Sta. Monica Church

I had the opportunity to visit the Sta. Monica church this past weekend. It was Ethel and Edison's wedding and the occasion called for us to drive all the way to Angat Dam in Bulacan. I love weddings! But I wasn't aware of the fact that it was going to be held in a centuries old church like Sta. Monica.

The church of Sta. Monica is approximately 67 km north from Manila and takes about a two-hour drive to reach  . It has been restored quite recently in time for the town's third centennial celebration in 1983. The church follows the Philippine earthquake baroque architecture. Built in 1802 under the  direction of  Fr. Joaquin Calvo, it was destroyed during the 3 June 1863 earthquake.

The knave is done in a Filipino inspired fresco ala Sistine Chapel with touches of local bamboo to divide the vignettes. Arched windows line the knave with posts topped by a composite Corinthian/Doric columns. The retablo is rather simple and unpretentious with the side niches dedicated to the  Mother and Son icons of the order of Augustinian order: St. Augustine and St. Monica.

The doors are made of Philippine hardwood heavily carved with arabesque design dominated by the images of St. Augustine and St. Monica. The facade is flanked by columns and arched windows with the obligatory niches for images of saints. The top is pedimented with a raked cornice ending in jar-like finials at the sides while the bell tower is rather austere  and plain but ends with a balustrade at the top.

The statuary may be quite new, however, the pews are ornately carved in high relief of floral designs. The flooring of black and white tiles and the gold leafed finials on the choir loft posts show a high sense of aesthetics prevalent in the town.