Visita Iglesia | From Historical to Contemporary Churches of Manila and Pasay

Two years ago, I decided to have a Visita Iglesia in the churches of Metro Manila. Some of these churches I have visited before, so I need to take a chance to take on the route from Manila to Pasay.

The Manila Cathedral located in front of Plaza Roma.

First stop: The Manila Cathedral. Located in the heart of Intramuros, it is known as The Mother of All Churches, Basilicas, and Cathedrals in the Philippines. It is renovated last 2014 and it is open for the public until today. Pope Francis celebrated his first Papal Mass in the Philippines in this Cathedral. 

The San Agustin Church

Second stop: The San Agustin Church. One of the UNESCO Heritage Sites for the category of Baroque Churches in the Philippines. Just a walk away from the Manila Cathedral, you can also visit one of the oldest churches in the Philippines.

The facade of Santa Cruz Church.

Third stop: Santa Cruz Church. Located in the heart of the busy streets of Santa Cruz, which can be adjacent to Escolta and Binondo, this church is noted for its Baroque architecture. 

The busy crowd in front of Quiapo Church.

Fourth stop: Quiapo Church. In the hustling and busy streets of Quiapo, this church is very popular among the Catholics because it houses the religious icon, the Black Nazarene, and it also held the festivity of the Black Nazarene on January 9.

The only metal church in the Philippines.

Fifth stop: The San Sebastian Church. The only metal church in the country, this church is noted for its Gothic-Revival architecture located in the district of Quiapo, Manila.

The façade of Baclaran Church.

Sixth stop: Baclaran Church. It is also known as The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help or the Redemptorist Church. This church is located in Barangay Baclaran, a boundary between Pasay and Paranaque which can be found in the streets of Roxas Boulevard. The church is also the shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help and there is a novena every Wednesday. This church was first visited by Karol Wojtyla, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Krakow, Poland in 1973, and later, when he became Pope John Paul II, he blessed it in 1981 during his Papal Visit.

A contemporary church adjacent in the SM Mall of Asia.

Seventh stop: Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, The Way, The Truth and The Life. Located in the Mall of Asia compound, this church was first built in 1999 and it is noted for its Spanish Baroque architecture.

Before the pandemic, Visita Iglesia is one way to commemorate the Holy Week as a devout Catholic. Due to restrictions and lockdowns, it is better to stay at home and check some Visita Iglesia posts and conduct a virtual Visita Iglesia. Everyone is praying that this pandemic will be over and everything will be back to normal without any travel restrictions, lockdown, and the COVID-19 virus will be vanished. 

You can also check the following blogs:

Visita Iglesia | Heritage Churches in Manila

Travel Throwback: A Visit to the Iconic Churches of Metro Manila

Date: April 1, 2019

Schools in Verdant Glow during the Pandemic

During the pandemic, establishments and institutions are not in full operation due to safety distancing protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19 virus and people are required to stay at home and they are doing work-from-home scenario in their jobs. On the other hand, a Facebook post once said "Nature is healing" during the pandemic. 

Yellow cosmos scattered around the school campus during the pandemic.

Due to skeletal workforce duties done by the teachers which are scheduled according to their assigned day, schools are quiet, yet people come to get modules and other school records, while observing social distancing protocols. It is not the typical noisy ambiance during school days, where children are playing around the campus, and even making fun of plants by picking flowers, sketching on trunks, or hitting the leaves. Therefore, plants are in verdant bloom which can be seen in the abundance of flowers and fruits around the campus during the lockdown season.

A runway with cosmos plants

Quite interesting that the school has a breath of fresh air during the pandemic because of the quiet ambiance and the lush, green glow of the trees and plants in the campus. Flowers are blooming everywhere, pineapples and lemons are growing which can be harvested anytime, and the growth of seedlings and small shrubs everywhere.

Here are the other photos of plants and flowers taken in the campus during the lockdown season. This was taken while having workplace duties in school.

Yellowbells in full bloom.

A row of pineapples in a plantbox.

Unriped fruits in bloom including a lemon (left) and a pineapple (right).

A vibrant yellow cosmos.

An interesting light purple flower and I want to know its name.

Yellow gumamela

Red gumamela

Photos were taken during report in duty from September 2020 to February 2021