St. Anne's Parish or Molo Church in Molo, Iloilo. On my way to Barotac Nuevo a long time ago, I passed by the Church but was only able to visit in just today. The church was constructed in 1831 with a couple of painters commissioned to paint the murals inside. I understand too, that this is the only "gothic" church outside Manila (I'm thinking the San Sebastian church) aside from being a feminine one. The statues inside are all female saints -- St. Marta, St. Margaret, and St. Cecilia are just a few ones I noted.
According to the plaque outside, the church was partially damaged during World War II during the liberation of the Philippines. I asked one of the caretakers and he said it was one of the belfries that was hit hard because Japanese soldiers used it as a machine gun and sniper's nest. It was blown away by American bazookas.
Love the wooden doors. The stone outside that forms the facade is said to be corral stone (whatever that is). But when I first saw it I wondered if it was imported from elsewhere.
Above is one of those murals I spoke of earlier. It's really beautiful and I am no architect and I certainly wonder how they painted that up there. Amazing. Sometimes, I wish there was this virtual library that you can peek and watch events of the yesteryear. As much as I'd love to see a lot of events from the Crusades, to WWII, Custer's Last Stand, Magellan's Death, and even the assassination of JFK, it's simple and little things like watching a church mural being finished.
My trip to the different churches here in Iloilo is a communion between me and my faith. It has been a difficult time for me and He just keeps me going. I feel blessed to cover a fantastic football event in the PFF Suzuki Under-23 National Cup and the sidetrips are all the more enriching.
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