Explore Malate Church

Malate, City of Manila

Old Malate Church with the Adjoining Convent

One of the oldest structures standing today in the city of Manila outside the walls of Intramuros can be found facing the Rajah Sulayman Plaza and the Manila bay in the District of Malate.

It is a house of worship built by the Augustinian priests during the colonial period sometime in the sixteenth century.

Old Malate Church Showing the Left Side of the BuildingPhoto Source: http://s38.photobucket.com/user/restardo/media/Retrato/1070255.jpg.html

It has withstood the test of time - standing through war, earthquakes, typhoons and many more calamities both natural and man-made.

 

It was badly damaged and restored several times in the past.
It is a silent witness of the changes of times in its hundreds of years of existence.

Plastering of Adobe Stone Wall

It is formally called Malate Catholic Church. The church architectural design is of Baroque style. It is dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Remedios ("Our Lady of Remedies"), the patroness of childbirth.

Church Facade

Background: Malate Church (formally known as Malate Catholic Church) is a church in Manila, Philippines. It is a Baroque-style church, which faces the Rajah Sulaiman park and beyond Manila Bay. The church is dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Remedios ("Our Lady of Remedies"), the patroness of childbirth. A revered statue of the Virgin Mary in her role as Our Lady of Remedies was brought from Spain in 1624 and stands at the altar.

The church was built originally in the sixteenth century by the Augustinian friars and is one of the oldest churches in Manila outside of Intramuros. British soldiers took refuge in this church during their occupation of the Philippines and attack on Intramuros in 1762–63; repairs had to be made after they left. The church was destroyed by a typhoon in 1868 and then rebuilt. It was also badly damaged in World War II, and later restored again. The church's rooftop is in a form of a cross on aerial view similar to the Manila Cathedral (Wikipedia).

The last time I explored this historical monument was about 15 years ago. I was then still a kid.

After finishing my weekly household chores, I decided to spend the rest of my Saturday relaxing at the church plaza and making some photographs.

I printed and brought with me an old photograph of the church taken sometime in the early 1900s. I noticed from the photograph that there used to be an adjoining convent at the right side of the church facade.

The plaza, of course, still plain with trees surrounding it and the ground was covered with grass. Today, standing at the middle of this plaza is a bronze statue and a fountain. In front of plaza is the busy Roxas Boulevard.

Looking at the old photograph, I noticed a small change on the design of the church facade mostly on the upper portion of the wall. The lower portion still looks the same as the one in the old photograph. I was thinking that some portion of the church facade might had been restored after the World War II.

Historical markers were installed at the church facade. There was an ongoing restoration of the church walls at that time. The workers were plastering the adobe stones at the right side of the church. This is part of the 5-year restoration plan for the church. I noticed also that the old plasters holding the adobe stones at the facade of the church were slowly chipping off.

Old Plasters Chipping Off

I was happy to see that the left side of the church was already plastered at that time.

Newly Plastered Adobe Stone Wall (Left Side)

I got a chance to explore the interior of the church and I must say that it's well maintained. The main altar hosts the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary brought to the Philippine from Spain in the sixteen century.

Church Interior

Dome

The new parish office now stands at the right side of the church and detached from the main church building unlike the old convent that used be attached at the right side of the church facade (facing it).

Old Bell

The old bell is now displayed at the entrance door of the new parish office.

Church Interior after the War in 1945

Inside the church there was a displayed of old photos taken after the World War II showing the damages on the church structure. The roof had completely collapsed but luckily the walls survived.

It was another memorable day for me to be able to come in close contact with the Malate Church once again after a long period of time.

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