Pavia, Iloilo

the Regional Agro-Industrial Center (RAIC) for

Western Visayas

Jay Nolan Alonsabe

Klarence Alovera

A Brief History of Pavia,

Iloilo
Pavia was officially founded in 1862. How the town
got its name is unclear, and has long been disputed
(1) The name came from a certain Colonel Pavia of the
Spanish garrison in Iloilo who was supposedly
responsible for initially establishing a Spanish presence
in the area.
(2) Others believe that the name is a Spanish corruption
of the Hiligaynon word biya-biya, as the area was
originally considered a neglected patch of land that
served mostly as a camping ground for city
sophisticates and absentee landlords.

(3) Others claim that the town was named

after a Spanish governor-general, Manuel
Pavia y Lay, Marquis of Novaliches, who
eventually became a priest after his short
tenure in the Philippines from 1853-1854.
(4) The more credible theory seems to be the
overlooked fact that the town's religious wellbeing was placed under the jurisdiction and
supervision of the friars of the Augustinian
Order, and they simply named the place in
honor of the town in Pavia, Italy, where the
founder of their order, Saint Augustine, was
buried.

Its alternative history, however, has it that

13 large landowners were actually the
town's founding fathers 14 years earlier, in
1848:

Marcos Evangelista
Graciano Gonzaga
Constantino Gumban
Vicente Hechanova
Anacleto Hedriana
Jorge Jagolino
Locario Juntanilla
Barbario Maquiling
the brothers Ramos, Remigio, Leocadio, Gregori
Mariano Maquiling

Pavia became a part of Sta. Barbara

in 1901 and then in 1904 part of Iloilo
City. In 1907, Pavia, together with
Leganes, Iloilo and Jaro seceded from
Iloilo City to become the suburb Jaro.
Petronilo Gumban governed Pavia
from 1916 until his election as
Presidente Municipal of Jaro in 1920.
In 1921, Pavia led by Delfin Gumban
became an independent municipality.

The
different
Presidente
Municipal
(equivalent to Municipal Mayor now) who had
served Pavia.
Delfin Gumban (19211924) known to be Pavias Father
of Independence
Domingo Guillem (19241927)
Simplicio Hechanova (19271934)
Pacifico Jabonillo (19341942)
Buenaventura Gumban (19421945)
Michael B. Gorriceta (2013present)

Sta. Monica Parish

Church
The town of Pavia in Iloilo City was
founded as an independent parish
under the advocation of Santa Monica
in 1862. It was Fray Policarpio
Minayo, the parish priest from 18631873 who started this church mainly
made of bricks. Fray Antonio
Fermentino (1882-87, 1888-1890)
continued
it
and
Fray
Lazaro
Ramirez (1895-1899) finished it

Monsenor Maurilio Silva

is the present Parish Priest
of the Sta. Monica Church

Pavias church was built and designed by

the Augustinian friars sometime around 18951889 and was inspired from the 11th Century
Basilica of San Michele Maggiore (St Michael
Archangel) of Pavia, Italy. The Sta. Monica
Church
is
of
Romanesque-Byzantine
influence with its facade decorated with semicircular arched windows and entrances. It has
very simple design, a rectangular shapedfloor plan with a barrel-shaped apse at the
back of the church. Three wooden doors
serve as entrances to the church, one at the
entrance and the other two at both sides.

The front of the church is

simple as well, with six panel
windows supported by semicircular arches at the center;
all decorated with stained
glasses depicting significant
events in Christs life here on
earth: the Annunciation, the
Baptism of Christ, the Last
Supper,
Crucifixion,
the
Assumption,
and
the
Ascension of Christ. The
entrance to the church is a
covered porch gated by
semi-circular arches as well,
with
Greek
crosses
decorating the walls.

Saint Monica of Hippo

Saint Monica, also known
as Monica of Hippo, is St.
Augustine of Hippo's mother.
She was born in 331 A.D. in
Tagaste, which is presentday Algeria. Her feast day is
celebrated every August 27.
She is the Patron of Wives
and Abuse Victims

Although she was a Christian, her parents

gave her in marriage to a pagan, Patricius,
who lived in her hometown of Tagaste in North
Africa. Patricius had some redeeming features,
but he had a violent temper and was licentious.
Monica also had to bear with a cantankerous
mother-in-law who lived in her home. Patricius
criticized his wife because of her charity and
piety, but always respected her. Monicas
prayers and example finally won her husband
and mother-in-law to Christianity. Her husband
died in 371, one year after his baptism.

Monica had at least three children who

survived infancy. The oldest, Augustine (August
28) , is the most famous. At the time of his
fathers death, Augustine was 17 and a rhetoric
student in Carthage. Monica was distressed to
learn that her son had accepted the Manichean
heresy (all flesh is evil) and was living an
immoral life. For a while, she refused to let him
eat or sleep in her house. Then one night she
had a vision that assured her Augustine would
return to the faith. From that time on, she stayed
close to her son, praying and fasting for him. In
fact, she often stayed much closer than
Augustine wanted.

When he was 29, Augustine decided to

go to Rome to teach rhetoric. Monica was
determined to go along. One night he told
his mother that he was going to the dock to
say goodbye to a friend. Instead, he set sail
for Rome. Monica was heartbroken when
she learned of Augustines trick, but she still
followed him. She arrived in Rome only to
find that he had left for Milan. Although
travel was difficult, Monica pursued him to
Milan.

In Milan, Augustine came under the

influence of the bishop, St. Ambrose, who
also became Monicas spiritual director. She
accepted his advice in everything and had
the humility to give up some practices that
had become second nature to her. Monica
became a leader of the devout women in
Milan as she had been in Tagaste. She
continued her prayers for Augustine during
his years of instruction.

At Easter, 387, St. Ambrose baptized Augustine

and several of his friends. Soon after, his party left
for Africa. Although no one else was aware of it,
Monica knew her life was near the end. She told
Augustine, Son, nothing in this world now affords
me delight. I do not know what there is now left for
me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this
world being now fulfilled. She became ill shortly
after and suffered severely for nine days before her
death.
Almost all we know about St. Monica is in the
writings of St. Augustine, especially his
Confessions.