San Joaquin Church

The church is made of gleaming white coral stones abundant along the shores of Punta Malagting, Brgy. Igcadlum. Fr. Tomas Santaren of the Agustinian Order built it in 1869 and it is considered the country’s most militaristic church.

The two stories of the façade are uneven in height, the second being about one-half the dimension of the first. The first story is decorated with rosettes and divided vertically by engaged columns on tall plinths like Guimbal. Composite capitals crown the columns. A plaque above the arched portal displays the Augustinian seal flanked by cherubs.

The façade's striking feature, however, is the disproportionately large pediment. When Fr. Santarén was still building the church news of the victory of Gen. Leopoldo O'Donnel over the Moroccan Crown Prince Muley Abbas reached Iloilo. The Spaniards recaptured Tetuan. Santarén's low relief mural captures the excitement of victory where cavalry and infantry are tearing down Moorish defense, near palms and a minaret. The troops are composed in an ascending spiral with figures of horse and rider becomes smaller the higher they reach. Spaces between the figures are filled with vegetation.

The carving is spread on a mosaic blocks. Each block was carved and set in place. So intricate is the sculpture that even the expression of agony by wounded soldier is visible.