Anini-y Church

 

Anini-y Church

 

What I love about living in Panay Island is the presence of various colonial churches. I’m less religious but I am fond of old churches and houses. If you take a look at my past entries, you will come across many old churches from different provinces within the island like Iloilo, Capiz and Aklan. And this is the first time that I will be featuring something from Antique.

Since it was Holy Week, I wanted something new for our annual Visita Iglesia. I took advantage that my husband can drive us anywhere as long as it is within Panay. So we traveled all the way south to Anini-y which is more than 70 kilometers from Iloilo City. After some rocky roads and breathtaking views, we finally came to see one of the province’s hidden gem.

It was not my first time but my last visit was a decade ago ( haha). We came here along with my classmates in college  ( calling Rey, Merle, Ed Ryan and Reagan!!!) and our late mentor Prof. Henry Funtecha for our History Class. FYI, I have a degree in History from UP before I became a freelance writer. chica!

It was nostalgic and I missed my classmates and Sir Funtecha. But looking at this simple yet elegant church made me smile. It looked almost the same and the town of Anini-y is still as quite as it was. It was “fast asleep” add to the fact that we came there during Holy Thursday.  There was only one woman inside the church, praying..

Why did I risked our lives to visit and write about this church? Yes, we had an accident on our way home. Well this church is a true treasure, the only preserved colonial church in the whole province of Antique. And I want hubby to take some photos of Antiques varied landscapes.

Anini-y Church was formally acknowledged as a National Treasure in 2003. Here are some historical background of this church

 

Anini-y Church

If you can’t understand Filipino, just ask me by leaving a comment.

Aside from that, is one of the most well decorated church.  Check out its facade

 

 

Anini-y church

 

It may look plain in a glance but if you look closely it is richly decorated with flower details. I thought they were sunflowers but I read in many blogs that they were in fact rosettes. Here, take a look at its main door.

Anini-y church

 

Anini-y Church is St. John Nepomoceno Parish. Another look of its details. Here you will notice the acanthus leaf reliefs which are common in European architecture.
Anini-y Church

 

Its belfry is attached to the main church.  Three- storeys, hexagonal with more leaf reliefs on its Corinthian columns..
Anini-y Church

 

It is made from coral stones taken from its own shores..
Anini-y

 

The town of Anini-y lies in the southern tip of Panay Island making it a little bit secluded from other towns of Antique. The church is just a few steps from its shore. From afar is the famous Nogas Island.
Anini-y Shore

 

As a freelance writer, I strongly suggest that you take an extra plunge and travel all the way south. It is worth visiting for some serious adventure!

 

Thanks for reading!

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