built by the Augustinian fathers in 1612, it is of "earthquake baroque" style. The bell tower has six bells of different sizes. The ancients say that in the past you could enter with a horse: today, even a man of average height has to bend down to enter the tower. Today, even an average-sized man has to bend down to enter the tower, which sinks into the soft earth, hence the name it was given, "sinking bell tower".

It is 1 hour south of Vigan. It is one of the most famous baroque churches in the Philippines and has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Built at the end of the ^18th century, it was used as a fortress during the Philippine revolution of 1896. It belongs to the architectural movement that characterizes Philippine churches of the colonial era, the tremor baroque. Faced with earthquakes, the churches were built lower, with thick walls of clay and mortar and the bell tower often set apart.