Carlos Antonio Santos-Viola (born Carlos Santos-Viola y Antonio; April 8, 1912 – July 31, 1994) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He is best known for designing and building churches for the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) religious group. Carlos was born in San Miguel, Bulacan and one of six children to Melecio de Guzman Santos and Miguela Magpitang Antonio. Starting from San Miguel Elementary School, Carlos moved on to the

Ateneo de Manila , mottoeng = Light in the Lord , type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution , established = December 10, 1859 , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Jesuits) , academic_affi ...

to finish his high school education. While in Ateneo he joined the school band, and was quite active in basketball. Santos-Viola was one of the first graduates of the College of Architecture of the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...

in 1935. During this time the professors then were outstanding architects and engineers of the period, such as Tomas Arguelles,

Tomas Mapua Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian surna ...

Juan F. Nakpil Juan Felipe de Jesús Nakpil, KGCR (born Juan Felipe Nakpil y de Jesús; May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986) known as Juan Nakpil, was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architec ...

, Fernando H. Ocampo, and Andres Luna de San Pedro. Santos-Viola worked in the office of Juan Nakpil after graduating. There he met Juan's youngest sister, Caridad, his future wife and mother to his children: Rosario, Milagros, Paz, Lourdes and Carlos, Jr. Shortly after World War II, he decided to open his own office in partnership with Alfredo J. Luz. In 1955, both parted ways and practiced separately. His first exposure to the INC group was executed under Nakpil's company through the Bishop's Palace in

San Juan, Metro Manila San Juan, officially the City of San Juan ( fil, Lungsod ng San Juan), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 126,347 people. It is geographi ...

. INC gave the subsequent project directly to Santos-Viola. Although common elements may be visible, his designs were distinct from one another. Each structure was created on functionality that was built with integrity, adorned with 20th-century geometric forms garnished with Gothic revival and Baroque lines. Among those completed designs was the INC's central office in Quezon City. Architect Santos-Viola was the only Filipino Architect who designed churches that were built all over the Philippines. Carlos was a lifelong devout

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He ministered for the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

and was frequently invited to join the INC but repeatedly denied the invitations due to ideological differences. He also taught architecture at the college where he graduated, and helped found the Philippine Institute of Architects in 1938.

Gallery

Image:Iglesia ni Cristo Cubao.jpg, The Iglesia ni Cristo in Cubao, Quezon City was the first building designed by Santos-Viola for the INC.

External links

Biographical Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos-Viola, Carlos A. 1912 births 1994 deaths Ateneo de Manila University alumni Tagalog people Filipino Roman Catholics Iglesia ni Cristo People from San Miguel, Bulacan People from Manila University of Santo Tomas alumni 20th-century Filipino architects