Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
about their business. Though it's a faithful reproduction of period Spanish styles, Imelda
Marcos commissioned the house in the early 1980s, during her “edifice complex”.
Bahay Tsinoy
32 Anda St at Cabildo St • Tues-Sun 1-5pm • P100 •
T
02 527 6083,
W
bahaytsinoy.org • LRT to Central Terminal
A small but enlightening museum,
Bahay Tsinoy
is a tribute to Manila's influential Chinese
population. The name means “house of the Filipino Chinese”, and the museum traces the
crucial role of the Chinese in Philippine history from their first trade contact with the
archipelago in the tenth century to the Spanish colonial period. Besides assorted artefacts
and multimedia presentations, the displays include life-sized figures and authentic
reproductions of objects related to Tsinoy (or “Chinoy”) history. Among the items of
interest are a large hologram representing the achievements of the Tsinoys and a charming
diorama of the Parian ghetto, the area outside the city walls where Chinese were forced to
live during Spanish rule. There's also a gallery of rare photographs and a Martyrs Hall
dedicated to Tsinoys who formed guerrilla units against Japanese occupation.
Memorare Manila
Plazuela de Santa Isabel, General Luna and Anda streets • LRT to Central Terminal
Much of Intramuros was reduced to rubble during the Battle of Manila (1945) in
World War II, a catastrophe commemorated by the
Memorare Manila
, a series of
moving sculptures surrounding a woman weeping as she cradles a dead child. Over
100,000 Filipinos are thought to have died in the fighting.
Manila Cathedral
Plaza de Roma, Cabildo St at Beaterio St • Daily 6.20am-5.30pm, or 7.30pm if special event/mass • Free •
T
02 527 1796,
W
manilacathedral.org • LRT to Central Terminal
Originally just a nipa and bamboo structure,
Manila Cathedral
was o
cially raised in 1581
but destroyed numerous times down the centuries by a combination of fire, typhoon,
earthquake and war. The seventh version was comprehensively flattened during World War
II but the Vatican contributed funds to have it rebuilt. The present Byzantine-Romanesque
inspired structure was completed in 1958 from a design by Fernando Ocampo, one of the
nation's finest architects, and is similar in style to the cathedral that stood here in the
nineteenth century. A major two-year renovation was completed in 2014.
The cathedral lacks the rich historical ambience of San Agustin, but the interior is
impressive in its simplicity, with a long aisle flanked by marble pillars, stained-glass rose
windows and a soaring central dome. Exhibitions in chapels around the nave throw
light on the tumultuous history of the cathedral, and even tackle weighty theological
questions such as “what is a cathedral?” and the meaning of the Immaculate
Conception (the cathedral was awarded the title of “Basilica of the Immaculate
Conception” in 1981). Check out also the faithful reproduction of Michelangelo's
La Pietà
in a special chapel to the left of the entrance.
Fort Santiago
General Luna St at Santa Clara St • Daily 8am-6pm • P75 •
T
02 527 2961 • LRT to Central Terminal
The remains of
Fort Santiago
stand at the northwestern end of Intramuros. The first log
fortress was built by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi in 1571 on the
ruins of Rajah Sulaiman's base, but was rebuilt in stone twenty years later. The seat of
the colonial power of both Spain and the US, Fort Santiago was also a prison and
torture chamber under the Spanish regime and the scene of countless military police
atrocities during the Japanese occupation (1942-45).
