Crown Monument in Arevalo District, Iloilo City
The big crown sitting distinctively atop a tower in the plaza beside the church is a one of a kind marker of Arevalo. According to Father James Mansfield who served in the parish, this crown has a hidden history.
Many years had passed before the spread of Christianity in Arevalo, there is a group of Jesuits who were looking for a place to stay in a place now called as Santa Cruz. They built a chapel here and evangelize the natives. Nobody knows for whatever reason or event happened but the natives were infuriated with the Jesuits and they were driven away.
One day, a farmer unearthed a beautiful crown. In an untoward incident, a scepter and a big black cross was found nearby where the crown was found. The crown and scepter which were made out of expensive metals were just average in size. The cross which is now kept under the custody of the church is more than 15 feet tall and made out of hard and unusual kind of wood.
In 1854 during the incumbency of Domingo de Guzman as captain of the pueblo or town, the crown was made bigger in Fundidor, Molo. It was placed in the plaza or town square. This is gaining attention on top of the district of Arevalo as a statue of missionary purpose of the Spaniards in town.
The present day name of the former Jesuit missionary settlement is Santa Cruz. It was in this place where the crown, scepter and cross was found.
Photo Source:
http://www.iloilocity.org/places.html
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