Panay Church
The Santa Monica Parish Church (Hiligaynon: Simbahan sang Parokya sang Santa Monica; Filipino: Simbahang Parokya ni Santa Mónica; Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Mónica), also known as Panay Church, is a historic Roman Catholic church in Panay, near Roxas City in the province of Capiz, on Panay island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Capiz. It was built in 1884 on the site of an earlier church, built in 1774 by Miguel Murguia, which was gravely damaged by the typhoon of January 17, 1875. The church is built of coral blocks and is approximately 70 metres long, 25 m in width and 18 m in height; the walls are about 3 metres thick.
The church has an unusually large bell, the largest in the country. Capiz hosts Asia's biggest “church” bell. This was cast by Juan Reina in about 1884, using sacks of coin given by the people of the town; it weighs more than 10 tonnes.
In 1997 the church was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Image gallery
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Church NHI historical marker installed in 1997
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Church interior in 2008
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Main altar
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Statue of Santo Tomas de Villanueva
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The large bell
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West side of the church
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Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at the foot of the bell tower
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Stairway to the choir loft
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Former roof truss of the church
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Artefacts
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Bas-relief by Joseph Bergaño, 1770s