Molo Church | What to Visit in Ilo-Ilo

This was part of my Negros Solo-Backpacking | Day 2

So, from Ong Bun Pension House along Ledesma Street, I took a jeep going to this church. Minimum fare for the jeep fare, travel time is within 30 minutes, depending on traffic. The people were so great, because they instructed me where to go and where to stop. The ambiance of the weather was cool and not so hot but still I was sweating, maybe because of my stomach. Read here why: Day 1. But, when I saw the tower of the old church, I was amazed!

Molo Church (St. Anne Parish) is situated in front of the town plaza.  Molo is actually one of the seven districts of Ilo-Ilo City which formerly called Parian (Chinatown) because the residents here were mostly Chinese. Then it was changed into Moro because of the frequent arrival of Muslim pirates from Mindanao, but later evolved in Molo – Wikipedia.com

While walking in front of the church, I found this huge monument that looks familiar. The structure is like an Egyptian structure and the dome is so perfect. The landscape perfectly matched the white structure.

Here's what you can find at the park, there are green trees and grass and blooming flowers. Beside the park is the mini-carnival.

It was built in 1831 by the Ilonggo artists and it is the proof that the residents are really great in terms of arts. This church has Gothic-Renaissance architecture and it’s the only one outside Manila. It is made from coral stones with egg whites mixed with sand for some parts. August 4, 1886 when it was visited by Dr. Jose Rizal when he was on his way to Manila from exile in Dapitan to pray and see the gorgeous paintings (today, no longer existing)

Dome is always part of many old churches in the world. Look at the dome in this church, it's like the Dome of St. Peters in Vatican City. Molo church survived from different calamities because it is very sturdy. It served as an evacuation center for the civilians during World War II. In 1992, the National Historical Institute declared it as a National Landmark.

HOW TO GET HERE:

From Ilo-Ilo City, you can take a taxi or jeep with Molo signboard. Just tell the driver to drop you off on the street by Molo Church.

WHERE TO STAY:

If you have business like hotels, pension houses, restaurants and such, you can email: dharzie@travellingcup.info