Much has been written about the destruction that the magnitude 7.2 earthquake has done to Bohol last 2013. It laid waste to numerous Spanish-era churches in the region, but there are a few that were able to withstood the 34-second shaking, and one of these is Alburquerque’s Sta. Monica Church.

Standing proud on a low knoll with its singular belfry, the Sta. Monica Church was built in 1842 and is considered as one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines. From frail materials, the church structure has since been replaced by coral stones and through the years parts have been added with concrete.