PANAY CHURCH

Panay, Capiz Philippines

First visited this church back in 2007 during my first trip around the southern islands of Panay and Masbate. At the time, I only had a quick grab shot before moving on back to Roxas City.
So it was that on my return in 2017, I was determined to have a closer look at this church, amongst other local things missed a decade before.
Not sure if it is a local thing, or just limited to my family, but I always seem to be told that anything I wish to visit is either totally demolished, or closed and not accessible.
Earlier in the day, a request to visit the former railway chapel was met with comments about it recently being demolished, that there is nothing to see and it isn't worth walking down too. Of course, I have learn't to ignore these comments and, of course, I soon found it.
Was similarly told that the Panay Church was locked up and not accessible to the great unwashed (me). Again, I chose not to listen to this questionable local advice and set forth towards getting some external shots.
Panay (or Pan-ay at some stage apparently) was first established in 1572, under the name of Bamban. The first church here was actually constructed in 1774, and lasted 101 years until 1875, before being destroyed by a severe typhoon that swept through the area.
The current church (seen in the photos below) was the replacement, being built in 1884 under the direction of Father Jose Beloso.
The church bell has the distinction of being the biggest in the Philippines, measuring seven feet in diameter and five feet in height. It was actually made from seventy sacks of coins that have been donated by the local townspeople.
  While I am not a religious person, really struggle to believe, it is almost impossible to not be amazed by these amazing churches and the incredible dates listed that, to an Aussie, really seem hard to fathom.

According to Tripadvisor, this is just a replica of the real bell that holds the record of being the biggest in the Philippines.
Guess that means I need to go back again. :-)

Panay Church - Wikipedia
Panay Church - Tripadvisor
Panay Church - Facebook
Churches In Panay, Capiz - Facebook

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