church of sta. monica, sarrat, ilocos norte






With the exception of the group of students on a field trip, we had the place to ourselves. The church was opened. But then it was very overcast outside, with a slight drizzle. It was too dark to take any pictures inside the church. This was the church where the Araneta-Marcos was held in the'80's. At the rectory, were were some pictures of the reception held at the church grounds. Now the place is very quiet. Apparently, the church had been destroyed in an earthquake and it was reconstructed for the purpose of holding Irene's wedding. The brick makers of Laoag were asked by General Ver to supply the bricks used in constructing the church, allegedly gratis et amore. At the lower floor of the rectory I found a room containing Santos and old chasubles. On one end of the room, there was a label indicating that this was the garrotte chamber. The garrotte was a form of capital punishment that dates back to the times of the Holy Inquisition. In Ilocos, it was used to deal with those with more rebellious nature during the time when Las Islas Filipinas was part of the vast Spanish colonies. As a lighter counterpoint, I also found a nikelado jeepney bearing the name of the church's patroness. all photos © 2005 daddywasabi, all rights reserved