Molo Church, also known as Saint Anne Parish Church, is a

neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

located in the district of Molo in

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of t ...

Iloilo Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...

, in the Philippines. The church is recognized as "the women's church" or "the feminist church" because it only features images of female saints inside, including Saint Anne, the patron saint of Molo. The

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

declared it a national landmark in 1992.

History

Molo Church was constructed in 1831 under Fray Pablo Montaño. Originally made of ''tabique pampango'' with a chalk roof. Plans for a concrete structure were drawn up in 1866, approved by Bishop Mariano Cuartero in 1869, and completed in 1888 by Fray Agapito Buenaflor under Don Jose Manuel Locsin's supervision. In honor of Saint Anne, the church is known as a feminist church because of its two rows of sixteen female saints on both sides of the altar. Molo Church was visited by

Dr. Jose Rizal Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

on August 4, 1886, because of its biblical paintings, which can no longer be seen in the church. It served as an evacuation center for civilians during World War II. The church was damaged and one tower was destroyed on March 18, 1945, during the liberation of the Philippines from Japan. The church was later repaired by Rev. Manuel Alba with the help of the congregation. The church was declared a national landmark by the

in 1992 through the representation of Sir Knight Rex S. Salvilla. It is the only Gothic church in the country outside of Manila.

Architecture

The façade of the church is made of rough stone that highlights the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

elements seen in the structure, with its two towers that have numerous spires and pointed arches. The church has three naves with sixteen statues of female saints inside. These saints are

Saint Marcella Marcella (325–410) is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church. She was a Christian ascetic in the Byzantine Era. According to Butler, "Having lost her husband in the seventh month of her marriage, she rejected the suit of Cerea ...

Saint Apollonia Saint Apollonia ( el, Αγία Απολλωνία, cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲁⲡⲟⲗⲗⲟⲛⲓⲁ) was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius ...

Saint Genevieve Genevieve (french: link=no, Sainte Geneviève; la, Sancta Genovefa, Genoveva; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) is the patroness saint of Paris in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Her feast is on 3 January. Genevieve was born in Nanterre an ...

, Saint Isabelle, Saint Felicity,

Saint Agnes Agnes of Rome () is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. St. Agnes is one of several virgin martyrs com ...

Saint Monica Monica ( – 387) was an early North African Christian saint and the mother of Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, partic ...

, Saint Magdalene, Saint Juliana,

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ...

, Saint Rose, Saint Teresa, Saint Clare,

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She b ...

, Saint Margaret, and Saint Martha. The church's patroness,

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

, is housed in the

retablo A retablo is a devotional painting, especially a small popular or folk art one using iconography derived from traditional Catholic church art. More generally ''retablo'' is also the Spanish term for a retable or reredos above an altar, whether ...

, along with statues of the

Blessed Virgin Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

Gallery

File:Allan Jay Quesada - Molo Church 002.jpg, View of Molo Church from the Molo Plaza File:Convent of Molo.jpg, Convent of Molo beside the church File:Inside Molo Church.jpg, View of the altar File:The Ten Commandments in Hiligaynon at Molo Church, Iloilo.jpg, The Ten Commandments in Hiligaynon language File:Side view of Molo Church, Iloilo City, the Philippines.jpg, Side view of the church File:MOLO CHURCH 005.jpg, One of the sixteen female saints sculpture inside the church File:Molo Church at night 3.jpg, Molo Church at night File:Molo church (2).jpg, Northwest façade of the church File:Molo Church Historical Marker.jpg, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) historical marker File:Molo Church Main Entrance.jpg, Main Entrance

References

External links

{{Iloilo City Roman Catholic churches in Iloilo Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Iloilo City Tourist attractions in Iloilo City Gothic Revival church buildings in the Philippines Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro