Explore Sta. Monica Church and its Bells

Panay, Capiz
August 23, 2014

One of the highlights of my trip to the City of Roxas in Capiz was to explore the Sta. Monica church, also known as Panay church and its unusual large bell still attached to its belfry. According to reports, this is the largest church bell in the entire country.

According to Wikipedia, Santa Monica Parish Church, also called Panay Church, Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Mónica, is a historic church in Panay, near Roxas City in the province of Capiz, on Panay island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. 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 17 January 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. 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.

After completing my trip to Lawis, I headed back to the plaza and returned to my inn. It was just past three in the afternoon and I decided to visit the Sta. Monica Church in the town of Panay.

From the plaza, I took a tricycle and asked the driver to bring me to Panay church. Panay church is a thirty minute drive from Roxas City plaza.

I alighted at the plaza facing the façade of the Sta. Monica church. I was completely amazed at the grandeur of the old church.

Facade of the Sta. Monica Baroque Church

Just like the old churches in Ilocos, the Sta. Monica church is of Baroque architecture. Its walls are made of coral blocks and at least three feet thick. This church has survived the winds of typhoon Yolanda. Adjacent to the church is the old convent now turned into a Museum.

Historical Marker

Facing the church facade, I immediately noticed a huge bell hanging on a steel frame at the right side. At first I thought it was the original bell taken from the bell tower.

Replica of the Huge Bell

Since it was turning dark, I decided to explore the interior of the church first. 

Sta. Monica Church Altar and Wooden Retablo

Church Interior

The church altar is an old four layer “retablo” made of hard wood. The pulpit still stands at the left side of the altar.

I went out of the church through the side door facing the entrance of the old convent (now a museum) and had a nice photo shoot. The museum was closed at that time.

Entrance to the Sta. Monica Museum

At the gate of the museum, I met Randy Glimer who works for the Tourism Department in Capiz and in charge of assisting tourists at the Sta. Monica church. I asked him about the huge bell hanging beside the church facade. 

He said that the bell is an exact replica of the real one hanging inside the bell tower. He said, the replica is intended for those who can not not climb the bell tower to see the real one.

I went up the bell tower to see the huge bell. Through a narrow winding sixty three steps stairway, I ascended to the top of the belfry. To my surprise, there were 9 old bells. 

The Huge Bell of the Church of Sta. Monica

The largest bell hanging at the middle surrounded by eight old smaller bells. According to Randy, it weighs 10.4 tons and it was cast out of 70 sacks of coins donated by the people in the town.

Antique Bells

Standing Inside the Big Bell

The bell is really so huge that I can stand inside it. The surrounding view atop the belfry revealed an amazing landscape of the town of Panay.

Roxas City Plaza at Night

From Panay, I went back to Roxas City riding a tricycle and spent few hours making night photo shots of the plaza.

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