Panay Church

Santa Monica Parish Church, is a Capiz best Church in Capiz also called Panay Church, Spanish Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Monica , 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 meters long, 25 m in width and 18 m in height; the walls are about 3 meters thick.

Capiz best 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. Capiz best Church in Panay the original name of the settlement was Bambam and it was changed by the early Spaniards to Panay, a word which means “mouth of the river.” It is Friar Martin de Rada who is said to have been the first to priest to preach the gospel on the banks of the river in Bamban. 

photo credit to:http://www.akrosdayunibers.com/uploads/8/0/2/5/8025491/4885923_orig.jpg