ViganSights

Sights in Vigan

  1. Crisologo Museum

    The Crisologos, Vigan’s most prominent political dynasty, have also converted their ancestral home into a strange but interesting family shrine, the Crisologo Museum. In addition to the usual fare of books, photos and other personal items, there is the old Chevy that Governor Carmeling Crisologo was in when she was ambushed in 1961. She survived, but her husband, Floro, a long-time congressman, was not so lucky when he was attacked in a church in 1970. There are a few lurid photos of the killing, and the blood-stained pants he was wearing are preserved in a glass case. The 1st-floor sala is kept mostly as it was when it was occupied, and contains several pieces of colon…

    reviewed

  2. Padre José Burgos National Museum

    Built in 1788, the Padre José Burgos National Museum is in the ancestral home of Father José Burgos, one of the three martyr priests executed by the Spanish in 1872. It houses an extensive collection of Ilocano artefacts, including a series of 14 paintings by the locally famed painter Don Esteban Villanueva depicting the 1807 Basi Revolt. Weavings, Tingguian (Itneg) jewellery, musical instruments, pottery, and farming and fishing implements are also on display.

    reviewed

  3. Syquia Mansion

    The Syquia Mansion on Quirino Blvd was recently turned into a museum filled with old furniture and exhibits dedicated to the life of Vigan native Elpidio Quirino, the Philippines’ sixth president. Quirino was born in the nearby provincial jail, where his mother worked. He rose to political prominence after marrying into the fabulously wealthy Syquia family.

    reviewed

  4. St Paul Cathedral

    The St Paul Cathedral was built in 'earthquake baroque' style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by two quakes in 1619 and 1627. The construction of the original wooden, thatched church is believed to have been supervised by Salcedo himself in 1574.

    reviewed

  5. St Paul Cathedral

    This church was built in ‘earthquake baroque’ style (ie thick-walled and massive) after an earlier incarnation was damaged by two quakes in 1619 and 1627. The construction of the original wooden, thatched church is believed to have been supervised by Salcedo himself in 1574.

    reviewed

  6. Museo San Pablo

    The Museo San Pablo, in St Paul Cathedral, has a religious theme and is a good place to see old santos (religious statues). The photo collection of a German pharmacist who lived in Vigan for a number of years in the late 1800s also deserves a look.

    reviewed