Sta. Monica Church
Pan-ay, Capiz
A quick trip to the second oldest church in the Philippines while monitoring Canada Fund-assisted Yolanda rehab projects in Roxas City.
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The original church was constructed in 1774 but was heavily damaged by a typhoon in 1875. The present structure was made in 1884. The church also houses the Pan-ay bell which is the largest bell in Asia.
The church now is empty as the pews have been relocated to a nearby chapel. The roof and ceiling were damaged by typhoon Yolanda and are awaiting repairs.
This 300+ year old timber on the ground is one the remaining parts extracted from the original church frame. Most of the wood were made into pews, the pulpit and other church structures.
A view of the damaged ceiling. Falling debris pose a danger to the parishioners so that's why the masses are now held in the nearby Padre Martin de Rada, O.S.A. Hall.
Going up the belfry to see the Church bells.
The Pan-ay bell was cast in 1878 from 70 sacks of coin donated by the townspeople. It is the biggest in the Philippines. It measures 7 feet in diameter, 5 feet in height and weighs 10,400 kilograms.
The belfry actually houses 9 bells in all. The oldest one there was made in 1822. The wood in the counterweights are much older.
May standing inside the bell beside the huge clapper
We were accompanied by Isidro "Toto" Bandejas, a 3rd generation bell ringer for the church. He acts as tourist guide as well. Our timing there was fortunate as Toto rang the bell at 4:00 pm. My ears on the other hand were not so fortunate. The sound was incredibly loud and piercing. The bell could be heard as far as 8 kilometers away on a clear day.
Toto allowed us to ring the bell. May gives it a go. Surprisingly, the sound was not that deafening on the ringer's side.
Some of the damaged roof visible from the belfry.
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