Earthquake Baroque, or Seismic Baroque, is a style of Baroque architecture found in the Philippines and in Guatemala, which were Spanish-ruled territories that suffered destructive earthquakes during the 17th and the 18th centuries. Large public buildings, such as churches, were then rebuilt in a Baroque style during the Spanish colonial periods in those countries.[1]
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Similar events led to the Pombaline architecture in Lisbon following the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and Sicilian Baroque in Sicily following the 1693 earthquake.
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Characteristics
editIn the Spanish East Indies, destruction of earlier churches from frequent earthquakes have made the church proportion lower and wider; side walls were made thicker and heavily buttressed for stability during shaking. The upper structures were made with lighter materials.[2] Instead of lighter materials thinner walls were introduced by progressively decreasing in thickness to the topmost levels.[3]
Bell towers are usually lower and stouter compared to towers in less seismically active regions of the world.[4] Towers are thicker in the lower levels, progressively narrowing to the topmost level.[2] In some churches of the Philippines, aside from functioning as watchtowers against pirates, some bell towers are detached from the main church building to avoid damage in case of a falling bell tower due to an earthquake.[citation needed]
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Anini-y Church, Antique
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Antigua’s Environs – Antigua, Guatemala". BootsnAll Indie Travel Guide. Retrieved on 2011-07-06.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "The City of God: Churches, Convents and Monasteries". Discovering Philippines. Retrieved on 2011-07-06.
- ^ Reitherman, Robert Consortium of Universities (2016). Seismic Architecture - The architecture of earthquake resistant structures, Llunji Mentor, Earthquake Spectra. Msproject. ISBN 9789940979409.
- ^ Finch, Ric. "Antigue Guatemala-- Monumental City of the Americas". Rutahsa Adventures. Retrieved on 2011-07-06.
External links
edit- "Earthquake Baroque: Paoay Church in the Ilocos" from the Heritage Conservation Society
- San Pedro de las Huertas, an Earthquake Baroque church in Guatemala
- Earthquake baroque churches of the Philippines