Description of the attraction
The Iglesia Ni Christo Church, located in Quezon City, is the largest church in the Philippines, remarkably similar to a fairytale castle. Iglesia Ni Christo belongs to the religious organization Church of Christ, one of the most popular in the country. The church building itself is just part of the community headquarters complex, which is as large as the Vatican. It also includes a 6-storey central office building and six other structures, including a multifunctional Prayer House, a Central Pavilion for up to 30,000 people and the College of Evangelical Missions. The church can accommodate up to 7 thousand parishioners.
The architect of Iglesia Ni Cristo was Carlos Antonio Santos-Viola, also known for his designs for other religious buildings. Viola was one of the first graduates of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Santo Tomás in 1935. After his studies, he worked for some time as a draftsman for Juan Nacpil, and in 1946-1950s was his companion. One of Viola's first independent works was the project of the Bishops' Palace in the city of San Juan. Interestingly, Santos Viola became the first and only Filipino architect to have religious creations built throughout the country.
Iglesia Ni Christo was consecrated in July 1984. Since then, this building has been considered a real gem among all the buildings of the Church of Christ. Its characteristic features are straight and clear lines, spiers rising many meters into the sky, and neo-Gothic architecture. Until now, everyone who first sees this majestic structure freezes in awe of its magnificence. Five huge and 10 small spiers make the building incredibly tall. Inside, the church is decorated with asymmetrical windows and three arched vaults over the place of offerings and prayers. In order for a larger number of parishioners to be able to fit in the church during the choral singing, a balcony was built, and next to it was the so-called tribune where the pastor is located during the sermon.
