Lording over the Molo plaza is one of the most beautiful churches in the Philippines – St. Anne’s Church. More popularly known as Molo Church, it was constructed in 1831 under Fr. Pablo Montano, with the imposing edifice is made of massive white coral rock.
It is the only Gothic church in the entire country outside of Manila. The Gothic character of the church is manifested not only in its two pointed towers but also on the pointed arches at the main altar and four side altars, pulpits and confessionals. Its two belfries had around 30 bells of different sizes ranging from small hand bells to big campaniles making a musical tone.
Church interiors from www.jennydayao.com
On August 4, 1886, national hero Jose Rizal dropped at Molo on his way back to Manila from exile at Dapitan in Mindanao. He went to see his friend, Raymundo Melliza who showed him the church. In his diary, Rizal wrote, "We went to Molo to see the church painted by a lad who has left the locality. The church is pretty (iglesia bonita) outside with paintings inside mostly copies of biblical scenes by Gusty Dore."
The church was so strong that it withstood several strong earthquakes in the past. During World War II, it was the evacuation center of the civilians supervised by its parish priest, Msgr. Manuel Alba.
Molo church decades ago from Old Philippines.com
One of the original towers which was a Japanese machine gun nest, was destroyed on March 18, 1945, when shelled by the artillery of the United States Liberation Forces bringing its bells crumbling to the ground.
The church, which is dedicated to Santa Ana, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Margy, has larger than life images of female saints lined in two rows (eight on each side) inside the church, each standing on a pedestal attached to a massive stone pillar and under the Gothic style canopy.
These saints are Sta. Marcela, Apolonia, Genoveva, Isabel, Felicia, Ines, Monica, Magdalena, Juliana, Lucia, Rosa de Lima, Teresa, Clara, Cecilia, Margarita and Marta.
As observed by many, while the female saints are kept inside the church, the streets around the vicinity of the parish are named after the male saints, namely San Jose, Antonio, Marcos and Pedro simply showing how the Moleños give protection to the Moleñas.
In 1992, the National Historical Institute installed a marker on the church declaring it a national landmark.
(Excerpts taken from an article Molo Church: Her Story written by Atty Rex Salvilla for The News Today)