The Iglesia Ni Cristo Church, located in Quezon City, is the largest church in the Philippines, looking remarkably like a fairy tale castle. Iglesia Ni Cristo belongs to the religious organisation Christ Church, one of the most popular in the country. The church building itself is just part of the congregation's central office complex, which is as big as the Vatican. It also includes a 6-story central office building and six other buildings, including a multi-purpose House of Worship, a Central Pavilion with a capacity of up to 30 thousand people and the Evangelical Mission College. The church can accommodate up to 7,000 parishioners.
The architect of the Iglesia Ni Cristo was Carlos Antonio Santos Viola, also known for his designs of other religious buildings. Viola was one of the first University of Santo Tomas architecture graduates in 1935. After studies, he worked for a time as a draftsman for Juan Nakpil, and in the 1946-1950s he was his partner. One of Viola's first independent works was the the Archdiocesan Palace in the city of San Juan. Interestingly, Santos Viola became the the first and only Filipino architect whose religious creations built throughout the country.
Iglesia Ni Cristo was consecrated in July 1984. Since then, this building has been considered a true jewel among all Christ Church buildings. Its characterised by straight and clear lines, spires rising many metres into the sky, and neo-Gothic architecture. To this day, everyone who who sees this magnificent structure for the first time stands in awe of its magnificence. Five huge spires and 10 small spires make the building incredibly tall. Inside, the church is adorned with asymmetrical windows and three arched vaults above the place of offerings and prayers. In order to allow more parishioners to be able to sit in the church during the choir singing, a balcony was built, and next to it - the so-called tribune, where the pastor sits during the sermon.
