Revisiting La Ciudad Murada, Intramuros
Posted on July 10, 2006
June 24 was Manila’s foundation day. What better way is it for me to celebrate this day than have a tour at the Grat Wall of Manila: The Walled City of Intramuros. To the Saniards, they call it, La Ciudad Murada.
I joined the Walls of this Content walking tour of Ivan ManDy of Old Manila Walks.
Tour participants met in front of Manila Cathedral. There was a wedding at that time, so I wasn’t able to snap a photograph of the famed cathedral. Our first stop is the Plaza Roma. A plaza, quite small compared to modern plazas, but very very rich in history. Plaza Roma has been a witness to several parties, celebrations and important gatherings in Intramuros during the Spanish Era.
From the Plaza, we moved on to Bahay Tsinoy. This building re-tells the very important role the Chinese people had in our rich history. The museum houses a large replica of a junk used by the Chinese to travel from their homeland going to Manila. There are also dioramas that depict how theearly Chinese lived in our country.
Fast forward…on the second level of the museum are photographs of modern Filipino Chinese who has contributed greatly in our society.
Another interesting section of the museum are the rare Ming and Tang Dynasty porcelains. They are absolutely beautiful, and priceless! Also noteworthy is the rare Philippine seashell collections on the ground level. It houses several rare and extinct seashell species found in La Filipinas.
After Bahay Tsinoy, we then moved to the San Agustin Church. This church has the distinction of one of UNESCO’s World Heritage site.
We then proceeed to the church museum, located on the right side of the church. What greeted us on the museum lobby is a large 3-ton bell that used to be hanging on top of the church. I just can’t imagine how loud it can be during Sundays.
We then toured the various sections of the museum, including the priceless ivory collections, the rare Agustinian book collections and various paintings. I was also amazed at the beauty of several retablos in every corner of the museum. Usually made of hardwood, and executed execellently.
We also had the oppurtunity of get inside the church crypt. Among those interred in the crpyt are the remains of our National Artist Juan Luna of the Spoliarium fame.
We also went inside Father Blanco’s Garden Ruins. The place is splendid. A perfect venue for wedding photo-ops. In fact when we went inside the garden there were three couples doing their photo-op.
From San Agustin, we walked through the walls until we reached the Baluarte San Diego. This is one of the fortifications built in Intramuros. Baluarte San Gabriel faces the Manila Bay directly, so when an eney attacks, it will be the first line of defense.
To end our tour we moved further from the Baluarte to catch the breathtaking view of Manila.
» Filed Under Road Trip
Related Posts
Revisiting the old but Glorious Intramuros
Intramuros
Baluarte San Gabriel
Destination: Dabaw, Islands to Highlands
Please save our walls!
Under the dark sky
Plaza Salcedo
Care for a ride?
Comments
6 Responses to ”Revisiting La Ciudad Murada, Intramuros”
Leave a Reply
Ive only been in Intramuros once. When I was a kid now I have no time to visit it again.
Naku, you should visit Intramuros again. Its a very beautiful place.. i have learned a lot from the tour.
lapit lapit sa amin nyan
danda na pala ngayon
uy nandoon ka pala
[...] About the Author « Revisiting La Ciudad Murada, Intramuros [...]
blog hopping me…
klasmeyt pala kita that time in Manila
do visit my blog about our trip here
thanks
tito
http://tutubipatrol.blogspot.com
sayang nawala na ang wow philippines,balik na ulit ang mga holdaper at marumi na ulit ang intramuros.