25 October 2017

#1431 Philippines


Vigan (IlocanoSiudad ti ViganTagalogLungsod ng Vigan), officially the City of Vigan, is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Ilocos SurPhilippines. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 53,879 people.

Located on the western coast of the large island of Luzon, facing the South China Sea, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in that it is one of the few towns left in the Philippines whose old structures have mostly remained intact, and it is well known for its cobblestone streets and a unique architecture of the Philippine colonial era which fuses Native Philippine and Oriental building designs and construction, with colonial Spanish architecture that is still abundant in the area, mainly the Bahay na Batohouses and an Earthquake Baroque church. Former Philippine president Elpidio Quirino, the sixth President of the Philippines, was born in Vigan, at the former location of the Provincial Jail (his father was a warden); he resided in the Syquia Mansion.

In May 2015, Vigan City was officially recognized as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with BeirutDohaDurbanHavanaKuala Lumpur and La Paz. New7Wonders Foundation president and founding member Bernard Weber led a ceremony held at St. Paul Cathedral where he handed a bronze plaque to Vigan Mayor Eva Grace Singson-Medina, signifying the heritage city’s election as one of the world’s wonder cities.


Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1999


Thank you, Chloe !

Sent on: October 4, 2017
Received on: October 19, 2017

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