Parish of St. Anne (Molo, Iloilo City)
June 10, 2009 by
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Churches, Iloilo City
the church with two red-topped towers
This house of worship prides itself with the most collection of female saints among all churches in the island. This is said to be the most beautiful church in the whole of Western Visayas. Sixteen almost life-size images of female saints adorn the sides of its walls. On the right side stood: Sta. Juliana, Sta. Lucia, Sta. Rosa de Lima, Sta. Teresa, Sta. Clara, Sta. Cecilia, Sta. Margarita, Sta. Marta and on its left side: Sta. Marcela, Sta. Apolonia, Sta. Genoveva, Sta. Isabel de Ungria, Sra. Monica, Sta. Felicia, Sta. Ines, and Sta. Maria Magdalena. The construction of this citadel started in 1831 under the administration of Rev. Pablo Montaño and completed under that of Rev. Agapito Buenaflor.
The church has five massive doors, with ceilings shaped as domes. It is said to be in a Neo-Classical elegance, with some details in Gothic styles. The twin belfries rise in unison into a red-sharp top, the two towers gives a visually vertical orientation of the structure and breaks the monotony of the morning sky. The church is practically situated in the middle of the town.
The church survived several earthquakes but not the war. On March 19, 1945, the church was bombed and the two belfries were destroyed and the church was partially damaged. There are originally 36 bells of different sizes but destroyed during the way when the Japanese used the tower as machine gun nests and shelled by American artillery. Under the supervision of Gov. Timoteo Consing and the parish priest Rev. Manuel Alba, the fortress was reconstructed with the support of the Molo population. The church contains remains of many prominent Ilonggo personalities.
It was the painting of biblical characters during the last part of the 19th century that urged our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal to drop by the Molo church on his way to Dapitan in August 1896.
The relics of St. Anne is exposed for veneration every 26th of June, her feast day.
Location : Molo, Iloilo City
Feast Day : 26th July
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