Parish of St. Thomas Of Villanova(Alimodian,Iloilo)

Alimodian became an independent parish from Oton in October of 1574. A few months later, a house of worship made of cogon, bamboos and logs was established. In 1784, a new church made of briks and rocks plastered with lime was built under the leadership of Fr. Francisco Monasterio and was partially damaged by the earthquake in 1787.a gold necklace and documents were burried on the church’s proposed main entrance. The visitors then were brought in the home of Capitan Timoteo Amarra. On December of 1864, five years later, the church was formally opened. In a tri-square form, a convent same size as the church occupy the north to south and winding westward was started immediately and completed in 1868.The roof made of bricks and limes were changed into galvanized iron in February 13, 1882. Five years later, on the same day in 1887, an earthquake rocked the building that caused the statue of San Agustin to fall from its niche over the main entrance of the church.Post-war damage claims brought new improvement to the church in 1946. Pews were donated and two side altars were roofed with nipa. But on the dawn of January 28, 1948, the infamous earthquake “Lady Kaykay” shook the whole island of Panay causing the major portion of the church, convent and two-thirds of the belfry to topple down, bringing all the bells except the largest one to the ground.

 

Hundreds of men were utilized to pull the bells using a big cable up to the belfry. One man died in the process when the cable snapped. The largest bell weigh about 1.5 tons, it was said that a man named Pino placed the largest bell on its place. Each bells had names inscribed on its surface such as: San Agustin, Sta. Monica, Ma. Consolacion de Leonisa, Sto. Tomas de Villanueva and San Ignacio de Loyola.

 In the present, a huge concrete figure of Our Lady of Lourdes stands on the convent ruins, a triple arched concrete canopy broken with a bass relief of an Augustinian Emblem stood life-size images of St. Peter, St. Joseph and at the center, St. Thomas of Villanova. The walls and buttresses of this house of God reveal a robust baroque architecture.