Church of St Anne, the old and incredibly beautiful Feminist Church, Molo, Iloilo The Church of St. Anne, commonly known as the Molo Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church located in Molo District of Iloilo City in the Philippines. The church is one of the most familiar landmarks and tourist attractions in the city. Built in 1831, Molo Church stands as a reminder of Iloilo’s rich history and a monument for Ilonggo artistry. The church exudes a fusion of the overpowering features of Gothic and the recessive characteristics of Romanesque architectural styles. The interior is rich in Gothic elements. There are five gothic altars which are made of wood while beautiful paintings dominate the walls. Female Saints Stand on each pillar and a pair of interestingly decorated pulpits contrast the entire structure. Women wanting to be empowered by the graces of women saints have a place in Molo Church. This Molo Church made of coral rocks (affixed with a mortar made from egg whites mixed with sand) earned the moniker “women’s church” because of the presence of 16 images of women saints inside. The centerpiece in the retablo is the image of Sta. Ana, the patron saint of Molo. It is said that in August 4, 1886, Dr. Jose Rizal, on his way back to Manila from his exile in Dapitan, passed by the church to pray and view its collection of biblical paintings, which is no longer extant. Molo church is very sturdy and has survived fires, earthquakes, and artillery barrages in 1945. Molo church was made as an evacuation center for the civilians during WWII. One tower is said to have been destroyed by the Americans after suspecting it was used for military purposes by the Japanese during the Second World War. The bells still bear the scars of bullets shot at Philippine resistance fighters in the second world war. The National Historical Institute declared it a national landmark in 1992. It is dominated by a pavilion ‘housing’ the statues of six Greek Goddesses. This photo was taken from the church’s main entrance. As we move closer to the transept, we see the two ornate and intricately carved pulpits on either side of the Nave. Venturing to climb up the narrow steps into the west side pulpit we get a wonderful overview of the church at the level of the niches containing the statues of the Saints, towards to the main entrance way of the church and then towards the Sanctuary itself and the main Altar area. Miag-ao Church The Church of Saint Thomas of Villanova, commonly known as the Miagao Church, is the Roman Catholic parish church of the town of Miagao in Iloilo Province. Completed in 1797, the church is famous for the artistic sculptural relief carved on its facade. In 1993, the church was designated as one best examples of the Baroque Churches of the Philippines and included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The Miagao Church stands as a living legacy of the culture and way of life of the people of Miagao centuries ago, anchored in a strong foundation of Christian faith. As most travelers would agree, the Miagao Church is one of the country’s architectural gems because of its unique and imposing designs, ornaments and motifs. The artistic facade of the Miagao Church is decorated with a relief sculpture of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child amidst coconut, papaya and guava shrubs. Like any other foreign influences, the architecture of many colonial churches has undergone the process of indigenization. This process is carried out by incorporating the prevailing Hispano-American and Medieval Spanish architecture with local as well as Muslim and Chinese touches. Thus, the synthesized topology which is anachronistic with the unmindful sues of decorative elements. It had no distinction in terms of periods or orders. A truly ‘Philippine Church’, it exudes a native touch. A large stone image of St. Thomas of Villanueva, parish patron saint, dominates the center. Carved life-size statues of the Pope and St. Henry with their coat-of-arms above them flank the main entrance. Supporting the facade are the twin belfries, one towering two-storeys and the other three-storeys high. The church’s simple interior is nevertheless highlighted by a striking gold-plated retablo. In Baroque-Romanesque style, the church sinks six (6) meters deep into the ground with walls one-and-a-half (1 1/2) meters thick and buttresses thrice thicker. The creative and aesthetic abilities of Spanish colonizers are reflected in many colonial churches in thePhilippines. This is especially true in Miagao Church – a world-renowned religious structure now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Miagao was formerly a visita of Oton until 1580, Tigbauan until 1592, San Joaquin until 1703 and Guimbal until 1731.[2] It became an independent parish of the Augustinians in 1731 under the advocacy of Saint Thomas of Villanova.[1] With the establishment of the parish, a church and convento was built in a land near the sea called Ubos. Fr. Fernando Camporredondo served as the towns first parish priest in 1734. When the town experienced frequent Moro invasion in 1741 and 1754, the town moved to a more secure place. From there, a new church was constructed in 1787 through forced labor under the supervision of under Fray Francisco Gonzales, parish priest and Spanish gobernadorcillo Domingo Libo-on.[3] It was built on the highest point of the town to guard from invaders called Tacas. After ten years, the church was completed in 1797. It was designed to have thick walls to serve as protection from invaders. It was severely damaged during the Spanish revolution in 1898 but was later rebuilt, fire in 1910, the second World War andearthquake in 1948.[3] The present day Miagao church is the third church built since its establishment in 1731.[4] To preserve the church, it underwent restoration in 1960 and completed in 1962. It was declared a national shrine by Presidential Decree No. 260 of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Architecture[edit] The churchs over-all architectural style falls under the Baroque Romanesque architectural style.[3] Its ochre color is due to the materials used in constructing the church, adobe, egg, coral and limestone.[5],[4] The churchs foundation is 6 meters deep[6] and the massive stone walls at 1.5 meters thick are intensified through the use of 4 meter thick flying buttresses as protection to the Moro invaders as stipulated under Royal Decree 111 of 1573 (Law of the Indies).[3] Façade[edit] The façade of Miagao church consists of a ornately decorated bas-relief in the middle of two huge watchtower belfries on each side. The bas-relief is a mixed influence of Medieval Spanish, Chinese, Muslim[3] and local traditions and elements, a unique characteristic of the church façade. A prominent part of the façade is a coconut tree depicted as the tree of life where St. Christopher holds on. St. Christopher is dressed in local and traditional clothing carrying the Child Jesus on his back. The rest of the façade features the daily life of the people of Miagao during that time including native flora (like papaya, coconut and palm tree) and fauna.[1],[7] Above the wooden door entrance at the center of the façade just below the image of St. Christopher is a carved image of the towns patron saint, St. Thomas of Villanueva. At each side of the door is the images of St. Henry of Bavaria on the left and Pope Pius VI.[8],[4] Above the images of St. Henry and Pope Pius VI is their respective coat-of-arms. Belltower[edit] The two huge unequal belltowers [1] directly attached to the main churchserve as watchtowers to defend the town against invasion of Moros. It has two different designs since it was commissioned by two different priests.[4] On the left side is the older belfry, the tallest west belfry with four levels. Originally, the east belfry was constructed only with two levels. It was in 1830 when Fr. Francisco Perez decided to add another story to the east belfry. Until now, the east belfry (three levels) is one level shorter that the west belfry (four levels).[4] Interior[edit] The interiors most prominent structure is the gold plated retablo or sanctuary.The present altar used is the original altar from the late 1700s that was believed to be lost during the fire of 1910 and discovered during repair excavations in 1982. It contains three niches. On the middle is the crucifix and on both sides are the statues of its patron saint, St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Joseph. The tabernacle below the crucifix is finished in 98% pure gold and silver. On both sides of the sanctuary are images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary which dates back in 1780[4] Baptistery[edit] The baptistery contains the image of the Birhen ng Barangay in limestone and traditional Filipino clothing recovered from the 1982 excavations. The original late 1790s images of St. Tomas of Villanova can also be found enclosed in a glass case in the rear side of the church.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 02:19:05 +0000
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