walking distance & et cetera -: Panay Church

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The Santa Monica Parish Church (Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Mónica), commonly known as Panay Church, is the oldest church on the island of Panay located in Panay Municipality, Capiz, Philippines. It is also the home of the largest church bell in the country and in Asia, and the third biggest in the world.

The original structure of the church was built during the term of Fr. Manuel Lopez between 1692 and 1698, but it was reported that a typhoon had ruined it. In 1774, Fr. Miguel Murguía rebuilt the church, but it was also later damaged by a typhoon on 15 January 1875. Fr. José Beloso restored the church in 1884.

The original name of the settlement was Bamban and it was changed by the early Spaniards to Panay, a word which means “mouth of the river". This is also the location of a fortress built by Juan de la Isla in late 1570.

History
Augustinians arrive on Panay Island
The arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the late 16th century in the Philippines brought not just their culture but also the seeds of the Catholic faith. The missionaries who went with the expeditions of the would-be Spanish colonizers were the Augustinian friars. They accomplished many significant firsts in the history of the Philippines. It was they who fanned out from Cebu to the other islands of the archipelago, including Panay. The Augustinian missionaries, Fr. Martín de Rada and Fr. Diego de Herrera, laid the foundation of Catholicism in Panay in 1569. These two servants of God went with the Spanish expedition to the islands to look for a safer place due to the danger of the Dutch attacking them in Cebu. Upon their arrival in Panay, the two missionaries took in the whole island as their religious mission.

Fr. de Rada had built a church in that town and was considered to be the "first in Panay". However, it was Fr. Demetrio Cobos who laid plans for a stronger and bigger church to be made of stone. Unfortunately, Fr. Cobos was not able to see the end of the construction that he started, for it took 40 years to finish the project. It was eventually completed under the supervision of Fr. Joaquin Fernandez. As the years passed, more Augustinian missionaries came to Panay, increasing the number of those who were already present on the island.

Foundation of the church
Fr. Manuel López, Prior of Panay, in a letter to the father provincial dated June 7, 1698, speaks of the deplorable state of the church and the convent as a result of a particularly fierce typhoon which hit the province in January of that year and completely destroyed the church and its ancillary buildings. From this letter, it can be assumed that the first buildings were probably finished before 1698, or even before 1692, during the first term of the priorship of Fr. Lopez. Friar San Agustín replied that the convent was of very good structure, but did not mention the church. According to Fr. López, since the people of Panay by themselves were not able to restore the building, an agreement was signed with the alcalde (mayor) who donated 228 pesos from the community treasury to provide the funding. In 1774, Friar Miguel Murguía rebuilt the church, which was severely damaged a century later by the typhoons of March 5, 1874 and January 17, 1875. Friar José Beloso restored the Santa Monica Church again in 1884 and refurbished the convento that he had built from the rubble of previously destroyed church properties. The convento itself was rebuilt in 1892 by Fr. Miguel Rosales and it was finished by Fr. Gregorio Hermida shortly thereafter. In 1895, Fr. Lesmes Pérez restored the church to its former grandeur. Unfortunately, the Church was intentionally put to the torch along with the municipal hall, by order of the Spanish Governor General, Diego de los Ríos, to dislodge the rebels from the town during the 1898 Revolution.

The church is best known for its 10.4 ton bell popularly called dakong lingganay (meaning big bell). Juan Reina, a town dentist and noted metal caster and blacksmith was commissioned by Fr. Jose Beloso to cast the largest bell in the Philippines. It was cast in Panay from 70 sacks of gold and silver coins donated by the townsfolk. The bell was completed in 1878 and measured 7 feet in diameter, 5 feet in height and weighed 10 tons, 400 kilograms or just over 10 metric tons. It was located in the church’s five-storey belfry.

The inscription on the bell reads:

"Soy la voz de Dios que llevaré y ensalzaré desde el principio hasta el fín de este pueblo de Panay para que los fieles de Jesús vengan a esta casa de Dios a recibir las gracias celestiales"
“I am God’s voice which I shall echo and praise from one end to the other of the town of Panay, so that the faithful followers of Christ may come to this house of God to receive the heavenly graces.”
The small bell dates back to 1721. It was cast by: Benitus a Regibus, Hilario Sunico and Juan Reina.