St. Anne Parish Church of Molo, Iloilo

Visiting old churches is one of the things that you can do in Iloilo with the presence of old colonial churches in this province. The most famous is the Miag-ao Church which is more than an hour away from the city but if you don’t want to go beyond Iloilo City, then visit St. Anne Parish Church or simply, Molo Church.

Church's towers and Dome as seen across Panay River — Church’s towers and Dome as seen across Panay River

Molo is one of the districts in Iloilo City and used to be a local Chinese community. The word “Molo” came from the word “Moro” which means, “Muslims” who used to attack the coastal areas of Panay for slaves. Locals said that the Chinese find it hard to pronounce the word “Moro”, hence the word “Molo”. Of course, Molo is also famous for “Molo soup”.

Molo Church is famous for its Gothic-Renaissance architecture with its distinct red towers making it one of the Gothic churches outside Manila ( e.g. the church of Calape, Bohol). Its Gothic features are its towers, its altar and the pulpit while its Renaissance features are with its dome and other designs in its interiors.

The Gothic inspired altar and pulpit of Molo Church

Aside from its architecture this church is also famous and dubbed as a “feminist” church with the presence of 16 statues of female saints inside. Built in late 19th century, it was in 1866 that the first foundation to build a church out of stone was laid. Molo Church is made of coral stones just like most churches in Panay Island. This church is named in honor of St. Anne which is also the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary hence, the maternal grandmother of Jesus Christ.

On his way back to Manila from his years of exile in Mindanao, Jose Rizal visited this church and was impressed with some biblical painting adorning the church. Unfortunately, you can no longer see these paintings. During the Second World War, it became an evacuation center and its towers were even used by different forces as an advantage point in shooting at the enemies. In 1992, St. Anne Parish Church of Molo was formally declared as a national landmark by the National Historical Institute.