Santa Monica Parish Church, commonly known as Angat Church, is a Roman Catholic church in Angat, Bulacan, Philippines. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Malolos and is one of the oldest churches in Bulacan province, dating back to 1758. It displays Baroque architectural characteristics and features ceiling paintings which resemble those in the Sistine Chapel.
The town of Angat was formerly part of Quingwa, now Plaridel. Angat was oppressed by the town of San Miguel, followed by the town of Bocaue. When Angat became totally separate from Quingwa, it conquered the lands of Norzagaray and Doña Remedios Trinidad.
Angat became a parish in 1683, making it the ninth oldest parish in Bulacan and tenth in the Diocese of Malolos. Augustinian priests were in charge of the management of the church. The first Augustinian priest to arrive at Angat was Juan Morelos in 1684.
The list below presents the succeeding Augustinian parish priests who served the Sta. Monica Parish Church.
Augustinian parish priests continued to serve Santa Monica Parish Church until 1898. From 1898 to the present, the parish church has been open for Diocesan priests. Mariano de los Reyes became the first Diocesan priest of the parish in 1898.
The following parish priests led the construction and redevelopment of the Santa Monica Parish Church:
Santa Monica de Angat Parish Church was designed in Baroque architectural style. This could be verified with the existence of 18 adobe posts, along with eight windows. Windows, statued niches, and spaces between horizontal string courses, dividing the front facade into three parts, were ornamented with floral carvings. Also, foliated crestings on the raking course of the pediment were used as an added ornamentation.
The ceiling paintings within the interiors of the parish church resemble the ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome. History of Christianity in the Philippines and culture of Angat, Bulacan such as , Flores de Mayo, , and fiesta were also incorporated within the ceiling paintings.
The ceiling paintings were started by G. Rene Robles in 1998 and finished by G. Jess Robles in 2002, in accordance with the order of Fr. Memeng.
Several interventions were conducted under the administration of Angel Santiago, who was ordained as the parish priest of Santa Monica de Angat on November 15, 2013. They include: