DOCUMENTATION

site context

The Sta. Monica Church is situated at San Nicolas, Minalin, Pampanga. As seen on the photos, it is located on a very rural area where there not a lot of establishments and commercial structures. Residential houses, rice fields, fish ponds are what can be found within it’s vicinity. The church is also located near a creek.

Vicinity of Sta. Monica Church captured via Google Earth

Aerial view captured via Google Earth

Here are some street view photos of the Sta. Monica Church of Minalin, Pampanga. As seen on the photos, the front, rear and left side of the church are easily seen along the streets. However, you can only appreciate the right side of the church when you are inside the property already. The entire lot or complex of where the church is located has roads accessible on all sides, although most of it are designated as one-way to make the vehicular flow efficient.

street views

church EXTERIOR

Just by the look of the church you can really tell that the church’s design includes motifs reflective of pre-Hispanic culture. The spires embellishing the bell towers depict a Moorish architecture, hinting of the old Islamic faith of early Minaleños. None of the other 20 mission churches have such similar motifs thus, making it unique among them all. But, the dominant decorative traits of the Minalin Church follows the Baroque Architecture. There are also several examples of this style in the churches built in the 18th century or before, just like the chruches of Betis, Lipa, San Vicente, Candon, Magsingal and Sarrat.

According to Minalin Parish Priest, Fr. Vega, the church and convent is probably a center of religious orders – foremost Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans. They heavily influenced the life and culture of the natives as evidenced by the images of Saint Augustine, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic and Saint Francis Xavier in the reredos

The Santa Monica Church measures 52 metres (171 ft) long, 13 metres (43 ft) wide and 11 metres (36 ft) high. Its façade also features twin bell towers. It has a transept and some very beautiful reredos. What is also visible in it’s facade is the original red brick walls, revaled by the peeled palitada (outer layer), giving the church its unique old-rose touches. The evident materials used in constructing the church are sand, gravel, cement, mortar, steel and bricks.

photo by: R. F. Velasquez photo by: R. F. Velasquez

But among its other architectural features, the most notable and striking one is the church’s retablolike façade, especially the lavishly floral decorations around its the main entrance and the windows above it. This floral décor is evocative of early folk altars. Moreover, an array of coupled Corinthian columns artistically crowd the center of the facade which act as support for the triangular pediment that is topped by a roof lantern or cupola. During the Spanish era, in order to guide fishermen as they made their way from the river to the town, a lighted beacon was placed on top of the apex of the pediment. Furtthermore, the structure is also complemented with a short row of balusters. The semi-circular niches houses painted stone statues of various Augustinian saints, designed to blend with the rose windows on its facade.

The design also gives a dramatic contrast between volumes and projecting fenestrations, rose windows and semi-circular statue niches. The vertical movement is then accentuated by the twin hexagonal four-story bell towers ajoining the facade.

The two hexagonal towers are also solidly built and they house the four bells dated between 1850 and 1877 which are dedicated to Saint Augustine and Saint Monica. The church-convent complex is enclosed by a low stone atrium with four capillas posas which is one of the features of the church that makes it unique in the country.

church EXTERIOR

what's outside?

Here are more photos of the exterior part of the Minalin Church which includes its facade, its Sacred Heart of Jesus statue located on its plaza in front, one of its capillas posas, one of its ceturies old bell and its rear entrance.

photos by: R. F. Velasquez and Raymundo Feliciano

church INTERIOR

Despite the various stages of renovation it has undergone, especially with its interiors, the church has maintain the rustic and very traditional theme of interiors. This could be seen through the materials used which includes, bricks, wood, and marble. The motifs inside also follows Baroque Architecture which is very evident on its reredo on the altar. The interior also is not that so lit, giving churh goers a more solemn vibe.

photo by: Heritage Conservation Society

Here are more photos of the what does the interior of the Sta. Monica Church looks like. In the photos you can see the church’s pulpit, the tabernacle on its main altar, the ceiling and the chandeliers that serves as both ornaments and lighting, the nave leading to the altar, the choir loft and the blue and white stained glass windows.

what's inside?

photos by: Judgefloro

altars and museum

Aside its reredo on its main altar, the church also houses different side altars dedicated to Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Crucified Christ and of course the relic of Saint Monica, their patron saint. The church also houses a museum which showcases religious artifacts, documents and memorabilia

damage AsSESMENT

Being a 400 year-old church, you can really say without a doubt that the church of Minalin no longer perfectly looks like its original appearance when it was initially built. It has already undergone a lot of calamities and deterioration is something inevitable through time. Variuos renovations and intervations were also made in order to preserve and conserve this beautiful and unique church. Now, let as assess the deterioration that could be seen on photos and identify the interventions or changes that were done to the structure.

The photo below is an archival photo of the Sta. Monica Church which shows what it looks like before. Using this photo let us compare it to what it looks like now.

efflorescence

grime

moss

chipped material eroded grouting

vegetation loss of plaster

grime

Based on these photos of a part of the facade of the church, different damages or deterioration are visible. This includes the presence of biological growth, moss and some vegetation. Grime due to pollution are also seen on the walls and columns. Certain parts of the facade also have the presence of efflorescence. Unlike the structure on the old photo, the plaster is no longer present which resulted to the deterioration of the bricks and the grout which later on led to the intervention of cement.

vegetation

biological growth

photo by: R. F. Velasquez

cement intervention

photo by: R. F. Velasquez

loss of plaster

cement intervention

grime

efflorescence