The Minalin mural and the capillas posas

A 1619 painted map, four patio chapels and a hidden carved heart: why Minalin's church is a National Cultural Treasure.

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Discover Pampanga Editors · October 2026

The rear entrance and patio of Minalin Church

Photo: Ramon FVelasquez on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons

Minalin's parish began in 1614 as a chapel of Macabebe, and by 2011 its church had become a National Cultural Treasure, the second in Pampanga after Betis. Three details explain why.

A painted world from 1619

In the upper floor of the convent is the Minalin Mural, a wall painting that bears the date 1619. It shows a landscape of trees, ducks and crows, a boat, a hunter and a crocodile, a glimpse of a riverine world four centuries old. Where In Pampanga notes it was done in argamasa, a lime mortar mixed with river sand and egg whites. Floods in November 2012 destroyed its lower left portion, which has since been restored.

Four open chapels

At the corners of the patio stand four capillas posas, arched structures used as stations for the Blessed Sacrament in processions. They are said to be the only fully preserved set in the Philippines. Let's Go Pampanga notes that in Spanish times, the native faithful heard Mass outside at such altars.

A hidden heart

On August 26, 2011, the eve of the declaration, Fr. Greg Vega found a carved heart pierced by an arrow hidden in the old wooden ceiling, a symbol of Saint Augustine, son of the church's patron, Saint Monica.

Visit the Santa Monica Parish Church to see them.