Assessment of Heritage Churches in Isabela, Cagayan Valley

This study focused on the assessment of the present condition of the five (5) heritage churches in Isabela namely: San Pablo de Cabigan Church of San Pablo, St. Rose of Lima Parish of Gamu, St. Matthias Parish Church of Tumauini, Our Lady of Atocha Church of Alicia and Our Lady of the Pilar Church in Cauayan City. Ocular inspections and observations were performed to determine the structural defects, the non-structural defects and damages of the structures. The compressive strengths of these churches were determined by the non-destructive method through rebound hammer. It also includes the profile of the churches and the relationship between the ages of the churches to its compressive strengths were determined. Findings showed that San Pablo de Cabigan Church located at Cabagan is the oldest church while the youngest church is Our Lady of Atocha at Alicia, Isabela. Moreover, Our Lady of Pillar Parish Church at Cauayan is the largest church in terms of floor area while the smallest is Our Lady of Atocha Parish Church at Alicia, Isabela. Majority of the churches used bricks as building materials. The existence of cracks on walls of the churches were visible which caused the damaged of the structure. Moreover, the non-structural defects such as botanical growth, timber decay, human error and damaged stone details contributed to the deterioration of the building. Most of heritage churches have no beams and columns instead buttresses were constructed which served as the main structural member supporting the walls. Result shows that the length of existence (age) of the heritage churches has no relationship to its compressive strength. Necessary retrofitting and maintenance measures maybe recommended to restore and preserve the original features of the heritage structures. For future researches, an appropriate structural diagnosis using up-to-date techniques for identifying the state and source of damages of the buildings for the preservation of heritage monuments may be considered.