Iloilo City Cultural Heritage: Molo Cemetery Camposanto

Camposanto is the name in Italian which literally means “holy field”, which translated to “cemetery” in Italian, its original (Latin) name, “Campus Sanctus”, probably honoured the 14th century Ferrara family of Santi, who owned the land.

Molo Cemetery then and now
Photo by: Nereo Cajilig Luján

Molo, a district in Iloilo City has its own Camposanto located a few blocks behind the Molo Church. According to the post of Vic Salas via Old Iloilo, the huge entrance gate and the big arch were built by Don Esteban de la Rama, a shipping magnate in the early 20th century and one of the country’s richest men. The engineer was Mariano Salas, who also built the Nelly Gardens.

Molo camposanto iloilo
Photo by: Sheila Mae Gomez

Abbreviation “D. O. M.” on Tombstones

Deo Optimo Maximo often abbreviated as D.O.M. or Deo Opt. Max., is a Latin phrase that means “to the greatest and best god“, or “to God, most good, most great”. 

Molo camposanto
Photo by: Sheila Mae Gomez
Image on molo camposanto
Photo by: Sheila Mae Gomez
Inside molo camposanto
Photo by: Sheila Mae Gomez
Read also: List of Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Sites

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Sheila is a digital marketing enthusiast. She is a kdrama fan, a dog person and a certified foodie!

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Iloilo City Cultural Heritage: Doña Pacita Lopez Building

Mon Dec 12 , 2022
Doña Pacita Building was built-in 1933. Nereo Cajilig Luján has shared on Facebook that it was named after the former Pacita de Santos Moreno (1908-1996), wife of industrialist Don Eugenio Lopez. It is located at the corner of Mapa and Rizal Streets in Iloilo City, and it became the College […]
Doña Pacita Lopez Building

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