Panay Church
Santa Monica Parish Church
Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Mónica ( Spanish)
Simbahan sang Parokya sang Santa Mónica ( Hiligaynon) Simbahang Parokya ni Santa Mónica ( Filipino)
The church in 2022
11°33′20″N 122°47′38″E / 11.555622°N 122.793905°E / 11.555622; 122.793905
Location	Iloilo East Coast-Capiz Rd., Panay, Capiz
Country	Philippines
Language(s)	Hiligaynon, English
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	1698
Founder(s)	Augustinian Friars
Dedication	Saint Monica
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	National Historical Landmark National Cultural Treasure
Designated	1997 National Historical Landmark 2004 National Cultural Treasure
Architectural type	Church building
Style	Filipino Colonial Neo-Classical Baroque
Specifications
Length	70 meters
Width	25 meters
Height	18 meters
Bells	9 bells
Tenor bell weight	10.4 metric ton (largest bell)
Administration
Province	Capiz
Metropolis	Capiz
Archdiocese	Capiz
Deanery	Santa Monica
Parish	Santa Monica

The Santa Monica Parish Church ( Hiligaynon: Simbahan sang Parokya sang Santa Monica; Filipino: Simbahang Parokya ni Santa Mónica; Spanish: Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Mónica), also called Panay Church, is a historic Roman Catholic 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. ^[1]: 423 The church is built of coral blocks and is approximately 70 metres long, 25 m in width and 18 m in height; the walls are about 3 metres thick. ^{[1]: 423  [2]}

The church has an unusually large bell, the largest in the country. Capiz hosts Asia's biggest “church” bell. 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. ^[1]: 423

In 1997 the church was declared a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. ^[3]

Image gallery

• 
  NHI Historical marker installed in 1997
• 
  Church interior in 2008
• 
  Main altar
• 
  Statue of Santo Tomas de Villanueva
• 
  The large bell
• 
  West side of the church
• 
  Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at the foot of the bell tower
• 
  Stairway to the choir loft
• 
  Former roof truss of the church
• 
  Artefacts
• 
  Bas-relief by Joseph Bergaño, 1770s

See also

• Roxas Cathedral

References

External links

• Media related to Pan-ay Church at Wikimedia Commons
• Panay Church on Facebook